Chocolate Souffl� � Perfect for Your Valentine (Unless I�m Your Valentine)

With everybody�s favorite made-up holiday right around the corner, I thought I would finally post a chocolate souffl�. I�m not sure what took so long, other than the fact that souffl�s have never been my favorite delivery system for chocolate.

Sure, they�re visually impressive, which is key for a special occasion dessert, but the chocolate does get a bit diluted by all those air bubbles. Also, I�ve always been much more of a cold, or room-temp chocolate dessert guy, and never gone nuts for things like lava cakes, and baked puddings.

Having said that, I�m sure I�m in the minority, and you and your special someone will enjoy these just fine. I developed this recipe for two, since that makes a lot of sense, but it should scale up without issue. If you want to add some type of liquor to this, you can add it to the milk and flour mixture after you turn off the heat.

Rum works beautiful, as does coffee, orange, or raspberry liqueur.  Above and beyond that, if you really want to impress your date, you could also whip up a sauce to serve along side. I�m thinking either a berry puree, or maybe a coffee cr�me anglaise would pair perfectly. Either way, sauced or not, I really hope you give this a try soon, and it gets you lots of compliments. Enjoy!

Chocolate souffl� for two 5-oz ramekins):
melted butter and sugar to prep ramekins

1 tablespoon butter  

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon cold milk

pinch salt

pinch cayenne

2 ounces dark chocolate (I like something around 70%)

1 large egg yolk

2 large egg whites

pinch cream of tartar (you can use a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar instead)

1 tablespoon white sugar, added in 3 additions

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My Dream Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

And by dream, I mean nightmare. I don�t test recipes. There is nothing in my contract that requires me to only post successful videos, and as you longtime viewers know, I do enjoy sharing the occasional flop, but this new and improved, vanilla bean pastry cream was not a one-take affair.

I�ve wanted to update our old cr�me patisserie recipe for a while, and long story short, I became obsessed, and ended up suffering through seven non-perfect versions before I was finally satisfied. The key to a great pastry cream is using the minimum of starch. You need enough so the cream holds a shape, but not so much it interferes with the flavor.

I found flour-based pastry creams easy to work with, but they have more of a pasty mouthfeel that gets in the way of the vanilla. That�s why this version is all corn starch, which we need less of to do the same job. Just be careful not to keep cooking it once it has thickened, otherwise you may compromise its thickening powers.

With the holidays, and their associated fancy desserts, right around the corner, what better time to work on your pastry cream game? So whether it�s for Napoleons, pies, tarts, or cakes, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes about 3 cups:

1 large whole egg

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon fine table salt)

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

2 cups whole milk

1 vanilla bean, seeded, plus pure vanilla extract if needed
Tip: Save the scraped pods, and stick them in your sugar container for lovely, vanilla-scented sugar!

4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

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Tiramisu � It Will Pick You Up and Not Let You Down

In addition to being an incredible tasting dessert, Tiramisu also offers the perfect segue when you�re trying to steer the Valentine�s dinner conversation towards spicier subjects. Please feel free to embellish the following history to further enhance the version your sweetheart hears.

Tiramisu was invented in an Italian brothel, where it was a popular snack with customers looking for a little restorative treat after certain strenuous activities. Tiramisu actually means �pick-me-up,� which of course makes it the best culinary double entendre in history.

Besides the great story, it really is the perfect romantic occasion dessert. This heady, mood-elevating concoction is a rich and deeply satisfying, yet remarkably light in texture. I know someone will ask, so yes you can use regular cream cheese, but mascarpone is far superior, and it is Valentine�s Day after all.

As far as the booze goes, I used Marsala, but it also works beautifully with amoretti, rum, brandy, or even Bailey�s. The other key liquid in this is the espresso, and I highly recommend that�s what you use. Regular coffee doesn�t have the same punch. You can use instant, but the last time I checked there was literally a caf� on every corner of every city.

