May I share this nice note from ifood.tv? "Hi Betty! I hope you're having a great day! I just wanted to let you know that your recipe for Betty's Shrimp and Avocado Salad is being featured on the iFood.tv homepage today! So be sure to check it out and share with friends, family and fans and if you ever have any questions, feel free to let me know!
PS. I love the new introduction you have for your video"
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For some reason the mere mention of the word soufflé can strike fear into the hearts of even the most experienced chefs - never mind home cooks!
Actually, all you need is a recipe, some time, be willing to pay attention to detail and some willing candidates to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Don't wait for an important dinner party to give this a try - give your family an amazing treat.
Chocolate Soufflés
For the pastry cream:
¾ cup milk
⅓ cup superfine sugar*
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons flour
Put the milk and two-thirds of the sugar in a small pan and slowly bring to a boil. Put the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl and whisk until light and thickened then beat in the flour. Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to the pan and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool slightly.
For the soufflés:
½ cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
4 ounces chocolate - you may use semisweet or bittersweet - finely chopped
5 egg whites
2 tablespoons superfine sugar*
*If you can’t find superfine sugar, simply whiz regular sugar in a food processor briefly.
Preheat the oven to 400º and put a baking sheet in to heat. Butter and coat with sugar two 4” soufflé dishes (you may also use 4 smaller dishes). Fold the cocoa and chopped chocolate into the pastry cream.
Beat the egg whites until foamy then gradually add the 2 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form. Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the pastry cream then carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites using a rubber spatula.
Divide the mixture between the soufflé dishes to the top, smoothing gently. Transfer to the baking sheet and cook for 10 to 14 minutes until risen. Remove from the oven, place on a serving plate and dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve immediately.
Note: You may make the pastry cream a day ahead and bring to room temperature before proceeding. The soufflé dishes may be filled and covered and can wait for 30 minutes before baking.
Why would you ever want to peel a tomato? Well, in certain dishes you don't want the skin, which can sometimes be a little tough and sometimes you just want to be a little more elegant. It only takes a minute or two for this extra step and for a special dish it's well worth the time. Here's how:
The inspiration for this appetizer came when I was looking through a very old cookbook and found a recipe which called for finely chopped cooked chicken along with a few other ingredients. After combining, the recipe said to cook the meatballs for 20 minutes. Already cooked chicken cooked for another 20 minutes didn't sound very appetizing but I liked the idea. So after a few tries, I came up with these:
Chinese(y) Chicken Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken 1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained 4 green onions, chopped 1 tablespoon grated ginger 1 egg, lightly beaten ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce (optional)
Preheat oven to 375°. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Place chicken in a medium-sized bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well and shape into 1-inch balls. Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet with raised sides.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes until slightly browned. In a medium skillet, warm your favorite prepared sauce - orange/ginger, Thai chili sauce etc. Add meatballs and toss to coat. The meatballs may be frozen before adding to sauce.
Makes about 3 dozen meatballs depending on size.
Hint: You may find it easier to shape the meatballs if you rinse your hands in cold water occasionally.
I recently saw a picture of this salad in a restaurant review in the New York Times. No recipe was given, but they did give a list of the ingredients. It looked and sounded so delicious that I had to give it a try. Here is the result: 8 large cooked shrimp ½ an avocado, diced 2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced 1 red tomato, peeled, seeded and diced 1 yellow tomato, peeled, seeded and diced 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Salt and pepper
Dice 6 of the shrimp, reserving two for garnish.
Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, reserving a few pieces of the tomatoes for garnish, and toss to combine. Place ring molds on two plates and fill each with half the mixture, packing down slightly. Remove the rings carefully and garnish the top with the whole shrimp. Scatter the reserved pieces of tomato around the salads.
Many, many years ago we were on a business trip to San Francisco and had dinner in a wonderful Chinese restaurant. The first course was a salad composed of iceberg lettuce, crisp noodles and chicken with a dressing that was very rich and slightly spicy. I have never had it before (or since), but it was a delicious dish. When we got home, I experimented until I came up with a close approximation of a dish we had enjoyed so much. Here is the recipe and I hope you will like it as much as we do:
Peking Chicken Salad
1 poached chicken breast (recipe follows) 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce 1 - 1½ cups fried Chinese noodles 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (toast in fry pan until they turn brown and start to pop) 1 or 2 finely julienned scallions
Dressing:
¼ cup duck sauce ¼ cup plum sauce 2 tablespoons Chinese sesame oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon chili oil (or to taste)
Poached Chicken Breast:
In a pot just large enough to hold chicken breast, bring to a boil water to cover chicken, add 3-4 slices fresh ginger and 3-4 scallions. Add chicken and let water return to a boil, cover and turn off heat. Let sit for 20 minutes WITHOUT REMOVING COVER. Allow chicken to cool in the water. Remove chicken skin, remove meat from bones and shred.
