A chocolate cloud with four ingredients.

Here is a lovely chocolate souffle cake that requires just four ingredients.  The recipe is from the Gourmet "archives" (February, 2001) and was, for the most part, super simple.  I would encourage you to find the finest quality ingredients (i.e. natural eggs and classy expensive chocolate).  The most annoying thing is the multiple bowls needed, but really that's just an excuse to pull out all your nice ones and enjoy the process.  Actually, the only truly inconvenient bit was having to whip two separate elements in the same mixer -- the second being egg whites, (which means you need a perfectly clean, temperature neutral base to get that task done.)  But I wouldn't let that be a deterrence.  It's a sexy treat that comes together in an elegant way and pairs beautifully with all kinds of sauces or sides.  I love, too, that it's flourless, so all your gluten free friends can indulge, too.  ;)  xxoo


Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
6 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar

To make this cake:

Put a small roasting pan filled halfway with hot water in bottom third of oven (to provide moisture during baking), then preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan and line bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper. Butter paper.

Melt butter and chocolate together in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, then remove from heat. Beat together yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, and ribbons form when beater is lifted, about 6 minutes. Beat whites at medium speed with cleaned beaters in another large bowl until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until whites just hold stiff peaks. Stir warm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture until combined well. Stir one fourth of egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining egg whites gently but thoroughly.

Pour batter into springform pan and bake in middle of oven (do not place springform pan in pan of hot water) until a tester inserted in center comes out with crumbs adhering, about 1 hour (a crust will form and crack on top of cake as it bakes). Transfer to a rack and cool 10 minutes (cake will "deflate" as it cools). Run a thin knife carefully around edge of cake, then remove side of pan. Cool cake on bottom of pan 30 minutes, then invert onto another rack or plate. Remove bottom of pan, then carefully peel off parchment. Invert cake onto a serving plate.

Recipe, bakers sugar and pretty aqua water glass.

Butter and chocolate combine on the stove.

I like brown eggs, but I know that's psychological.

Combining the sugar and egg yolks to cream.

All creamy and ready to go.

Chocolate and sugary eggs about to meet.

The egg whites folded into the chocolate / creamed egg mixture makes it a true souffle.

Almost there.

Chocolate souffle cake.

Stewed bitter cherries with amaretto liquor makes a yummy and totally winter ish sauce side - but you could do anything.

After dinner mints are classy.

How classy and fun to serve your guest an after-dinner mint on their way out the door?  It's a sweet and thoughtful treat, and though I haven't yet tried it, I want to promote the idea of an after-dinner mint, because that means I get to promote after-dinner kissing, which is also yummy.  These are said to come out creamy and delicious, unlike certain recipes that taste chalky and un lovely in the mouth. 

How to make after-dinner mints: 
(By Darlene Michaud)

Gather the following ingredients to make your after dinner mints: 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/4 teaspoon mint oil or mint extract (or more mint for extra strong mint taste).

Sift the confectioners sugar and line a cookie sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.

In a heavy sauce pan, cook the water, corn syrup, granulated sugar and cream of tartar until it reaches soft ball stage or 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Stir just once at the beginning to help dissolve the sugar but then just let it boil and do not stir again.

Remove the pan from the heat then whisk in the confectioners sugar and mint oil.

Drop teaspoon sized rounds onto the lined cookie sheet and let cool for 20 minutes... then serve them after dinner!

Lilly's iced tea & asparagus.

Jackie in a Lilly Pulitzer shift dress.  So chic.  Probably about to go have an iced tea.

Tonight, I'm going to be jogging in the rain (probably in something fleecey and understated) and dinner is going to be a kale salad with wild rice and red table wine.  Not exactly a scene from a Lilly Pulitzer movie. But nonetheless, I've been thinking a lot about Lilly and even though I'm feeling very un Lilly ish and it's possibly the most unlikely night for a glass of iced tea, here goes.  Just because.  (And the asparagus would be lovely for an Easter brunch ... ?)  Both recipes are from Lilly's book on being Lilly entitled, Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining.



Lilly in her store. 
Image from Life Magazine, 1963.

 Recipe for Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Toasted Nuts

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh asparagus
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped toasted macadamia nuts or toasted pine nuts
Salt and Pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Bend ends of asparagus, snapping where they break naturally. Discard tough ends. Spread asparagus out in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Whisk olive oil and lemon juice in small bowl. Brush asparagus with mixture, turning to coat all sides. Sprinkle asparagus generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Roast asparagus until crisp-tender, bright green and just beginning to brown in spots, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle toasted nuts over asparagus and serve.



Lilly on the go. 
Image from Life Magazine, 1963.

Recipe for Orange Iced Tea
Stir equal parts of your favorite iced tea with fresh squeezed orange juice. Ice if you like and add a big slice of orange.

