Caramel soufflé and chocolate taco...
While I've been finishing off my degree (which is as of today officially over, yay!) I haven't gotten to bake. This made me surprisingly sad. So this weekend, while my boyfriend was over, I leapt at the chance to cook. Here's dessert:
First night was a caramel soufflé to go along with the beef stroganoff (which was also baked, but I didn't get pictures so no savoury items today).
I have never made soufflé before. I admittedly have been terrified of their notorious reputation.
It was really quite easy. I even used much bigger ramekins than suggested and had to guess at the baking time since I only divided it into 3 portions. They rose really well and were light and fluffy. I topped them with the caramel chocolate ice cream I'd brought for the next dessert, which made a lovely addition.
Topped off with a hot chocolate to help digest the ridiculous amount of stroganoff we'd eaten it was brilliant.
And then there was this. After a night of flautas and burritos, there were chocolate tacos for dessert. So not an actual chocolate taco. Just a Taco Bill inspired 'taco'.
A layer of brownie, plus caramel chocolate mudcake ice cream...
... and then another layer of brownie, dusted with icing sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce. (And then heaps more after the photo was taken.)
The brownie was actually supposed to be half the thickness. Oops. It's only aesthetically less pleasing. But the more the merrier, right?
Well, in this case it was more like the more the fuller. But it was so yum. Despite the fact that I nearly killed everyone with the sheer amount of food in this Mexican bonanza.
Again, I hadn't attempted a brownie before. Again, I was intimidated by how apparently hard it is to tell if they're ready or not. This baby was perfect. I foresee myself making a lot more brownies in future. Especially since this way I get to make them without the overpowering walnuts that turn me off brownies in restaurants!
EDIT:
Okay, scuse the belatedness. I've been flat out all day, it's 3:30am here and I'm only just writing this up, so do excuse any incoherency.
Caramel Soufflé
Ingredients
30g polyunsaturated margarine (don't ask me why. I prefer butter personally)
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp low fat milk (I don't buy low fat milk - I use full cream)
2 tbsp plain flour
2 eggs, separated
2 egg whites
icing sugar, to dust
Method
1. Preheat oven to moderately slow (160°C). Brush four 3/4 cup capacity soufflé dishes with melted margarine. Heat margarine in medium pan; add sugar. Stir over low heat until margarine has melted and sugar dissolved.
2. Add flour, stir over low heat for 2 minutes or until flour mixture is golden. Add milk gradually to pan, stirring until mixture boils and thickens (this happened rather instantly for me). Boil further 1 minute; remove from heat. Add egg yolks and beat until smooth. Transfer to medium mixing bowl.
3 Using electric beaters, beat egg whites in small dry mixing bowl until still peaks form. Fold gently into sugar mixture.
4. Spoon into dishes; place on over tray (bottom tray is ideal as the differentiation in heat from the top to bottom of the oven helps the soufflés rise). Bake 15 minutes or until well risen and browned (toothpick test works well for soufflés, but if you must check do so as quickly and as infrequently as possible, as the introduction of cool air to the oven may cause the soufflés to sink). Dust lightly with icing sugar. Serve immediately.
Chocolate Taco
Ingredients
150g butter, chopped
300g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
1 1/2 cups (330g) firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
1/2 (60g) hazelnuts, toasted, chopped coarsely [note: I omitted these and threw in a few choc chips I had left over]
ice-cream, for serving
icing sugar, for dusting
For chocolate sauce
150g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
1 cup (250ml) cream
1/3 (75g) firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons Frangelico or Tia Maria [note: I also omitted this]
Method
1. Preheat oven to moderate (180°C). Line base and sides of a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan with baking paper (my available tins were either too big or too small, so I used the big tin and doubled the recipe. Hence ridiculously thick brownies.)
2. Combine butter and chocolate in medium saucepan; stir over low heat until chocolate is just melted. Transfer chocolate to medium mixing bowl; add sugar and egg, then sifted flour, sour cream (and nuts if you've used them). Spread mixture into prepared pan.
3. Bake in moderate oven about 30 minutes; cool in pan.
Okay, here's where I deviate from the recipe entirely. I didn't cool the brownie, I yoinked it right out and sat it on the bench. I cut it into 6 equal portions while still warm (simply cause I had 6 mouths to feed) and then cut them diagonally into triangles.
At the same time I set about making the chocolate sauce (multi-tasking FTW). I combined the chocolate and cream in the saucepan and stirred until smooth. Then I let it simmer (but not boil) for a few minutes until it thickened. If you want to add in the liqueur, do it after you remove it from the heat.
Now to assemble. As in the picture above, one triangle goes on the plate. I used a melon baller to do small scoops, but since I was in a mad rush my plan to make it all pretty kinda failed. Anyway, I then put the second brownie triangle on upside down and pressed it lightly to sandwich it in place. It was mainly for presentation's sake, as the surface of the brownie cracked all over the place. But it also served to give a really nice caramelised centre with the two 'top' layers being in the middle.
