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| Friday, August 18, 2006 Intense chocolate souffle
I admit it: I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to chocolate. I love French chocolate, especially Valrhona, and will eat it whenever possible. (My favorite American chocolate is Scharffen-Berger, which I think can compete with the best of European chocolates.) However, I am also unbelievably cheap, so I don't believe in wasting an exceptional eating chocolate on just any baked good. For example, brownies and chocolate-chocolate-chip cookies benefit from a mellower chocolate such as standard semi-sweet chips because a good American brownie seems to require a bit of that sweetness. And there is too much flour in these baked goods to allow the chocolate itself to really shine. I'll stick with good ol' Ghirardelli bittersweet chips for these treats.
Back to basics
Souffles, on the other hand, are a different story. In a proper chocolate souffle, there is nearly nothing to compete with the flavor of the chocolate, so this is where an outstanding chocolate can really make a difference. To give it the most intense chocolate taste, it should be a bitter chocolate that has at least 70% cacao content. (For those who aren't faint of heart, gourmet chocolate manufacturers such as Dagoba, have chocolate bars with cacao content as high as 90%.) The souffle I love is traditional; it has an egg base (utilizing both yolks and whites) and some sugar, Grand Marnier and vanilla added (although the last two can be left out if all you really want is chocolate). Souffles have an unfair reputation for being difficult to make, but once you've made one, you realize that it's not difficult; it's just timing that matters-- it should be popped in the oven at once, and then when finished bakng, removed from the oven and eaten at once if you want it to maintain that grand look (it's true-- souffles deflate almost instantly once removed from the heat). Serve it straight up if you want a head-spinning hit of chocolate. Or if that's a bit too much of an overdose, then top it with sweetened creme fraiche.  This one didn't rise as much as usual-- I think it may be because I had the rack on the lower part of the oven, rather than the middle like I usually do. But, it was good anyway. Intense Dark Chocolate Souffle Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter, softened, and 1 tablespoon sugar (for preparing the souffle dish) 8 oz. 70% cacao content bittersweet chocolate (I recommend Valrhona, Scharffen-Berger and Dagoba, but any of your favorite eating chocolate will do) 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 egg yolks 1/3 cup sugar 8 egg whites 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
 Folding the egg whites into the chocolate mixture with a spatula Links: Scharffen-Berger Chocolate Valrhona Chocolate Labels: recipes, the chocolatey, the sweet posted by sheryl | 3:36 PM | comments (1)
Anyone who has eaten waffles with me (yes, there are enough of you out there!) knows that I am not a fan of chemical leaveners when it comes to the mighty waffle. As evidenced by my fave waffle recipes, I always use good old-fashioned yeast for an overnight rise if I want waffles in the morning (or an all-day rise if we're having waffles for dessert after dinner).
Monday, August 07, 2006However, I understand that this is not always practical, especially when you wake up in the morning, groggy-eyed, craving waffles with your morning coffee. I make waffles at least once a week, and I still sometimes forget to put the batter on the night before. So we end up having pancakes instead, which are still delish but sadly, not the same. I decided that I needed to find a practical wake-up-in-the-morning-craving-waffles recipe, that utilizes those very chemical leaveners (i.e. baking soda and baking powder). I've tried many recipes that have let me down-- even the typically foolproof Best Recipe had a shoddy recipe, resulting in the same dense, soggy consistency as in every other recipe. (And to make up for this, they actually suggest to use cornmeal in the batter to add crunch. Blasphemy!) I was getting desperate. Then I came across Alton Brown's basic waffle recipe from his episode about waffles. (After I met AB, I had actually emailed his production company requesting a waffle episode, and lo and behold, they came through! However, I was extremely disappointed-- there was not a single recipe -- or mention -- of using yeast to raise waffles. Even AB let me down. I guess my crusade continues solo.) AB's basic waffle recipe uses the same basics as a good pancake: buttermilk, baking powder and baking soda acting as the raising agents. But, wisely, Alton adjusts the ratios with the understanding that a waffle is fundamentally different from a pancake. (As an aside, I had never understood the term 'waffle and pancake mix' which is used for almost all mixes you find in the grocery store -- and, no they do not typically adjust the ratios.) Because he gets this distinction straight, his waffle recipe actually works, and produced the first genuinely crispy waffle I've ever made using buttermilk and chemical leaveners. I was psyched to have an alternative to an overnight batter. Keep in mind though: you