Last but not least, Chocolate souffle for dessert

Now the really great thing about this recipe is that you can freeze it in advance then pop it in the oven for 18 minutes before serving!

You will need...

• 1 tbsp melted unsalted butter


• 1/2 cup sugar plus 2tbsp


• 1/2 cup milk


• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Belgian chocolate)


• 6 large egg whites at room temperature


• 4 large egg yolks

Brush 8 ramekins with the melted butter, sprinkle with the 2 tbsp sugar, shake off excess and set aside.

Heat milk until steaming hot and add the chocolate, stir until melted and set aside.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbsp of water in a saucepan and stir until melted. Remove from heat and let sit while you beat the egg whites.

In a standing mixer beat egg whites on medium speed until they form soft peaks. I always add a little sprinkle of cream of tarter to aid the process. While mixer is running, add the sugar syrup to the bowl. Increase speed to high and beat another 1 1/2 minutes until egg whites hold medium peaks.

Mix the egg yolks into the melted chocolate until combined. Fold 1/3 of mixture until totally combined. Add remaining 2/3 of whites and fold in until no streaks remain. Divide batter evenly into ramekins. Freeze and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. The ramekins can be frozen for up to 1 week.

Remove from freezer and bake at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes until tops are puffed and cracked and souffles are barely set in the middle. Serve immediately.

Now, that was an awesome New Years dinner!!

New Years... the main course!

Once again "Fine Cooking " magazine is my source for the following recipes.

Roasted Cornish hens with cranberry -port sauce.



Here's how!

Prepare the hens the day before....



I prepared 3 hens...

• 4 tsp finely chopped sage, save stems for the broth



• 4 tsp chopped fresh thyme, save stems for the broth



• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper



• 1 tbsp melted butter

Remove the backbone from the hens and the last 2 joints of the wing tips. Place hen breast side up and flatten by pressing down with your palm, cut bird in two. Remove the breast bone, save with wing tips and back bone for the broth.

Combine sage thyme salt and pepper...dry the hens apply rub on all sides. Place on a cookie sheet skin side up on a rimmed cookie sheet so they are not touching and refrigerate uncovered overnight.

Brush the birds with a tbsp of melted butter and roast at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes... let rest for 5 minutes.

Make the broth (the day before)....

In a 4 quart saucepan add 2 tsp olive oil and add the reserved bones stirring until brown. Add 1/3 cup chopped shallots and reserved sage and thyme stems. Add 2 cups chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool the broth for a few hours in the fridge. Skim off the fat.

Make the cranberry port sauce in advance. I finished it the day before and refrigerated until I was ready to use the the sauce ....

Combine 1/3 cup dried cranberries and 1/3 cup ruby port and let sit for a few hours or overnight.

Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a medium saucepan, add a tbsp of minced shallots - cook ~2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of flour and mix until it forms a thick paste. Strain the port into the saucepan...( don't press the cranberries). Whisk for ~30 seconds and then slowly add the refrigerated broth. Simmer and reduce by a third ~5 minutes. Stir in reserved cranberries. Just before serving, add any accumulated juices from cooking the hens.


The Pear Potatoes


Although the picture isn't clear. the potatoes were made in the shape of a pear with a piece of spaghetti for the stem and a bay leaf for the leaf.

Peel and boil 2 1/2 lbs of white potatoes... Dry them in the pan. Put the potatoes through a potato ricer and mix with 2 egg yolks. Form the potato into pears and use a piece of spaghetti for the stem and a bay leaf for the leaf. Roll in dry bread crumbs and deep fry until lightly golden brown... I made these ahead and reheated in the oven with the hens for the last 15 minute of the cooking time.

The broccoli...

Cook enough broccoli for 6 people in boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Drain.
Just before eating, heat 4 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp of calamata olives and 2 tbsp of capers. Serve hot!

Lots of different tastes and flavours...FANTASTIC!!

Escargots third course for New Years

First make the garlic butter...

This recipe makes 6 appetizers...

Grate 1 tbsp celery, mince 2 tbsp shallots, mince 3 garlic cloves, chop 2 tbsp parsley and add to 3/4 cup of butter. Add a small amount of the seasoned butter into the escargot dishes. Drain the escargots and add one to each space. Top with remaining butter. When ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and serve with a couple of slices of a baguette.

New Years continued

This salad is from a new cook book my son gave me for Christmas... Gordon Ramsays's MAZE.

Celery and Apple Salad

Trim, peel and julienne 3 stalks of celery and cut into 1 and 1 half inch pieces.
Thinly slice 1 granny smith apple, stack the pieces and slice into thin match stick pieces...squeeze a little lemon on the apple to keep from browning.
Separate the leaves from 1 chicory bulb and add to the above. Add the leaves of 1 Boston lettuce, toss altogether.
Toast a handful of walnuts to garnish the salad. Assemble the greens on 6 plates.