I then dusted with icing sugar and drizzled the chocolate sauce over it. And then I had heaps left over, so I poured more on.
.
Originally posted here @ bakebakebake .
First night was a caramel soufflé to go along with the beef stroganoff (which was also baked, but I didn't get pictures so no savoury items today).
I have never made soufflé before. I admittedly have been terrified of their notorious reputation.
It was really quite easy. I even used much bigger ramekins than suggested and had to guess at the baking time since I only divided it into 3 portions. They rose really well and were light and fluffy. I topped them with the caramel chocolate ice cream I'd brought for the next dessert, which made a lovely addition.
Topped off with a hot chocolate to help digest the ridiculous amount of stroganoff we'd eaten it was brilliant.
And then there was this. After a night of flautas and burritos, there were chocolate tacos for dessert. So not an actual chocolate taco. Just a Taco Bill inspired 'taco'.
A layer of brownie, plus caramel chocolate mudcake ice cream...
... and then another layer of brownie, dusted with icing sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce. (And then heaps more after the photo was taken.)
The brownie was actually supposed to be half the thickness. Oops. It's only aesthetically less pleasing. But the more the merrier, right?
Well, in this case it was more like the more the fuller. But it was so yum. Despite the fact that I nearly killed everyone with the sheer amount of food in this Mexican bonanza.
Again, I hadn't attempted a brownie before. Again, I was intimidated by how apparently hard it is to tell if they're ready or not. This baby was perfect. I foresee myself making a lot more brownies in future. Especially since this way I get to make them without the overpowering walnuts that turn me off brownies in restaurants!
EDIT:
Okay, scuse the belatedness. I've been flat out all day, it's 3:30am here and I'm only just writing this up, so do excuse any incoherency.
Caramel Soufflé
Ingredients
30g polyunsaturated margarine (don't ask me why. I prefer butter personally)
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp low fat milk (I don't buy low fat milk - I use full cream)
2 tbsp plain flour
2 eggs, separated
2 egg whites
icing sugar, to dust
Method
1. Preheat oven to moderately slow (160°C). Brush four 3/4 cup capacity soufflé dishes with melted margarine. Heat margarine in medium pan; add sugar. Stir over low heat until margarine has melted and sugar dissolved.
2. Add flour, stir over low heat for 2 minutes or until flour mixture is golden. Add milk gradually to pan, stirring until mixture boils and thickens (this happened rather instantly for me). Boil further 1 minute; remove from heat. Add egg yolks and beat until smooth. Transfer to medium mixing bowl.
3 Using electric beaters, beat egg whites in small dry mixing bowl until still peaks form. Fold gently into sugar mixture.
4. Spoon into dishes; place on over tray (bottom tray is ideal as the differentiation in heat from the top to bottom of the oven helps the soufflés rise). Bake 15 minutes or until well risen and browned (toothpick test works well for soufflés, but if you must check do so as quickly and as infrequently as possible, as the introduction of cool air to the oven may cause the soufflés to sink). Dust lightly with icing sugar. Serve immediately.
Chocolate Taco
Ingredients
150g butter, chopped
300g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
1 1/2 cups (330g) firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
1/2 (60g) hazelnuts, toasted, chopped coarsely [note: I omitted these and threw in a few choc chips I had left over]
ice-cream, for serving
icing sugar, for dusting
For chocolate sauce
150g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
1 cup (250ml) cream
1/3 (75g) firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons Frangelico or Tia Maria [note: I also omitted this]
Method
1. Preheat oven to moderate (180°C). Line base and sides of a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan with baking paper (my available tins were either too big or too small, so I used the big tin and doubled the recipe. Hence ridiculously thick brownies.)
2. Combine butter and chocolate in medium saucepan; stir over low heat until chocolate is just melted. Transfer chocolate to medium mixing bowl; add sugar and egg, then sifted flour, sour cream (and nuts if you've used them). Spread mixture into prepared pan.
3. Bake in moderate oven about 30 minutes; cool in pan.
Okay, here's where I deviate from the recipe entirely. I didn't cool the brownie, I yoinked it right out and sat it on the bench. I cut it into 6 equal portions while still warm (simply cause I had 6 mouths to feed) and then cut them diagonally into triangles.
At the same time I set about making the chocolate sauce (multi-tasking FTW). I combined the chocolate and cream in the saucepan and stirred until smooth. Then I let it simmer (but not boil) for a few minutes until it thickened. If you want to add in the liqueur, do it after you remove it from the heat.
Now to assemble. As in the picture above, one triangle goes on the plate. I used a melon baller to do small scoops, but since I was in a mad rush my plan to make it all pretty kinda failed. Anyway, I then put the second brownie triangle on upside down and pressed it lightly to sandwich it in place. It was mainly for presentation's sake, as the surface of the brownie cracked all over the place. But it also served to give a really nice caramelised centre with the two 'top' layers being in the middle.
I then dusted with icing sugar and drizzled the chocolate sauce over it. And then I had heaps left over, so I poured more on.
.
Originally posted here @ bakebakebake .