To serve:
Place shredded lettuce in a wide shallow bowl, add noodles, leaving a rim of lettuce showing; add chicken in center of noodles, leaving a rim of noodles showing. Place julienne scallions on top of chicken and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over all. Add dressing and toss.
So here is another one of my pet peeves: complaints about British food.
I have just watched a series on BBC America called UK Master Chefs - The Professionals.
I don't think I have ever seen the equal of the food prepared by the chefs on this show. The competitors were brilliant - especially when they had to go into the kitchens of Michelin starred restaurants and prepare some of their signature dishes.
Perhaps Heston Blumenthal goes a bit over the top when his seafood appetizer is accompanied by a conch shell and earphones so you can hear the sounds of the sea while eating and do you really need to be sprayed by a "woodsy" mist to fully appreciate a deconstructed Black Forest Torte???? Maybe not, but his food is amazing.
So no more denigrating British food please! And if you have access to the BBC America, do watch some of their food programs.
Here is one episode (more on YouTube if you don't have the BBCA channel).
We visited our family in Vermont recently - a visit made even more special since our grandson, Gray, was home from college in Los Angeles. On the day we were leaving, he got up really early to make us his special breakfast sandwich. If you are a growing boy who surfs, rides a bicycle 4 miles each way to school every day, snowboards and is otherwise very active, you could probably eat this once or twice a week. The rest of us will just have to enjoy it as on occasional special treat!
Gray's Breakfast Sandwich
Two servingsTwo bagels, sliced 6 slices very sharp cheddar cheese, or enough to cover one half of a bagel 2 eggs, slightly beaten 3 slices bacon, cooked until crisp 6 slices ripe avocado
Place both halves on the bagel on a baking sheets and toast until done and cheese has melted.
Meantime, cook the eggs in the same skillet you cooked the bacon in, having drained the excess fat, in egg rings until just done. You may flip them over towards the end of cooking if desired.
Place the bagel halves on a serving dish, top the cheese half with the egg, bacon and avocado slices. Top with remaining bagel halves and enjoy!
If you want to zip this up a little, try adding a little hot sauce to the eggs before cooking or add a little salsa when you are assembling the sandwiches. WATCH OUR VIDEO:
I first tasted this lovely torte at my friend Flora's house. It's a
recipe that has been around for ages and was originally made with
Italian prune plums cut in half. I have changed it a bit, replacing
some of the flour with almond flour, adding almond extract and using
sliced peaches in place of the plums. Of course the original is good
too! You can also use any plum, sliced, or pears. In the winter, I
have used canned apricot halves well drained and placed on paper towels
to dry further.
Note: If you cannot find almond flour, simply place 1/4 cup of
sliced almonds in a food processor with the sugar and process until
finely ground. Otherwise, just use an additional 1/4 cup of plain
flour. I particularly like the texture the almond flour gives.
¾ cup (145g) plus 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick (112g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (120g) unbleached flour
¼ cup (20g) almond flour
1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon (5g) almond extract
Pinch of salt
2 or 3 ripe peaches
sliced almonds
Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, cream the ¾ cup sugar and butter.
Add the flour,
almond flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt and beat to mix well. Place
in a 9 ungreased cake pan lined with parchment paper. Cover the top
with the sliced peaches.
Mix the sliced almonds with the remaining 1 or
2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the center tests done with a
toothpick. Remove and cool to room temperature or serve warm. Serve
plain or with vanilla ice cream.
Note: Cake freezes well. To serve, return to room temperature and reheat at 300° until warm.
Variations: I have made this with Italian plums cut in half or
regular plums cut in quarters omitting the sliced almonds and
substituting a teaspoon of cinnamon. Canned apricots very well drained
also work as do canned pears. This recipe will also make two 6” cakes.
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