I followed the recipe to a tee and I got it wrong. I was alone with my partner away in Asia and I was missing him, staring at the wilted Valentines Day roses which I couldn't bring myself to throw away. Maybe that had something to do with this culinary disaster.
The Oscars were on and I was bored as I am during any award season. I was hoping it was Monday so I could watch the “Bachelor.” I was looking at Food and Wine Magazine till I stumbled on this recipe.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/molten-chocolate-cake
I am always looking for ways to make quick desserts when I have company. I also will not try a new recipe if that is the case so I thought this was the perfect time to make something quick and fast, like a practice run, and distract myself from the blues. So, molten cakes are supposed to be soft with a gooey filling. Mine had no filling, they were spongy throughout. The shape was…., wait, there was no shape. The flavor was actually nice, but hey, this was no molten cake.
The recipe was for four cakes, but since I was testing, halved it.
½ stick of butter
1/8 cup of flour or 2 Tbspn
3 ounces dark Ghirardelli chocolate
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 ½ large eggs
¼ cup white sugar
Some butter and cocoa powder to dust the ramekins
1. I preheated the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a mixer, I beat the eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla till I get a light airy batter.
3. I melted the chocolate in the microwave for around 40 seconds.
4. I cooled the chocolate and add a little bit of batter so the batter would not scramble. I gradually added the chocolate to the batter and ran it in the mixer.
5. I added the flour.
6. Poured the cake batter in the ramekins and baked it for 16 minutes according to the recipe.
I think 16 minutes' baking time was too much. Also, the batter was thick, so less flour would have been better. I should have used deeper ramekins with lesser surface area on the top. Let’s see, it could turn out right next time.
Looking at this recipe confirms my doubts.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/molten-chocolate-cake%20comments_page=1&#conversation-container%0A
or
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/molten-chocolate-magic/
Martha Stewart’s recipe requires a six muffin-tin, a temperature of 400 degrees, and only 8 minutes' baking time. I need two slabs of Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate and three eggs to make six cakes. This recipe uses less butter. The New York Times features Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s individual warm, soft chocolate cakes. This recipe requires 1 tspn flour, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 tbspn sugar, 4 tbspn butter, and 2 ounces, or half a slab, of bittersweet chocolate for each cake. It would be easy to test one cake. The oven should be at 450 degrees and the cakes should be baked for 6-7 minutes. So here is the correct way, tried and tested.
The other good thing about molten cakes is that you can make the batter in advance and refrigerate it. The batter does not have baking powder so you are not worried about air escaping the batter. Just before you bake the cakes, you need to bring the batter to room temperature. If the batter is cold, the baking time will increase and I am not sure by how much. The best thing to do is to pour the batter in ready ramekins and pop in the oven around 15 minutes before you want to serve.
Makes 2
½ cup unsalted butter or 1 stick butter
4 ounces of semi sweet chocolate or 1 bar of Ghirardelli semi sweet
2 teaspoons of flour
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tspn vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar
Cocoa powder for dusting the ramekins
Butter for coating the ramekins
1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Heat the butter and chocolate in a double broiler. Or just heat the butter and add the chocolate after breaking it into small pieces. You do not want to burn chocolate so be very careful. The mixture should be warm and not hot.
3. Beat the sugar and the eggs and egg yolk in a blender.
4. Add the egg mixture to the chocolate slowly. Add a little and whisk as you do not want the egg to curdle. Keep repeating till you mix the two together.
5. Now add the flour.
6. Rub the ramekins with cold butter and dust the ramekins with cocoa powder.
7. Add the cake mixture to the ramekins and bake for 7 minutes. The sides will be soft but the cake will have a molten center.
8. To unmold, take the ramekin out of the oven and invert on a plate and tap very lightly. You should run a knife on the side of the dish to separate the cake out a little before you do so. Let the cake rest for 5 minutes before you serve.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Lemon Cheesecake Pancakes
I love making breakfast on Saturday mornings. Unfortunately, and this has nothing to do with me, the day starts at 1pm. So it becomes more of a brunch, or lunch.
I wouldn’t say I have a very extensive repertoire. I am constrained, seriously constrained, by the peculiarities of fussy eaters.
"Eggs should be mixed – the yellow part and the white part should not stand out separately. That rules out poached eggs, baked eggs, fried eggs, and boiled eggs."
"Onions, mushrooms, spinach and greens are “groddy.” Oatmeal is out of question. "
"Indian breakfast food is not “real breakfast food.” "
And occasionally , my preferences kick in too, I don’t like bagels or sweet baked pastries in the morning.
It basically boils down to acceptable variations of omelets, scrambles, and frittatas. Or variations of French toast and pancake. So, I am always looking for ways to make pancakes witha twist. I personally hate blueberries in pancake; they taste too jam-like to me. I made these pancakes yesterday and served them with plain maple syrup. They seriously tasted like lemon cheesecake and elicited the rare growl of approval.
