Chestnut and Armagnac Souffle
with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

December 2, 2008 // No Comments »

I must admit that none of the creative genius behind this soufflé is mine. It’s a recipe from Bon Appetit magazine (to which I am subscribed, yes. Go ahead and laugh!) that I amended only slightly. Also, I halved the recipe when I made it, for who on god’s green earth has a 14 cup soufflé dish? I’m not done with it though. I have a theory that it would fare better baked in individual ramekins, and that a certain magical flavor is missing that I shall ferret out in due time. For the moment, it is still delicious, and I urge you all to try. Bonne chance!!!

Ingredients:

For Soufflé:

• 1 7.25- to 7.41-ounce jar whole steamed chestnuts or vacuum-packed roasted chestnuts, or 1/2 pound of whole fresh chestnuts that you’ll steam yourself. This is what I did, and it was amazing.
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• 1/4 cup sugar (for coating soufflé dish) plus 14 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 2 cups whole milk, divided
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Armagnac, Cognac, or other brandy
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup egg whites (about 8 large)
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

For Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce:

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 tablespoons Armagnac, Cognac, or other brandy
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
  

Procedure:

For Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce:

* You can either make this ahead of time and reheat just before serving, or prepare it as the soufflé bakes.

1. Combine chocolate and butter in medium metal bowl. Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Remove from over water.
2. Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan; gently stir into chocolate. Add Armagnac, vanilla, and salt and stir to blend.
3. Serve very warm.

For Soufflé:

1. Blend chestnuts, 2 tablespoons water, and 1 tablespoon butter in processor until paste forms. Transfer mixture to small bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Coat inside of 14-cup soufflé dish (about 8 1/4 inches wide and 3 3/4 inches deep) with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle dish with 1/4 cup sugar and tilt to coat bottom and sides evenly.
3. Whisk 1/4 cup milk, egg yolks, 4 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Bring remaining 1 3/4 cups milk and 4 tablespoons sugar to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Return custard to same pan. Stir over medium heat until custard thickens and boils, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chestnut paste, Armagnac, and vanilla and whisk to blend well (some small pieces of chestnut paste will remain). DO AHEAD Soufflé base can be made 2 hours ahead. Press plastic wrap onto surface; let stand at room temperature.
4. Position rack just below center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into soufflé base in 3 additions. Transfer batter to prepared dish.
5. Bake soufflé until puffed and just firm to touch in center, about 50 minutes (when I halved la recette, I baked it for 30 minutes.) Serve immediately with sauce.

Posted in The Recipes, Uncategorized

Fromage Fest!!!

November 19, 2008 // 1 Comment »

Cheese Louise!

Prepare yourselves for a dairy digression!

A couple of days ago, I went to Di Palo’s (the Italian fine foods store where I worked throughout my senior year with a specialty in… you guessed it, CHEESE!!!) Oh, glorious coagulated dairy product that it is, and light of my life! I got Gorgonzola Dulce, Tallegio, Pecorino Moliterno from Sardenia, Pecorino Boschetto with truffles, and Parmigiano, of course. All this accompanied by sweet Prosciutto di Parma and Bresaola. Phenomenal. I used the Boschetto to make Scrambled Eggs with Truffled Pecorino , the most decadent breakfast, brunch, or lunch dish imaginable! And the Gorgonzola found it’s way into a salad with pears and walnuts.

(more…)

Posted in Uncategorized

Ratatouille Recipe

November 1, 2008 // 1 Comment »

Makes 2 large servings, or three if you’re less of a miss piggy than I:

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant
• 2 zucchini
• 3 small onions
• 6 nice garden grown tomatoes. Hydroponic clones won’t do for this.
• 8 cloves of garlic
• Beaucoups olive oil

Procedure

1. Dice the eggplant and zucchini into a 1/2 ” dice.
2. Soak both the eggplant and zucchini in bowls of abundant salted water for at least an hour, separately. Overnight is optimal.
3. Rinse them, and spread them on two different trays to dry.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
5. Sautee the eggplant in 2 T o.oil, or more, if necessary, on high heat until well caramelized. Remove to a glass Pyrex dish, or a rectangular cake pan in a pinch.
6. Repeat with zucchini.
7. Dice onion to same size, and sauté until brown in 2 T o. oil (Should be past golden but not charred).
8. Halve the tomatoes. Over the sink, squeeze them to expel the seeds. Don’t go crazy, though. About 1/3 of the moisture should still remain in the tomatoes. These will provide delicious moisture for the whole dish.
9. Roughly chop the garlic cloves.
10. Add all ingredients to the baking dish, salt heavily (more than you think: the salt will draw out moisture from the vegetables to create a delicious juice. Also, it’s a hefty mass of ingredients, so it really needs the seasoning.
11. Mix and fold with a spatula to evenly distribute ingredients.
12. Pop into oven uncovered for a total of 1.5 hours, mixing it around every 30 minutes or so to avoid over-caramelization.

 

The ratatouille is finished when it is a lovely, caramelized sticky, ooey-gooey mess. The vegetables should seem to have dissolved into one another, thoroughly melded but still maintaining the integrity of their character (this is why you sauté them each separately). Ratatouille, by the way, gets better with age. Have some, refrigerate the rest for later, and by all means, multiply the recipe. It’s not an exact science, so mix and match as suits your fancy!!!

Posted in French Cuisine, The Recipes, Uncategorized