I know I’ve made it before and posted, but thought it time to repost, as the first time I posted having made soufflé au fromage it was in the ‘old format’ of fruippe. This is such a happy memory for me- soufflé was always my sister’s favourite of my mother’s baked goods, and when she made soufflé…. my sister’s eyes would light up like none other and there was this amazing sense of anticipation throughout the house. It’s a wonderful memory I’ll always hold onto, and has created such positive associations in my mind for soufflé! So it’ll always be a smiling recipe :).

A few things to note here: For one, this has a STRONG taste of cheese. I brought in a few of the leftovers to work and several of my coworkers wrinkled their noses in distaste. This is not for everyone. Being part-French so as to induce a high cheese-tolerance is suggested. Second- this time around (as opposed to last time) I opted to more closely follow my mother’s method (from what I can remember) than Ms. Child’s.

Soufflé au Fromage

Adapted from Classic Cheese Soufflé by Julia Child

Ingredients:

• 2/3 can grated Parmesan cheese – don’t use Kraft. Kraft’s parmesan is NOT aged enough and won’t give you the intensity of flavour this requires. My mom always used HEB (or your local grocery store). The trick s to compare all the parmesans your store has and pick the one with the darkest-looking grains of cheese- this will be the most aged.
• 1 cup organic skim milk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons salted butter
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour (preferably King Arthur organic)
• 2/3 tsp ground nutmeg (my mother would always grate hers freshly!)
• 4 large egg yolks (cage-free, brown, organic)
• 5 large egg whites (cage-free, brown, organic)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F and butter a dozen mini ramekins. Have another 4-6 on hand because you never know quite how much this will make- so butter the first dozen for now and see later how many more you’ll need. My mother always made 16-20 of these at a time.
2. Warm milk in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming – be sure to keep a good eye on this as the milk will begin to form a thin coating on the top as it warms, and you want to constantly be breaking that apart, so stir often.
3. While the milk is heating, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat (you won’t be using a bowl until considerably later in the recipe, so note that most ingredients will be mixed into this pan). Wait until the butter begins to brown slightly and bubble, then  add the flour (all at once) and immediately begin whisking until the mixture begins to foam and loses raw taste, about 3 minutes (do not allow it to brown- this is called the roux). Remove the pan from heat and let stand 1 minute.
4. Pour in the warmed milk and whisk until smooth. Return to heat and cook, whisking constantly until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the nutmeg.
5. Now add the egg yolks 1 at a time, whisking to blend after each addition – do NOT cheat on this one and add many at once! Really do take this one at a time. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl (you’ll need room for folding in egg whites, so make sure it’s roomy) and let sit while you fluff up the eggies.
6. Using an electric or stand mixer, beat the egg whites until you get stiff peaks (my mother would always throw in a pinch of salt to aid the beating process).
7. Fold a third of the whites into the the soufflé mixture at a time, each time folding over and under to incorporate as much air as possible. While you fold, gradually alternate with sprinkling in the cheese.
8. Transfer batter to greased ramekins and grease additional rammies as necessary – you want them to be about 2/3 full.
9. Place ramekins in oven (the easiest way is to place them all on a large baking sheet) and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. 
10. Bake until the soufflés are puffedup (they’ll rise. a lot. think of minions.) and golden brown on top. They shouldn’t really jiggle (so no jello here!) when shaken- so it’ll be about 25 minutes (do not open oven door during first the 20 minutes or they won’t rise properly and you’ll lament).
11. Serve them warm and as quickly as you can after leaving the oven’s comfy warmth so that they’ll still look impressive – they’ll have fallen considerably within the first 5 minutes and when you cool the leftovers in the fridge they’ll condense even further- but the taste will remain delicious, so worry not!

It’s soothing just to think about them :). These are nice as something you can make a bunch of and store the leftovers in the fridge to have throughout the week. You could cut one up into a modern crouton to sprinkle over a spinach salad… or other interesting uses. Naturally a million soufflés exist out there, but the parmesan soufflé is the one that will always remind me of home.

It’s always lonely to be by yourself at home and when my mother left for Paris with my grandmother, that left my father doing just that- being home alone! Remedy: have him over for dinner! (NOT Silence of the Lambs kind of “have you over for dinner”, though…) I figured that my father would perhaps be a bit unsettled by some of my more experimental foods… and his standards are quite exceptionally high, as the gifted chefs in the family are all on his side (minus my mother, of course), so… traditional-ish it was!

I decided to do something very familiar and comforting: confit some tomatoes in the oven, bake some chicken so that it’s juicy and tender, and toss it in some whole wheat pasta shells and housemade pesto, with some shaved parmiggiano on top. What can go wrong there?

