Test Kitchen #26: Grand Marnier Souffle

When the instructions in this week's souffle recipe read, "Serve immediately," Dad followed that to the letter, spooning the fluffy finished product out of the dish so fast, that I wasn't able to catch any still shots before cutting into it. But I got video!

Grand Marnier Souffle
from America's Test Kitchen

Serves 6-8
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons sifted cocoa powder
5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup whole milk
5 large eggs, separating out and reserving the egg whites.
1 tablespoon grated orange zest from 1 medium orange
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 1 1/2-quart porcelain soufflé dish with 1 tablespoon butter, making sure to coat all interior surfaces. Stir together 1/4 cup sugar and cocoa in small bowl; pour into buttered soufflé dish and shake to coat bottom and sides with thick, even coating. Tap out excess and set dish aside.

2. Whisk flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk, whisking until smooth and no lumps remain. Bring mixture to boil over high heat, whisking constantly until thickened and mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 3 minutes. Scrape mixture into medium bowl; whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until combined. Whisk in yolks until incorporated; stir in orange zest and Grand Marnier.

3. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and 1 teaspoon sugar at medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until frothy and no longer translucent, about 2 minutes. With mixer running, sprinkle in half remaining sugar; continue beating until whites form soft billowy peaks, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running, sprinkle in remaining sugar and beat until just combined, about 10 seconds. The whites should form soft peaks when beater is lifted, but should not appear Styrofoam-like or dry.

4. Using rubber spatula, immediately stir one-quarter of beaten whites into soufflé base to lighten until almost no white streaks remain. Scrape remaining whites into base and fold in whites with balloon whisk until mixture is just combined, gently flicking whisk after scraping up side of bowl to free any mixture caught in whisk. Gently pour mixture into prepared dish and run index finger through mixture, tracing circumference about 1/2-inch from side of dish, to help soufflé rise properly. Bake until surface of soufflé is deep brown, center jiggles slightly when shaken, and soufflé has risen 2 to 2 1/2-inches above rim of dish, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately.


This one was fun and surprisingly easy. The anxiety behind souffle making is that one cannot make any noise while it's baking for fear it will collapse in on itself, deflating like a withering balloon. But this America's Test Kitchen recipe has a secret weapon. The cream of tartar added supplies a small amount of strength to the batter. After watching this episode, Dad learned that we only needed to be as quiet as we could for the first 15 minutes of the baking time. After that, we could feel free to clatter and clang about the kitchen as much as we wanted with little fear of souffle destruction.

Since it was just the two of us, we cut the recipe ingredients in half, but I doubt the original intended 6-8 servings would really serve that many people. Cutting the recipe was just enough for me and Dad. The flavor is very light and the slightly browned crust holds the orange flavor of the zest and liquor very well. It's just enough sweetness. It's consistency reminded me that of bread pudding or a mushier quiche.

The preparation is definitely the hardest part. Measurements and consistency of liquid ingredients have to be just right for everything to work out. Although I don't doubt this would be a crowd pleaser, it's probably too stressful to prepare fresh while your guests are waiting in the other room patiently with their coffee. Dad found another recipe for Chocolate Souffles from ATK that we'll have to try. That batter can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer until ready to bake and serve.

Test Kitchen #25: Garlic & White Wine Sauce

A couple of weeks ago, on one of those nights where neither of us felt like cooking, Matt and I went down the street to one of our favorite neighborhood Italian joints, Vazzy's. As soon as we walked in the door, we were greeted by the most wonderful garlic aroma wafting through the entire dining room. While I usually have a hard time deciding what I want to eat, I knew right away that I wanted something with garlic sauce.

When dining out, I try to order things that I wouldn't often cook myself. I usually steer away from pasta because I can make it at home anytime and most restaurants tend to go a little overboard on the serving sizes. It's still hard to believe that there are chefs out there thinking that it's okay for the average human to eat what seems like an entire box of pasta in one sitting. And that's before you add the heavy Alfredo cream sauce. I'm sure we're catering to the senior citizen crowd, who is so psyched over their $10.95 meal that will feed them dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow! ("It's like you're paying for two meals in one. It's a great deal!) I'm talking to you, Log Cabin. If I want volume and savings, I'll go to Costco. Thanks.

(Where did that rant come from?)

Anyway, on this particular night, I veered from my no pasta rule in order to find something with garlic sauce on it when my eyes landed happily upon Vazzy's Pasta Mali. My choice of chicken or sausage over penne with sun-dried peppers and a garlic white wine sauce. I opted for the sausage and skipped the peppers. This has easily become my new favorite pasta. The smell of the garlic is only outdone by it's amazing flavor. The sauce was creamy but translucent. Thick enough to coat the pasta, and not so thin that it would run directly through the food. I very nearly ate the whole thing which made me grateful that the portion looked more like only half a box then a whole one.

