If You Can't Beat 'em, Join 'em

After years of resisting, I have finally conceded. I’ve been using the same “Molten”, “Lava”, “Warm”, whatever you want to call it chocolate cake recipe since they first became popular (still my most requested dessert by the way).  The thought then, when I a sous chef and chef de cuisine in restaurant kitchens, was if you added truffles, ganache, or anything else to the batter, it was because you were a shoemaker and couldn’t make it oozy and gooey enough by using proper technique alone.

Well, this past Christmas season, I was obsessed with truffles. I must have ended up with at least 5 different varieties (can’t remember exactly because some failed). You name it; I played with balsamic vinegar, ginger, honey, bourbon, stout, scotch and so on, but when Saint Valentine’s Day rolled around, I was reminded again of the hack “Lava” Cake recipes with their secret hidden short cut. I was shocked. It seemed liked practically everyone was making it that way now. So, naturally, I set out to show them how unnecessary all of their extra steps were.  

Then, one night a few weeks ago, I made my old stand by Individual Warm Chocolate Cakes (the recipe is in my August 19, 2009 blog post). The next night, I made that recipe again, but this time I hid one of my “go to” truffles inside each. Night 2 comments went like this; “The best chocolate cake ever!”, “Mmmmm, this is definitely better than the one last night.”, and “Daddy, can you make this for my birthday?”

I’ve got to admit; it was pretty good. Sure, it could save a hack shoemaker of a pastry cook from turning it into an overcooked chocolate muffin, but if you cook it properly, the double shot of chocolate is ridiculous. The semi-sweet chocolate harmonizing with the bittersweet and cocoa is a very cool touch. I also love the extra flavor that the liqueur provides. Plus, if you are a fan of gooeyness, this version is hard to beat. So, without further ado, here is my compromise. Give it a try and let me know what you think.     

 

Warm Chocolate Cakes 

2 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp. Your choice of liqueur (i.e. Frangelico, Chambord, Grand Marnier, or Crème de Menthe)
3 tbsp. heavy cream
6 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 ¼ sticks of butter
Cocoa powder
1 ½ cups powdered sugar, plus extra to garnish
½ cup flour
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks

Place the semisweet chocolate and liqueur in a small bowl; set aside. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer; pour over the chocolate and let sit for about a minute. Stir slowly until smooth, then let cool slightly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled. Divide chocolate mixture into 6 portions and shape each portion into a cherry sized ball. Refrigerate until chilled and firm.

Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease 6 molds and coat with cocoa.
In a small sauce pan, melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Stir until completely smooth.

In a largish bowl, add the sugar and flour. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and stir until well blended. Whisk in whole eggs and yolks until well mixed. At this point, batter can be tightly covered and refrigerated for about a day.

Divide half of the mixture evenly among the 6 prepared molds. Place 1 truffle into the center of each mold and push it lightly into the batter. Divide the remaining batter evenly among the molds, totally covering the truffle.

Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes or until firm around edges but soft in center. Let rest 1-2 minutes then run a paring knife around each cake to loosen. Carefully invert onto individual plates. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (and/or whipped cream, if desired) and serve immediately.

Care to Share for Guiding Lights

Sorry for going so long in between posts. At least now, I’ve got a lot to catch you up on.
This Saturday (2/25/12) I’ll be at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill teaching a double header. Both classes will be Basic Knife Skills. The first starts at 11 am and the second is at 2pm.

More importantly, after those classes, I’ll be going to the Contemporary Art Museum in downtown Raleigh to judge a cooking competition. It’s part of an annual fundraiser for Guiding Lights, a nonprofit providing training, life management, connections, and support to family and professional caregivers who are assisting the elderly through difficult times.

Dementia, Alzheimer’s, and end of life issues affect us all and some of us may not have enough time or finances to properly care for our loved ones in their time of need. That’s where Guiding Lights comes in and for those of us who can do it ourselves, they provide emotional support, professional contacts, and counseling to give us some peace of mind.

If you can, please support them.

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs013/1103180194910/archive/1109354283479.html

Or http://www.guidinglightsnc.org/GuidingLights/Home.html

Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New

I’ve never been one who looks at New Year’s as a time to make resolutions, reflect on the past, or create bucket lists. However, since 2011 was a pretty bizarre one for me (and my family), I decided to check out a few end of year posts by some of the writers I admire and respect. The exercise left me inspired and grateful. So, I thought I’d share those sites with you, hoping you have the same experience.