It was really quite delicious, and the leftovers were super convenient for bringing in to work the next week. This is a great keep-in-the-fridge-for-a-few-days dish, and a rather simple one as well. The sweetness of the tomato cuts into the nuttiness of the pesto, while the cheese on top adds some hints of earthiness that makes the whole thing come together quite nicely.

Whole Wheat Chicken ‘n Pesto Shells with Tomates Confites

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (1 box) whole wheat pasta shells
• 1 box (usually 8-12 oz) cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 generous cup house-made pesto
• 3-4 medium-sized chicken breasts
• extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, freshly-cracked black pepper
• parmiggiano reggiano (or reggianito) to shave

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place a Silpat or other silicone mat on a baking sheet (large enough to fit all your chicken on)
2. Set a pot of water to boil for pasta; salt generously and drop in 1-2 tsp olive oil into the water
3. Measure out pesto and leave on the counter so it can warm while you prepare the rest of the dish
4. Lightly coat a second baking sheet with olive oil (just brush on a very thin coat)
5. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half (whichever way you like) and arrange (fairly haphazardly, really) on the baking sheet. Salt lightly and sprinkle with herbs or spices if desired (my mother uses Herbes de Provence; I’m a fan of a pinch of paprika/cumin/coriander). Drizzle with more olive oil on top.
6. Clean the chicken breasts and arrange on the baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip and repeat so that both sides are coated and seasoned.
7. Once the oven is sufficiently hot, place the tomatoes on the bottom rack and the chicken on the top rack (if you have two racks, that is) of the oven
8. Once the water is boiling, place pasta in water and cook as directed; I like mine just a bit al dente (it’s what the Italians do)
9. Bake the chicken for about 10 minutes, then flip the oven using kitchen tongs, a glove, and patience/care. Don’t burn yourself with that oven door open! You can always take the sheet out, flip, and return to the oven if you’re not too lethargic. While you’re at it, rotate the tomato pan.
10. After another 10 minutes, take your tongs and press upon the chicken. If there’s a lot of give, leave it in for another few minutes- you’re looking for the outside to be golden brown and for the inside to have only a bit of give. The squishier it is, the less cooked- and unfortunately, sashimi chicken isn’t a good dish to try :)
11. Once the tomatoes are drying out a bit and are blistering, you can remove them from the oven. The amount of time they spend in there is totally up to you- if you have the time, roasting them at a lower temp (360 or so) for longer yields even better results; this is the ‘quick version’
12. Remove the tomatoes and chicken from the oven and let cook for a moment.
13. Once pasta is cooked, drain (but not excessively, a little water in this is fine) and place in a large mixing bowl. Using kitchen tongs, cut the chicken into large, wide (but fairly thin) strips. Add to bowl. Scrape tomatoes as-is into bowl as well. Scoop in the pesto, and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle in a bit of olive oil. Shave the cheese on top and…. voila!

It’s one of those go-to standbys for me because I don’t need to consult a recipe and it has infinite variations. Sometimes I also confit some bell peppers (red/yellow/orange)… sometimes with herbs, sometimes with spices… carrots work nicely, too, when baked with cheese. You get the idea- pick the brightly-coloured vegetable(s) of your choice! And then dig in :)

Ah, an excellent appetizer- what’s not to like about puff pastry, pesto, and saltiness? I saw Ina Garten make a variation of these about two months ago and knew I had to try it! I was graced with the lovely company of my oh-so-talented friend- let’s call her Z- that evening and was looking to do a menu of finger foods- this was perfect! These are savoury and definitely have a zing to them from the onions. I used my own housemade pesto (I’ll be a snob and say I haven’t found better outside of Italy) and with premade puff pastry dough (making your own is just asking for trouble), these are quick and relatively simple. And calling your name. Crispy, puffy, golden, and spicy.

Salty Pesto Palmiers

Adapted from Savory Palmiers by Ina Garten

Ingredients:

• 1/2 heaping cup pesto (for best results, use perfect pesto recipe)
• 1/3 cup chunkily-diced sweet yellow onion
• freshly-cracked black pepper and large-grain sea salt
• 1 sheet/package frozen puff pastry dough from your local grocery store, defrosted

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Flour a countertop surface and rolling pin and place puff pastry on counter. Roll out to where you have a large rectangle (size of you choosing) and to where the folds of the pastry are well blended in (one homogenous rectangle shape)
3. Spread on the pesto evenly, leaving about 1/2-inch on all sides, and sprinkle on the onion, salt, and pepper
4. Take one of the long sides of the rectangle and fold it halfway towards the center. Do the same thing with the other long side. Then fold this in half (“hambuger-style” each time).
5. You should now have a log-like roll of dough. Lightly butter/spray a baking sheet. Cut slides of the log, about 1/2-inch thick, and place on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart (see photos below).
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown, and serve warm by themselves or with extra pesto as a dipping sauce (the taste of this one will intensify and spice up during baking)