2 cups of bisquick pancake mix
½ pack of cream cheese- add to the batter in the form of thick crumbles
Juice of ½ lemon
Lemon zest – one small lemon
2 eggs
1 ½ to 2 cups of milk
Stir the above to get rid of lumps.
In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 tspn butter or vegetable oil. Add less than ¼ cup of batter or more if you want thicker pancakes. I made four thick fluffy pancakes. Remember, that you want to add pieces of cream cheese, and not mix the cream cheese, in your batter.
I wouldn’t say I have a very extensive repertoire. I am constrained, seriously constrained, by the peculiarities of fussy eaters.
"Eggs should be mixed – the yellow part and the white part should not stand out separately. That rules out poached eggs, baked eggs, fried eggs, and boiled eggs."
"Onions, mushrooms, spinach and greens are “groddy.” Oatmeal is out of question. "
"Indian breakfast food is not “real breakfast food.” "
And occasionally , my preferences kick in too, I don’t like bagels or sweet baked pastries in the morning.
It basically boils down to acceptable variations of omelets, scrambles, and frittatas. Or variations of French toast and pancake. So, I am always looking for ways to make pancakes witha twist. I personally hate blueberries in pancake; they taste too jam-like to me. I made these pancakes yesterday and served them with plain maple syrup. They seriously tasted like lemon cheesecake and elicited the rare growl of approval.
2 cups of bisquick pancake mix
½ pack of cream cheese- add to the batter in the form of thick crumbles
Juice of ½ lemon
Lemon zest – one small lemon
2 eggs
1 ½ to 2 cups of milk
Stir the above to get rid of lumps.
In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 tspn butter or vegetable oil. Add less than ¼ cup of batter or more if you want thicker pancakes. I made four thick fluffy pancakes. Remember, that you want to add pieces of cream cheese, and not mix the cream cheese, in your batter.
Eggplant, Swiss chard and tomatoes
I love Japanese eggplants for the very meaty flavor and a lack of seeds. They go very well with tomatoes. I had a bunch of Swiss chard and just threw everything into the pot. Basically, this is a very easy recipe and does not require many fancy spices. All that is needed is some coriander powder and garam masala, which is added with the tomatoes and not later. And it is just for me. Cooking is a very unselfish act for me, I cook to please. But basically in the world I currently live in, that would entail divorcing mushrooms, eggplants, greens, onions, cauliflower etc. Basically, subsisting on potatoes, beans, carrots, tomatoes, and corn.
Actually, this is close to the recipe I posted before.
http://indianfoodathome.blogspot.com/2010/10/eggplant-sabzi.html
This version has Swiss chard. I was just trying to use all the vegetables in my fridge. I had this rainbow Swiss chard from the farmer’s market, it kind of adds to the redness of tomatoes.
2 Japanese eggplants cut in semi circles
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
1 large onion chopped finely
½ “piece of ginger chopped finely
Salt
Coriander powder
Garam masala
2 green chills finely chopped
1 bunch of Swiss chard chopped finely
Cumin seeds
1. To some oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, and after they splutter add the onions. Add a little sugar and caramelize the onions till they are brown.
2. Add the tomatoes and ginger. Cook till pulpy. Add green chilies.
3. Add the spices. Sauté for a minute.
4. Add the eggplant and Swiss chard.
5. Cover and cook. Keep adding a little water till you get a pulpy consistency. The vegetables should be kind of mashed.
Actually, this is close to the recipe I posted before.
http://indianfoodathome.blogspot.com/2010/10/eggplant-sabzi.html
This version has Swiss chard. I was just trying to use all the vegetables in my fridge. I had this rainbow Swiss chard from the farmer’s market, it kind of adds to the redness of tomatoes.
2 Japanese eggplants cut in semi circles
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
1 large onion chopped finely
½ “piece of ginger chopped finely
Salt
Coriander powder
Garam masala
2 green chills finely chopped
1 bunch of Swiss chard chopped finely
Cumin seeds
1. To some oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, and after they splutter add the onions. Add a little sugar and caramelize the onions till they are brown.
2. Add the tomatoes and ginger. Cook till pulpy. Add green chilies.
3. Add the spices. Sauté for a minute.
4. Add the eggplant and Swiss chard.
5. Cover and cook. Keep adding a little water till you get a pulpy consistency. The vegetables should be kind of mashed.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Individual apple chestnut cakes with a walnut crumb
I have been making desserts with apples lately. There was the apple bread pudding, followed by the apple crumble pie, and the latest being, the individual apple chestnut cakes with a walnut crumb on the top. Again, just reiterating and repeating, I am one of the worst bakers in the world. Cakes and cookies are definitely not my forte, no scratch that, I am incapable of baking edible cookies and cakes. But I had one granny smith apple left over when I made the apple crumb pie. Again, browsing through the apple based desserts in food and wine magazine, I thought of making these individual cakes.