I did these as two, rather large individual portions, but this could be easily stretched into four cups, or layered in a square baking dish, as is more traditional. Don�t over-think it; no matter what you use, it�s basically three layers of mascarpone mixture around two layers of coffee-dipped ladyfingers. 

They say you can tell how good your Valentine's dessert was, by whether or not you end up also having to cook breakfast. Which reminds me, if you make this, be sure to not use up the last of the eggs. I really hope you give this tiramisu a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 small portions:

1/2 cup espresso with 2 tbsp Marsala wine for dipping cookies

10 or 12 ladyfinger cookies, broken in half if making cups

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon white sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

3/4 cup mascarpone cheese (6 oz)

2 large egg whites

cocoa for dusting

dark chocolate for shaving

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Edible Holiday Gift Special: Vegan Miracle Fudge!

I�m calling this �miracle fudge� for several reasons. First of all, the odds of me seeing a vegan fudge link on Twitter, and actually clicking on it, are roughly zero. That alone makes this video miraculous, but that cocoa, maple syrup, and coconut oil can combine to create something so pleasurable and fudge-like, also makes it worthy of the title.

Michele actually discovered the link on Twitter, and called my attention to it since she recognized the Tweeter as my friend, Stephanie Stiavetti aka @sstiavetti. Nothing against Ms. Stiavetti, but this still usually wouldn�t have been enough to tempt me, except that I heard mention of coconut oil.

This was significant because another friend, Ariyele Ressler, posted something called a "The Triple Luxe" on her YouTube channel(pictured here), which featured this fascinating fat. I was captivated by her delicious looking creation, and the coconut oil's butter-like properties, and told myself that I needed pick some up for experimentation.

Anyway, as a result of this perfect storm of social media synchronicity, I decided to check out her recipe, and it rocked. I did a bunch of tests, and even though you�re forfeiting some health benefits, I found the refined coconut oil worked better than the raw, extra-virgin style, if you want something closer to real chocolate fudge. The other key is to keep these in the freezer. They work at room temp, but the texture is much better cold.

The extra-virgin oil has a very pronounced coconut flavor, and seemed to not provide quite as firm a bite. Of course, I expect you to experiment and report back. As advertised, I think this would make a fun, and unique edible gift for the foodies on your holiday gift list. I hope you give this fudge recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Bonus Holiday Gift Idea: 

Not only does Stephanie have great taste in vegan fudge recipes, she also writes cookbooks! I just received a copy of Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, which she co-authored with Garrett McCord, and it�s very well done. It�s getting rave reviews on Amazon, so if you�re still in shopping mode, go check it out.

Ingredients for about 2 dozen squares of Miracle Fudge:

1/2 cup really good unsweetened cocoa (I used this one)

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted

few drops of vanilla

pinch of salt

Notes:

- You can make this without the nuts, but make sure your oil is nice and warm, so the mixture is liquid enough to pour.

-  If the mixture gets too firm to work with, just place over a bowl of hot water until it melts.

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Chocolate Snowcaps � There�s Snow on Them There Cookies

I don�t think I�ve ever been involved in a holiday cookies swap (apparently you need to have like-minded friends), but if I were, I�d bring these chocolate snowcap cookies. They just look so wintry, with their powdery-white tops, contrasted against those deep, dark cracks.

They�re so captivating, that I find myself daydreaming about tiny Christmas elves skiing down them when no one is looking. I really should see someone about that. Anyway, the point is, if you�re looking for a holiday cookie so seasonally appropriate it hurts, this is the one for you.

As I stated in the video, the only way to mess these up is to not use enough powdered sugar. The first batch I made looked like they had plenty, but that little bit I shook off before placing them on the pan made all the difference. You want to coat them, roll them, coat them again, and then, coat them again. You can�t put too much on.