A few Blogs/Sites that inspired me in 2011:

Monica Bhide’s “A Spice of Life”                                http://www.monicabhide.com/

Susan Ely’s “The Shared Table”                                  http://thesharedtable.com/about/

David Leite’s “Leite’s Culinaria”                                 http://leitesculinaria.com/     and
                            “David’s Blahg”                                      http://leitesculinaria.com/category/blog

Nancie McDermott’s Blog                                             http://nanciemcdermott.wordpress.com/

Michael Procopio’s “Food for the Thoughtless"  http://foodforthethoughtless.com/

Marc and Angel’s                                                              http://www.marcandangel.com/

There are also several people who made my 2011 special and for that I’d like to thank:

the generous and talented Nancie McDermott and the amazing and inspiring Monica Bhide for all they taught me - I look up to you both as mentors and models of success,

the gracious educator Antonia Allegra (http://www.antoniaallegra.com/ ) and the golden standard of hospitality Lynn Swann for hosting one of the most amazing weeks of my life at the Greenbrier in West Virginia (http://www.greenbrier.com/ ),

Don Fry (http://donfry.wordpress.com/ ) for sharing with me a priceless amount of advice and knowledge,

Marilyn Markel of A Southern Season (http://www.southernseason.com/class/default.asp ) and Susan Ajygin of Wake Technical Community College (http://conted.waketech.edu/ ) as well as the hundreds of students I taught in 2011 in their classrooms,

Crash Gregg, the tireless publisher of the Raleigh Downtowner Magazine, (http://raleighdowntowner.com/ ) for continuing to allow me to write about the Capital City’s food scene,

and last but not least, my family and friends for their limitless love and support as well as their ability to put up with my crap.

Some Things to Let Marinate or Stew Over

A quarter of a billion dollars is an insane amount of money and giving out a 10 year contract is an insane business practice.

Cashman has done a great job keeping his poker face on, but does anyone in baseball actually believe the Yankees will start the season with a rotation of CC, Garcia, Nova, Burnett, and Hughes after the disasterous '08 season?

I know I’m a chef, but does anyone really care what Paula Deen is (supposedly) making for Christmas?

I guess the knuckleheads behind the NBA lockout realized what I’ve been saying since June. No one cares about the NBA until Christmas and if there are no games on Christmas day, the chances of having a worthwhile fan base (i.e. revenue stream) after that would be slim. So, the greedy “bastids” settled just in time to make it happen.

Stern nixing the Paul trade is one of the biggest jokes of the decade, especially coming off of this lockout.

Speaking of nix and the NBA, in literally one day, the Knicks went from patsy to “contenda” by picking up Chandler and Bibby...and it's about time, too.

The Giants are a disaster. One week, a touchdown that wasn’t ruled a touchdown cost them. Another week, they don’t even show up. A different week, the D couldn’t stop a dripping faucet. Then another, no one could catch a cold. Yet, not only is Big Blue still in the mix, but the Cowboys are playing so scared that Pampers has bought stock in them. B-ELI-eve it!  

Have you ever had one of those out of the blue conversations with someone you don't know very well (or at all) and, as it is happenning, you realize you'll be better for it? Well, it happened to me today. It was a conversation that will stay with me for awhile and has affected me already (more on that after the holidays).

Since my Thanksgiving tips and recipes went over like lead balloon, I thought I’d do it again for Christmas.

A Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

I hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving avoiding the family drama and kitchen fails that sometimes come hand in hand with the holidays.

In order to catch our daughters’ dance performances, our holiday visitors will be spread out thoughout the entire month of December. So, this year we had a very quiet Thanksgiving, the calm before the storm so to speak. It was just the “Core 4” (as we have to come to call ourselves) with food to feed a dozen guests, nonstop football, and enough wine and ale to make Bacchus himself blush.

Since I always get asked, I might as well tell you now. We started our meal with a basic cold antipasto (soppressata, salami Milano, proscuitto di Parma, aged provolone, ricotta salata, fontina tartufo, roasted peppers, and olives), crostini, stuffed bread, and the 2011 Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau. While rooting for a Dallas loss that unfortunately never came, we snacked on chocolate covered pomegranate seeds, sweet potato tortillas, and pumpkin chipotle salsa. I washed it down with a fall favorite of mine The Bruery’s Autumn Maple Ale, while my wife opted for Cupcake’s 2009 Sauvignon Blanc.

The main course saw us indulge in Turducken with Port Wine Gravy, Mushroom Bread Pudding, and a Butternut Squash-Sausage Gratin. We matched this course with a dry, fruity 2007 Poderi Aldo Conterno Dolcetto d’Alba recommended by my friend (and Travel + Leisure's wine editor) Bruce Schoenfeld.

Dessert brought Double Chocolate - Pumpkin Cupcakes (decorated by the kids), Five Spiced Ginger Cookies, and Fresh Market’s Christmas Blend Coffee. My after dinner drink was a snifter of American Honey bourbon.

Black Friday didn’t get a dollar of mine in stores but Hollywood (and Jim Henson’s Estate) did, via the new Muppets’ movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out. It was a blast. We were able to relive and share some of our childhood with our girls.

Then, on Small Business Saturday, I had the pleasure of cooking with my friend, author Sheri Castle, at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC.

To celebrate All Clad’s 40th Anniversary, I demonstrated a handful of recipes from Sheri's new book, The New Southern Garden, while she signed personalized copies.

I guess that’s it for now, but stay tuned for a weekend “Some Things to Let Marinate or Stew Over” as well as more holiday tips and recipes.