I reasoned it was okay to break my no pasta rule because I don't know how to make garlic white wine sauce and would probably never make it on the spur of the moment. Suddenly, the perfect candidate for the following week's test kitchen had presented itself. Dad and I have always enjoyed the trials and errors of cooking that I was pretty sure, we could figure this one out.

After a few quick searches, we started out with this basic recipe, knowing that we could leave room for tweaking. The recipe was pretty easy, but what it lacked a thicker consistency that would better coat pasta. Made as is, this mixture would probably run straight through anything you poured it on, leaving a pool of liquid on the bottom and all the good stuff floating on the top.

Garlic & White Wine Sauce
(Served with broccoli over medium shells)
Made four large servings

Ingredients:
12 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 can (14 oz) of low sodium chicken broth
6 oz. of dry white wine or cooking wine
8 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 stick of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
16 oz. box of medium shells
1 (12oz) package of frozen broccoli
Salt & pepper to season
Splash of lemon juice
Sprinkle of parsley

Steps:
1. Heat the saucepan on medium low, and coat the bottom with the oil.

2. Add garlic cloves and cook until softened. Do not let the garlic brown or burn.

3. Add the white wine and chicken stock to the pan. Cover sauce pan and let simmer for ten minutes.

4. At the same time, prepare shells, or desired pasta, per package directions. When cooked, drain and set aside. In the same pot, add the broccoli, along with a little butter, salt and pepper and cook on medium high, until warmed through. Add the pasta back into the pot. Toss all to combine and reduce heat to low to keep everything warm.

5. When the sauce is done simmering, remove from pan to a bowl or measuring pitcher. In the same sauce pan, create a roux by combining 1/2 a stick of butter with the flour. Stir until a paste forms. Slowly add the sauce liquid back into the pan, stirring as you add to avoid any lumps from forming.

6. Bring all to a boil. Keep stirring until sauce thickens. Turn off heat but leave pan on warm burner. Add pasta and broccoli to the sauce pan and combine all so everything is evenly coated with sauce. Splash with lemon juice and sprinkle with dried parsley or with 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley.

The Verdict:
For our first go around, I thought it was pretty good. It's amazing! You'd think that the intensity of 12 cloves of garlic would surely knock you out, but the flavor was in fact fairly mild. I think the trick with learning to make sauces is realizing that so much of the liquid reduces while it's cooking that you never get as much as you started out with. Our sauce did a nice job of thinly coating all the pasta and broccoli, but I would have definitely have preferred more sauce or less pasta.

Sure it was no Vazzy's, but we are still learning and it's always good to have a benchmark to work towards.

Test Kitchen #24: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

This week we had a special guest in the test kitchen. Just in time for my birthday, I got a surprise visit from my sister, Christine, who flew all the way from Phoenix for my big 3-2! When Matt took me out for dinner last Friday night, my parents were there waiting for us in the restaurant with my sister carefully hidden in the corner of the table.

Even though my family kept this plan secret from me for over six months, there was something inside my head that evening telling me that she might be there. Maybe it was when I received her birthday card a few days earlier with the note, "Hope to see you all soon!", that I began to wonder. Or maybe I was just hoping. Either way, it was a great surprise and when I found out that she was staying with us until the following Wednesday, I got even more excited. "Oh yeah, you can cook with us on Tuesday!"

So it was only fitting that this week's recipe be supplied by Christine. That first night, at the birthday dinner, we ordered a dish of hummus and pita to share with the table. The taste was just okay and the color seemed a little gray. Christine offered that we should try her Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipe. The flavor and color would be much better and so easy to make.

Tuesday afternoon I hopped between three different grocery stores to find one of the key ingredients: sesame tahini sauce. After an exhausted search of the ethic foods aisles, I was hoping that maybe we could do without it. Dad and I were used to "winging it" and I was sure that there would be a way to make up for the missing ingredient. But Christine insisted that it was vital to the mix, so I pressed on.

The Nature's Way food store finally yielded the score. If you've never had to purchase tahini sauce before, immediately find any natural foods store and look in the peanut butter aisle. The sauce has a similar texture and consistency of peanut butter, only it's made with sesame seeds and is a little runnier. Make sure you stir it really well before adding it in with the other ingredients.

Here's a picture of the one I found so you know what you're looking for. It's also not cheap. It was $6.69 for this little can, but Christine says it lasts for a while in the fridge. No more store bought hummus for us!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

• I can (16oz -19oz) of chickpeas, drained
  
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon of sesame tahini
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ tablespoona olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ tablespoon water

1. Wash and dry red bell pepper. Chop into ½ inch strips.

2. Spread in a single layer on baking sheet or shallow baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.

3. Place in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes or until soft.

4. In a blender or food processor, blend the chickpeas. Add red bell pepper, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, water, and salt until the ingredients form a creamy, paste-like consistency. Red pepper should be ground up enough so you can see small red bits in the mixture and everything turns light orange in color.