Also, the batch I made after letting the dough sit overnight didn�t spread out as much, which I thought looked better, and much more mini mountain-like. As far as baking time goes, mine took about 12 minutes, but that depends on exactly how large you roll your dough balls.

To be safe, you should probably do five or six practice batches to get this time dialed in [wink]. Once you do, you�ll be rewarded with a classic Christmas cookie that tastes as good as it looks. I think I speak for tiny, imaginary elves everywhere, when I say we hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 dozen Chocolate Snowcap Cookies:

Recipe found here on Foodess.com

6 ounces dark chocolate, broken in small pieces, melted over hot water

3/4 cup AP flour

1/3 cup cocoa (I used Guittard�s Cocoa Rouge)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine salt

1/2 cup room temp butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup powdered sugar, or as needed

*Bake at 350 degrees F.  for about 12 minutes, depending on size

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Happy National Chocolate Day!

According to Twitter, today is National Chocolate Day, and to celebrate I'm re-posting one of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy this ancient pleasure, the Savory Chocolate Sea Salt Crostini. You can read the original post here, but to summarize, these are awesome. Enjoy!

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Chia Chocolate Pudding � Sort of a Pet Project

If you�re my age, you can�t hear the word �chia� without thinking of the famous 1980�s commercial, and its �cha cha cha chia� jingle. That did make it a little tougher taking this seed seriously as a legitimate recipe ingredient, but as long as you manage expectations, it proved its worth beyond a gardening option for lazy people.

If you�re looking for a rich and decadent chocolate pudding then keep moving. As nutritious as this �superfood� is supposed to be, you can�t expect the same results substituting bird seeds for eggs, butter, and cream. That said, if you�re craving something sweet, relatively chocolately, and comparatively healthful, then chia seeds may be a good option.

Chia seeds are all the rage right now, and are usually seen in breakfast pudding form. In fact, I learned about them after seeing this on my friend Elizabeth�s blog, Saffron Lane. I�ve never been a big breakfast pudding guy, so I decide to do a dessert for my first attempt. Plus, I needed an excuse to use chocolate covered hemp seeds.

They're incredible easy to work with, and I look forward to doing more experiments. If you have any tips or tricks I should know about, please feel free to pop off. And if you�ve never tried using chia seeds before (the pet plant doesn�t count), I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee

1/4 tsp vanilla

a few grains of salt

1 cup milk
chocolate covered hemp seeds, optional

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A Banana Bread That�s Okay to Make Early

Banana bread is one of those things people rarely make on purpose. Even though you know you�re not going to eat seven bananas in a week, you buy the big bunch anyway, because, �it�s kind of green.� Now, those last three bananas are almost black and you�re feeling like a bad person.

Then you remember banana bread, and long story short, you realize you�re not a bad person�in fact, you kind of rock. While that�s the most common scenario, this scrumptious banana walnut loaf, spiked with dark chocolate chips, is so good you�ll want to make it well before the bananas get to that condition. Yes, it does come out better with extra ripe bananas, but if you can�t wait (like I couldn�t), you�re still in for a treat.

The chocolate chips are sparse here, but make a big difference in the overall flavor. This is a case where more wouldn�t necessarily make it better. This should be more of a snack, not a super-sweet dessert. When Michele makes this, she actually grates unsweetened baking chocolate instead, and it�s amazingly like that also. And, don�t even get me started on how good this is toasted.

The recipe is adapted from one by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, from their cookbook, City Cuisine. It�s one of the oldest cookbooks we have, and has tons of great recipes, so check the link if you�re interested. Enjoy!

Banana Bread Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp milk
1 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

*Bake in a 9x4 loaf pan at 325 degrees F. for about 1 hour 10 minutes.

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Easy as Chocolate Pecan Pie

Despite the colloquial idiom, pies are not that easy, and in my opinion, it�s not the dough that separates the good from the great, it�s the fillings. With fresh fruit pies, you have to worry about too much or too little liquid. Custard-based fillings are texturally tricky; and don�t even get me started on lemon meringue.

