apple and aged Gouda soufflé

November 12th, 2010

soufflés

Soufflés.   Impressive to guests.   Intimidating to cooks.   This recipe will keep the impressive factor and eliminate the intimidation factor.

Sweet or savory, soufflés consist of three parts:

  • Developing the flavor (Essentially, what is the soufflé supposed to taste like?  Here, apples and cheese);
  • Making the structure (This is the foundation for the soufflé, what gives the soufflé its strength.  Here, it is a classic spice-infused béchamel bound with egg yolks); and
  • Creating a lift (This is what makes it rise.  In soufflés the rise is due to the air trapped in the whisked egg whites that turns to steam and expands with oven heat).

The first two steps can be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.   When you are ready to make it, let it come to room temperature, whisk the eggs, fold into the base and bake.

This soufflé recipe is perfect for Fall and it is versatile as it can be served as a side-dish or a dessert (after all, it really is apple pie just re-configured).  As written, this recipe is also user-friendly because you have less chance of a fallen soufflé  (the sugar in the egg whites acts as a stabilizer and the lower oven temperature allows the soufflé to cook in the middle, rather than be molten). Read the rest of this entry »

truffled omelet with mushrooms

October 29th, 2010

truffled omelet with mushrooms and green salad

This recipe is another simple way to incorporate truffles into your cooking repertoire.   The omelet can be made for breakfast, dinner, or something in-between.  If you do not have truffles (fresh or canned), do not worry you can make this omelet with truffled butter and/or truffled salt.

Hen of the Woods mushrooms are my favorite mushrooms to use; however, I have listed some alternatives that are equally as nice.  It  is critical that you use fresh eggs.  You can tell an egg is fresh if the yolk is firm and bright yellow and the white of the egg stays together.  If the egg is old it will lose density and spread out thinly.

Serve the omelet with small, roasted potatoes (my favorites are ozette, Russian banana fingerling or red French fingerling) and/or a simple mixed green salad.  Squeeze some fresh oranges and you have breakfast or brunch.  Conversely, serve with red wine (or milk as the case may be as with my children) and the omelet is lunch or dinner.  If you want a snack, you can scramble the eggs instead of making an omelet and serve it on toasted bread for a tartine.  Versatile.  Simple.

Je vous souhaite un bon appétit !

LM

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truffled truffles

October 29th, 2010

truffled truffles with a dessert wine

Take advantage of the truffle season and satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time.  This recipe takes a few hours but that is only to let the chocolate interior set – so do not let the “few hours” scare you.   In fact, because the truffles can be made ahead of time or spread out over a couple days (you can make the interior one day and temper the chocolate exterior the next day), they are a perfect dessert for a dinner party.

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