Add 3 tbsp boiling water to 3 ounces of Roquefort cheese... blend until smooth. Add half a cup of mayonnaise and blend...Place a dollop of dressing on the side of the plate and grate a couple of pecans over the greens and the dollop of dressing. That's the second course. Very rich but a small portion.

Assemble the salad on plates

Getting ready for New Years

The soup for the dinner was a real challenge...how does putting an X in 3 pounds of chestnuts sound? It sounds like a swollen forefinger with a blister!! Man that soup wasn't that simple. OK enough complaining.... Here goes:

Chestnut Soup with crisp prosciutto...

Cover 3 lbs of chestnuts with hot water for 30 minutes...drain and dry, then score an X into the flat side of each chestnut. Put them flat side down on a cooking sheet and roast at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. Peel while still warm, roughly chop and set aside... now you have the blister and sore forefinger we can proceed!!

You will need:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and thinly sliced
• 1and one half chopped fresh thyme and a little more for garnish
• 10 cups low sodium chicken broth
• kosher salt and pepper
• 2 oz sliced prosciutto cut into thin strips

In a large pot melt butter and oil and cook over medium low heat for approximately 8 minutes. Add the chestnuts and 1 tbsp thyme ,cook until fragrant about 1 minute. Add the broth and half tsp salt, bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender and strain through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Season to taste.

In 10 inch frying pan, heat the prosciutto in a tsp of oil and add the remaining thyme. Garnish the soup with a little prosciutto and thyme and serve.

Now I know I did a little whining about preparing this dish... BUT... It was worth the effort. The soup was so delicious and different...a great change for new years dinner.

My chicken piccata,basmatti rice with roasted green beans topped with garlic and corriander

Yes, we've been away on vacation... every now and then we take a vacation from our holidays. Just returned form a glorious cruise on the "Liberty of the Seas". Marvelous ship, the company we met on board made up for the 3 days of rain we had.... Nevertheless, it was hot and that's what we were looking for!

So now it's back to my blog... I've been a little truant these past few weeks so I'll try and make up for the lack of entries over the next little while.

This is the first meal I've cooked in 10 days... hope you like it as much as we did.

Start with 2 chicken breasts...slice them almost in half. Cover with wax paper and flatten the breast. Dredge the breasts in 1/4 cup of flour which has been seasoned with salt pepper and a half tsp. of thyme.

Next prepare the following ingredients:

• 2 small shallots finely minced


• 2 cloves of garlic finely minced


• 2 tbsp capers chopped coarsely


• 1/2 cup white wine


• 1/4 cup whip cream


• a little squeeze of lemon


• 1 tsp of olive oil and a tbsp of butter


• 2 tsp of butter

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts and turn when lightly browned. Cook the other side until lightly browned. Remove and put in a warm oven while the sauce is being prepared.

Reduce heat to medium and add remaining butter. Saute the shallots, garlic and capers for ~a minute. Add the wine, cream and a little lemon. Cook the sauce for a couple of minutes until it thickens slightly. Add the chicken to the sauce and heat through. It's delicious!

Meanwhile cook 3/4 cup basmatti rice in 1 -1/2 cups chicken broth for 10 minutes. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low for the 10 minutes. When it is cooked, I add the zest of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup minced parsley, 2 small minced garlic cloves and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Just as you start the rice, put enough green beans for 2 on a cookie sheet (lined with foil of course). Drizzle a little olive oil and salt and pepper, toss. Roast at 450 F for 15 minutes.

The sauce for this is a simple one... just add 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to a little frying pan and add 3 coarsely chopped cloves of garlic. Just cook over medium heat until lightly browned and then add 2 tsp of dried coriander. Spoon a little of this sauce over the roasted beans. It's awesome and makes enough to use at least twice.

I served the dinner with salad and balsamic dressing. It was all very tasty... ENJOY!

And a good time was had by all...

Alright friends... The Japanese Shrimp recipe by popular demand.

I buy my shrimp at Costco 21-25 per pound frozen, cleaned uncooked and tail on.

Prepare a large pot of boiling water and add a couple of tsp of salt, 2 bay leaves and a tsp of "old bay seasoning". Add shrimp and as soon as they are opaque drain and put them into an ice bath (it only takes a minute or two so don't multi-task when you cook them)! You can do this in the morning and refrigerate until you're ready to sauce them.

Sauce

• 2 tbsp light soya sauce


• 2 tbsp lime juice


• juice from 1 tangerine (or small orange)


• 2 tbsp brown sugar


• 2 tbsp olive oil


• 1/2 tsp of Asian chili sauce (oops I forgot that ingredient this time around)!


• 1 tbsp minced ginger


• 2 cloves minced garlic


• 1 small bunch of basil

Combine all the ingredients except the basil and refrigerate until ready to eat. Chop and add the basil just before serving... Your guests will love it... mine did!