However, there�s one category of pie whose fillings are so easy, they�re nearly impossible to mess up. That would be the seasonally appropriate nut pie. If you can work a whisk, and set a timer, you have what it takes to excel in this genre.

We added a handful of chocolate chips, but the recipe is based on this one from Allrecipes.com, which I came across looking for corn syrup free versions. By the way, it�s not that I think corn syrup is a �bad� ingredient, I just know that most people don�t have it on hand, and I�d hate for them to buy a whole bottle when a perfectly wonderful pie can be made without it.

In fact, the filling is so deliciously decadent the crust is almost an afterthought. If you ever want to rationalize buying a frozen pie shell, this is your chance. Of course, if you want real �homemade,� you can check out this video recipe for making pie dough, but the point is, either way your chocolate pecan pie is going to rock. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 9-inch pie shell

2 eggs

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I didn't add in this recipe, but suggest you do. Add with the sugars.)

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

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Red Velvet Cupcakes and My Big Moment on Just Desserts

I don�t make a lot of cupcakes, but since I�ve always been fascinated by the red velvet cake, I decided to try a version based on this venerable American classic. 

I�ve gotten so many requests for cupcakes and red velvet cakes that I figured I�d kill two food wishes with one video. They came out really well, and as I tasted, I actually caught myself daydreaming about being on Top Chef Just Desserts.

I imagined I�d furiously finished frosting these red velvet cupcakes just as time expired (I think the faux-hawked prima donna with the Jacques Torres tattoo next to me hid the cream cheese to screw me over). I bring them up to the judge�s table, and watch as the lovely Gail Simmons takes a big bite. She swallows, smiles, and then says, �Really not that bad for a food blogger.� Okay, so she�s too classy to ever say that, but still, it would be pretty cool.

Anyway, back to reality. I will also post the cream cheese frosting recipe next week, just in case you�re wondering. I joke about the red food coloring in the clip, and it does give the cake such a unique look, but feel free to leave it out if that�s not your thing.

Party season is upon us, and what holiday dessert table wouldn�t benefit from a plate of these classic cupcakes? It would be like Johnny Iuzzini's face without the side burns. In other words, just not as good. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Red Velvet Cupcakes:

Dry:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Wet:

4 tablespoons softened butter

1 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon red food coloring

Bake at 350 for about 22 minutes

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The Greatest Video of a Cadbury Chocolate Creme Egg Getting Smashed Ever

I know Easter is still a ways off, but I wanted to make sure you had plenty of time to build your own Rube Goldberg machine so you can smash some of those Cadbury Creme Eggs you'll be getting in your basket. To get more info about this incredible clip, here is the original Youtube page. Enjoy!

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Make a Solid Foundation for a Special Valentine's Day with Hot Chocolate Stones

You have to be careful when making someone a homemade gift for Valentine's Day. There's a very fine line between, "Oh, you are so thoughtful, romantic, and creative!" and "You cheap bastard!"

To hedge your bets, this beautiful box of chocolates would look even better in a gift bag with a few other tokens of your love, like perfume and lingerie. That said, if this is all you manage to offer this holiday, once the object of your affection bites into these smooth, rich, warm-from-the-pepper chocolate stones, how could they be disappointed?

Whenever I post things like this, I always get lots of questions, like� can I use milk chocolate? Can I use skim milk? Do you know where I can get a date for Valentine's Day? Let me save you some time, and answer "no" to all of those.

I'm not a candy maker, or a pastry chef, so I just don�t have the experience to tell you how you can alter the recipe. All I know is this works as shown � both as a formula and technique, as well as a sexy alternative to more expensive, less personal gifts. Enjoy!




8 ounces good dark chocolate
1/8 tsp chipotle pepper or cayenne
big pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
cocoa to dust
sexy black bow with the word "Love" across the top, or something similar

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