The recipe in question can be found at the following link.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/apple-crumble-cakes-with-chestnuts
This recipe was for eight, and I narrowed it down to 4. I am using most of the text of the original recipe with my changes.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease 4 8-ounce ramekins and place on a baking tray.
Crumb
Toss the following together
• ¾ cups coarsely chopped walnuts which I pounded in the mortar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
Cake
Blend the following wet ingredients
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ stick of butter
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
Chop the following
• 1 large Granny Smith apple—peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3/4 cup roasted chestnuts, quartered
Whisk the following dry ingredients
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, blend the butter with the sugar, brown sugar and eggs. Gently stir in the flour mixture and milk until blended, then fold in the apples and chestnuts.
2. Spoon the batter into the ramekins and sprinkle the walnut mixture on top. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the topping is browned and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then serve with a scoop of ice cream.
The recipe in question can be found at the following link.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/apple-crumble-cakes-with-chestnuts
This recipe was for eight, and I narrowed it down to 4. I am using most of the text of the original recipe with my changes.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease 4 8-ounce ramekins and place on a baking tray.
Crumb
Toss the following together
• ¾ cups coarsely chopped walnuts which I pounded in the mortar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
Cake
Blend the following wet ingredients
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ stick of butter
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
Chop the following
• 1 large Granny Smith apple—peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3/4 cup roasted chestnuts, quartered
Whisk the following dry ingredients
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, blend the butter with the sugar, brown sugar and eggs. Gently stir in the flour mixture and milk until blended, then fold in the apples and chestnuts.
2. Spoon the batter into the ramekins and sprinkle the walnut mixture on top. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the topping is browned and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then serve with a scoop of ice cream.
Non Bengali Ghonto
I am totally in love with panch phoron; to the extent that I am going on to hail it as the perfect spice blend. I use it for breakfast potatoes. The flavor of panch phoron allows vegetables to be cooked in a simple fashion, just a little mustard oil, dry red chilies, turmeric, and salt are enough to enhance the flavor of the vegetables. Compare this to the tedium of North Indian cooking, where we sauté the onions, tomatoes, coriander powder, garam masala till we get a rich spice base. Don’t get me wrong, I am a proud North Indian girl and love my food; however, the simplicity of making vegetables the Bengali way has charmed me lately. Apparently, my web research reflects that “ghonto” means a mixture where the ingredients are mixed/mashed together completely. Most popularly, the web is abounded with recipes of “Muri Ghonto” where fish head is cooked with rice and potatoes, “Mocha Ghonto” where banana blossom is cooked with spices, and “Mulor Ghonto” where radish is cooked with potatoes. Some “Ghontos” have lentils in them. . I have no idea what this dish is called. It has potatoes, spinach, and squash. I guess the commonality to all the Ghontos are the red chilies, panch phoron, mustard oil, and turmeric. So I will just call it “Ghonto by a non Bengali.”
I bought a little squash from the Chinese market the other day. The band aid on my finger will remind me to stick to pre peeled and pre cut squash from henceforth. I used vegetable oil, so any true Bengali will have nothing but scorn for my version of Ghonto.
2 potatoes finely cubed
½ bag of baby spinach
½ tspn turmeric
4 dry red chilies
½ small squash cubed ( nearly a cup)
½ tspn sugar
Salt
1 tspn panch phoron
Cumin powder
1. Take some oil in a pan and add the panch phoron. When it splutters, add the chilies.
2. Throw in the potatoes and spinach. Add salt and some water.
3. Cover and cook till potatoes are done. Add some water.
4. Add the squash,
5. Add cumin powder and sugar.
6. Cook till done. Keep adding water if you need to. I don’t like this very dry. At the end , my vegetables resembled a thick paste, and tasted delicious.
I bought a little squash from the Chinese market the other day. The band aid on my finger will remind me to stick to pre peeled and pre cut squash from henceforth. I used vegetable oil, so any true Bengali will have nothing but scorn for my version of Ghonto.
2 potatoes finely cubed
½ bag of baby spinach
½ tspn turmeric
4 dry red chilies
½ small squash cubed ( nearly a cup)
½ tspn sugar
Salt
1 tspn panch phoron
Cumin powder
1. Take some oil in a pan and add the panch phoron. When it splutters, add the chilies.
2. Throw in the potatoes and spinach. Add salt and some water.
3. Cover and cook till potatoes are done. Add some water.
4. Add the squash,
5. Add cumin powder and sugar.
6. Cook till done. Keep adding water if you need to. I don’t like this very dry. At the end , my vegetables resembled a thick paste, and tasted delicious.
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