Faith Kling, a senior associate chef instructor at Baltimore International College, showed us how to make these simple chocolate souffles for a Valentine's Day Cooking 101 piece. When we made them again, they rose to beautiful heights and had great chocolate taste.
(serves 6 using 6-ounce ramekins)
3 tablespoons softened butter, plus cold butter for ramekins
1/4 cup high-gluten flour or bread flour
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for preparing ramekins
2 1/2 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
5 separated eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar for egg whites
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter 6 ramekins with cold butter, then roll sugar around the bottom and sides. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.
Off heat, mix butter and flour together in a saucepan to form a paste. In another pot, combine milk and 1/4 cup sugar and heat until scalded. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the butter-flour paste and mix until smooth, taking care to break up any lumps.
Boil this mixture 2 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until it has thickened to the consistency of hot cereal; remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir to melt. Add the egg yolks all at once and whisk to combine. Transfer chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla while the chocolate is still warm.
Whip the egg whites on highest speed until soft peaks form, then whip in 2 tablespoons sugar. Gently fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture until incorporated. Spoon the mixture into ramekins, leaving about 1/8 inch of space at the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until souffles have roughly doubled in size. Grate a bit of chocolate over the tops and serve immediately.
Courtesy of Baltimore International College senior associate chef instructor Faith Kling
Per serving: : 265 calories, 8 grams protein, 15 grams fat, 8 grams saturated fat, 27 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 195 milligrams cholesterol, 77 milligrams sodium
backyard panzanella
Our Backyard Harvest series last summer featured recipes from gardeners. We came back several times to this panzanella from Ellicott City gardener Amanda Lauer. It's a great way to use up both leftover vegetables and extra bread - the staler the better.
(serves 4)
3 cups cubed vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are best)
1/2 cup chopped onion