5. Taste and add more seasoning or tahini until it's to your liking.

6. Serve immediately or best when covered and refrigerated for at least 30 minutes.

Verdict:
The best part about this recipe, aside from the taste, is how fast and easy it is to make. When you realize that the recipe minus the peppers is your basic plain hummus, the possibilities become endless with the flavors you can add. Instead of red pepper, you can use sun-dried tomatoes, spinach or even fresh basil to make a pesto flavored hummus.

For dipping purposes, I bought some Naan bread at the bakery. I sprayed it with a little butter and dusted some garlic powder over the top. While the hummus was chilling, we lightly toasted the Naan on the grill, just long enough to warm it up and get a few grill marks. After it was done, I cut it up into small strips for dipping. The hummus served as an appetizer for the steak dinner we were having for Christine's last night with us. We made a double batch so unfortunately the Naan didn't last for as much hummus as we made. The flavor was bold and the texture creamy; not too pasty like some store brands can be.

Matt and I had no problem taking home the leftovers and it came in handy the next day when Bob joined us for the USA v. Mexico soccer game. Combined with some toasted wheat crackers, the hummus was a big hit and made for a great game time snack.

Test Kitchen #23: Grilled Chicken Burrito with Corn Salsa

A gorgeous afternoon meant grilling in the backyard on this Test Kitchen Tuesday. This week's brainstorm came from a corn salsa recipe that Mom had clipped from the grocery store circular. After a few minutes planning, we had our vision and headed to the IGA for some extras.

I've had this easy chicken burrito wrap in my mental recipe Rolodex for years. I've made it with fresh chicken or pre-cooked short cuts. I've grilled the outside of the burrito on my trusty grill pan or zap fried it in the microwave. I've used fresh salsa and the ole jar standby. None of these methods are wrong. It might just be what suits your needs at a particular moment in time. But if you can spare the time, using fresh marinated, grilled chicken with homemade salsa and cheese wrapped inside a toasty tortilla is definitely the way to go.

This falls under the "barely needs a recipe" category because you can tweak it so many different ways to suit your taste. The basics are 2 large chicken breasts (about D-cups, as Dad would say), shredded Mexican cheese, 4 large burrito size wraps, and salsa. Place some sliced grilled chicken, a few tablespoons of salsa and a small handful of cheese in a wrap, roll it up and grill until warmed through.

If you really need some steps, do this:

Before making salsa, place all the chicken in a large ziploc bag and add 1/2 bottle of your favorite marinade. We used a Chipotle Lime flavor from Lawry's. Refrigerate until ready to grill.

Fresh Corn Salsa:
1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen corn, lightly cooked
1 small green or red bell pepper, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1-2 scallions, diced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch of dried parsley

1. Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble wraps.

2. Grill chicken until well cooked through and slice into thin pieces.

3. On a large burrito-size tortilla, place 2-4 tablespoons of the salsa, about 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and top all with about 1 cup of sliced chicken.

4. Wrap burrito up, making sure to tuck in all the sides so nothing sneaks out. Place back on the grill, seam side down. Turn a couple of times until each side of the burrito is lightly browned and has some nice grills marks. You really only need them on there just long enough to melt the cheese inside and make the outside a little crispy.


The Verdict:

Direct quote from Mom, "Excellent."

Grilling really does make everything better. It's probably second only to melted cheese. Half the pleasure of eating this wrap is just realizing how easy it is to make. Sometimes it's the simplest recipes that are the tastiest. (Maybe stress makes food taste differently. Somebody should do a study on that.) This afternoon's lunch couldn't have been more relaxing. Mom, Dad and I dined at the picnic table while the breeze gently round across the lawn, perfectly pleased with ourselves.

Here's my only tip. You don't have to marinate the chicken. Many times I just season it with a little fajita seasoning and olive oil. If you do choose use a marinade, make sure the flavor doesn't compete with the flavor of the salsa.

When we first made the corn salsa, the cayenne gave it a little too much kick and we were worried that the combination of the bold chipotle flavor in the marinade was going to be overkill. With a few revisions, we mellowed out the salsa and after the chicken was cooked, the marinade turned out not to be as strong as we thought it would.

In short, my advice would be to taste both the chicken and the salsa before putting both in the wrap. That way, if one is way more overpowering than the other, you might want to consider grilling the wraps with just chicken and cheese inside and leaving the salsa as a topping.