must eat these waffles immediately, or they lose their crispness. Ten minutes out of the iron they will end up reminding you of those insipid diner waffles you were trying to avoid. As a recipe adjustment I did not use whole wheat flour-- why try to make a waffle healthy? If I want a healthy breakfast I'll eat muesli. I know the Belgians eat waffles with powdered sugar, or whipped cream and fruit. I like it (especially as street food), but for breakfast I am American through and through: I just want to see syrup and butter on my plate. Serve these with good maple syrup. I am in paradise since our good friend Jason left Holland-- in his moving chaos, he gave Kyle a huge bottle of Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup from Trader Joe's that he had in his fridge. Maple syrup is hard to come by here (they prefer this vile molasses-like concoction called stroop instead), and dark amber is almost impossible to come by as expat and gourmet stores only seem to stock the more expensive light amber, which has less maple-y taste. So we'll miss you Jason but thanks for the syrup! Basic Buttermilk Waffles adapted from Good Eats 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 3 whole eggs 1/4 cup butter (half a stick), melted and cooled slightly 2 cups buttermilk at room temperature
Links: Labels: recipes, the sweet, waffles posted by sheryl | 12:07 PM | comments (4)
Travel: Portugal and Spain  It's been so hectic I haven't been able to post! Anyway, here are (finally) some pics from our epic journey through Portugal and finishing in Madrid, Spain, where, many moons ago I had spent time as an exchange student (and the city is still the same, and at the same time, different, of course.) This time I traveled with my sister, her daughter, and my two kids. (Kyle missed out because he was busy working. Boo hoo!) We started in Batalha, Portugal, which is close to Fatima, where we were doing our Catholic pilgrimage. Batalha is a charming town in itself, with a huge Gothic sanctuary that is a UNESCO heritage site. Fatima was great, and while we were in the area, we did our Pork pilgrimage as well: to Mealhada, a town in central Portugal that is famous for its roast suckling pig called leitão. For me, this was worth the hour drive north of Batalha, although my sis, who currently lives in Seattle, was not that impressed with the long drive to get lechon which you can get in Chinatown, Seattle! But, hey, I can't get lechon in the vicinity of Den Haag (that I know of), so I was pretty happy with the Pig.  Our giant plate of leitão at Pedro dos Leitões  The little guy was a big fan. And they served it with homemade potato chips which he also enjoyed, of course.  Next we traveled to the Algarve, which is the southern coast of Portugal. They have spectacular beaches, and of course seafood. Above is feijoada from the Algarve, which is a delicious stew of white beans and every kind of seafood you can imagine.  They take their seafood seriously in the Algarve... this restaurant is called Catedral do Marisco (Seafood Cathedral). After our Portuguese beach holiday, we headed via bus, then train, to Madrid where we had some specific foods in mind...  The chocolate and churros at Chocolatería San Gines were excellent. I sometimes think that Spanish hot chocolate is too sweet and too thick because of all the cornstarch (I prefer the French hot chocolate at places like Laduree in Paris), but at this chocolatería the hot chocolate was delish.  We went to La Barraca near Gran Vía for, of course, paella. It's an old-schooly dining room where basically paella is the only thing they serve... and it did not disappoint. (Sorry for the dark pic-- I was distracted by the food so I didn't get a good picture of it when it was still in the platter!)  To say it was hot in Madrid mid-July is an understatement. Here, the little guy enjoys his new favorite ice cream flavor, natas at a delicious ice cream stand on Calle Cadiz. Natas is basically like the sweet cream ice cream flavor in the States, but less sweet. The boy looooved it.  With all the outdoor eating, tapas were definitely in sight for us. Here's a tapas joint, also on Calle Cadiz. The array that my daughter is excited about included morcilla, a blood sausage, as well as the típico jamón serrano, and sardines and red peppers.  All of our favorite combo: the unusual combination of Camembert with blueberry preserves. Until exactly that moment in time, I had hated Camembert. Now I know it has a place in this world.  Before leaving, I tried to go to the deli to get some jamón Ibérico for Kyle. But there was a señora in front of me who, I swear to you, had the dude slice off every type of ham leg you see hanging there, then was like "Hmmmm, I'll also get some longaniza..." By that time we had 10 minutes to get back to the hotel, so no jamón for Kyle, unfortunately. Labels: travel posted by sheryl | 2:14 PM | comments (1)
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Welcome to Sheryl's site dedicated to the humble waffle, among other sweet, savory and delicious things. I'm based in The Hague, Netherlands, and post recipes and travel (food, of course) photos. Mmmm...photos... Top Posts Categories Recent
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