Chicken Soup.

My husband came down with the flu tonight so I'm making a simple soup.  This is a loose list of ingredients & prep directions I turn to when I'm worn through & in the kitchen only because I "have" to be. I like the texture of barley & how quickly it all seems to come together. If I have lemons, like I do tonight, I throw big hunks in; it sounds weird, but it's refreshing when you or one of your babes don't feel good.
Ingredients for Ash's simple chicken, (sometimes lemon y) barley soup:

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2  cans chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cups water
• salt
• dried thyme
• pepper
• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken (I like to poach the chicken)
• 1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley

Preparation

1. Saute first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a large pot over medium-high heat about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, 1 3/4 cups water, and rest of stuff. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 23 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add optional lemon & mint at end, if you have it on hand.

La Crema Wine

La Crema is a California winery & I love their consistency and classy ness.  My dear (and classy) friend often serves their Chardonnay.  Every pour I've ever had is heaven, and I say that as a non Chardonnay nose.  I went on their website and found the most interesting sounding recipe to share.  Words like vanilla & persimmon & fennel & rock shrimp with a cold glass of white?!  This is for a nice Saturday evening meal with special people.

Rock Shrimp with Vanilla and Persimmon Fennel Slaw Pair with La Crema Chardonnay This quick and easy recipe is a perfect compliment to our La Crema Chardonnay. The buttery shrimp, vanilla, sweet persimmons and citrus all echo the flavors in the wine. The fennel adds complexity and texture to the dish. Serves 8 people

Ingredients: 2 lb fresh rock shrimp 4 Tb clarified butter 2 each shallots, minced fine 1 each vanilla bean, cut lengthwise and seeds scraped 6 each ripe fuju persimmons, peeled and diced 2 each lemons, zest and juice 1/4 cup canola oil 4 each large heads of fennel, shaved very thin To taste kosher salt 1/2 bunch fennel fronds

Preparation: Into a very hot sauté pan add clarified butter, then rock shrimp. Season with kosher salt. Sauté very quickly until shrimp are just done. Remove shrimp from pan and let cool. In a blender combine 2 persimmons, seeds from vanilla bean, lemon juice and canola oil. Blend until smooth and transfer to a large bowl. Add shallots, lemon zest, diced persimmons, fennel and shrimp. Season with kosher salt and toss gently to coat evenly. Divide salad between 8 plates, garnish with fennel fronds and serve immediately.

Rose Cake.

Pictured cake by Ron Ben-Israel .  Photo credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo.
(Clearly our cakes will never turn out this professional, but layering organic rose petals will create a similar look.)

Rose Petal Cake: This recipe is simple and delicious.  Perfect for a girl thing. Ingredients: 1 Cup butter softened 1 1/3 cups white sugar 5 very large eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 1/2 ounces finely chopped almonds 3 teaspoons rose water 2 drops red food coloring 2 cups all purpose flour Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a nine inch tube pan. Cream the butter very well. In a separate bowl beat sugar and eggs together until they have doubled their volume. Sift the flour and add it along with the salt gradually. Fold in creamed butter. Divide batter into two equal parts, in one part add the almond extract and the ground almonds. To the other part add the rosewater and the red food coloring, place batters alternatively into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Let cake cool then remove from pan and dust with confectioners sugar. A thought : if you add just a tad of red food coloring into two cups of whipped cream, you'll have your frosting.  I like to make the top of the cake pink and then decorate with white rose petals.

Famous NYC Cinnamon Buns for Christmas morning.

Photo courtesy of Momofuku.com

Cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning are incredibly special.  If you don't have a go-to recipe, maybe this could be it ... This is pastry chef Christina Tosi's totally wonderful version of cinnamon rolls and the dough recipe has quite the following; it actually inspired the cinnamon bun pie served at Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC.

(Yields fourteen buns)

Ingredients

For the dough
2½ tsp. dry active yeast
¾ c. warm water
1½ c. warm milk
6 c. bread flour
2 tbsp. salt
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature

For the filling
1 c. butter, at room temperature
1½ c. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. salt

For the cream cheese frosting
½ c. butter
1½ c. cream cheese
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp. salt

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water and milk.

2. Knead in dry ingredients. Add butter. Let rise for 45 minutes.

3. After the 45-minute rise, roll out dough into a long rectangle and spread butter over its surface. Sprinkle it with a generous amount of light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

4. Roll up the rectangle into a long cylinder. Cut into fourteen, 2-inch pieces. Place in a greased 9-by-13-inch pan or two 10-inch pie pans and cover with plastic. Let rise 45 minutes before baking for 12-22 minutes at 375°.

5. To prepare the frosting, mix butter, cream cheese, extract, sugar, and salt thoroughly.

6. While the buns are still warm, spread the frosting generously about the buns and serve immediately.