See? Easy! And delicious! These are a perfect appetizer or brnuch item because they’re finger-friendly and have a short lead time, especially if you’ve got readily-available pesto hanging out in the fridge (which I highly suggest. One always needs emergency pesto for unexpected hosting). You could do a number of variations here as well: substitute in sun-dried tomatoes or bell peppers (make sure they’re dry), cheeses (of various types), herbs… you name it! And, of course, there’s the far more traditional sweet counterpart…

We were having a friend over for dinner and this friend (K) and I disagree on a great many things. Despite our being on opposite ends of the spectrum on what many would consider to be life’s most important topics, she’s one of my very closest friends, and has been for years. She’s a wonderful person, and so for her- and probably only her- would I honour a request that goes as follows:

Me: “Hey, so what should I make for dinner?”

K: “Does it sound bad if I say nothing particularly Frenchy?”

I’d say it’s a testament to our friendship that she asked so nicely :) and so I went searching about for something non-French! I also wanted to do something simple and that had a very tiny possibility of not being liked. Therefore… who doesn’t like cheese pizza? Right? I know her not to be lactose-intolerant, so I figured this one was the safest possible choice. Thankfully, she quite enjoyed it. That “mmh!” she said was wonderful to hear.

Rosemary Margherita ‘Pizza’ Tart

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s French Tomato Tart, which is in turn adapted from A Culinary Journey in Gascony

Ingredients (variation of original):

• 1.5 cups organic AP flour (King Arthur)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons soy butter
• 1 large egg (cage-free, brown, organic)
• 2 tablespoons cool water
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon)
• 4 large hothouse tomatoes, ripe (quantity will vary based on tomato size and your tomato preferences)
• 1/2 jar Muir Glen original tomato sauce
• 1 large ball fresh mozarella cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons freshly-frated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon large grain sea salt

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the soy butter and mix until the butter is fully dispersed into the flour and comes to a crumbly texture
3. Mix the egg with the water in a small bowl, beating thoroughly until the mixture has a light yellow colour.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the center of the flour mixture and mix in to where everything holds together into a dough ball.
5. Flour a work surface, flour your rolling pin, and place the dough ball onto the middle of your work surface. Roll it out and keep dusting it with flour, until there is no stickiness to the dough.
6. Roll the dough onto your rolling pin and place it onto a large 9-inch fluted tart pan. Press the dough onto the sides firmly, then roll your pin across the top to remove the excess dough (which you can use to make a freeform tart, twists, or whatever you choose!)
7. Brush on the mustard and arrange the sliced tomatoes over the mustard. Fill in the holes (where you can see the mustard / there are less tomatoes) with the tomato sauce, then spread whatever you haven’t used of it over the tops of the tomatoes.
8. Place large slices of the mozarella over the tomatoes & sauce. Then sprinkle on the parmesan cheese, sea salt, drizzle on the olive oil…. then take some of the rosemary off of the sprigs and place over the pizza. Lastly, for decoration, place on two large sprigs of rosemary to infuse the pizza.
9. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has browned to a golden colour and the crust is just turning golden-brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!

Yum yum yum. The sister has taken to this recipe, and it’s a very yummy one. I’m never against fresh mozarella, personally, and neither should be the general populace, because mmmmh, it’s so good! :)

Studies show that crunching something decreases stress, and these pack a powerful crunch- so if you’re stressed out, this is clearly what you need! :) (that and someone cozy to cuddle with and reassure you that the world is, whether or not you’ll believe him or her, not ending) I had some leftover tart dough when making a margherita pizza and had picked what was sure to become too much rosemary for its topping, and thought, well, maybe instead of a free-form tart with the leftover dough I’m going to make some twists!

The process was incredibly simple and the result was crunchily delicious. The sister was particularly fond of these. And the lovely friend we had over for dinner- K- seemed to enjoy them  as well. Try these out! They’re really quick, and once you’ve got the hang of them, you can go through the lot of them rather quickly with the rolling, twisting, brushing, and so on and so on.

Rosemary Parmesan Twists

Dough Recipe Adapted from David Lebovitz’s French Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups organic AP flour (I used King Arthur)
• 8 tblspn (1 stick) soy butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg (brown, cage-free, organic)
• 2.5 tablespoons cold water
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons freshly-grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon large-grain sea salt

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the soy butter and mix until the butter is fully dispersed into the flour and comes to a crumbly texture
3. Mix the egg with the water in a small bowl, beating thoroughly until the mixture has a light yellow colour.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the center of the flour mixture and mix in to where everything holds together into a dough ball.
5. Flour a work surface, flour your rolling pin, and place the dough ball onto the middle of your work surface. Roll it out and keep dusting it with flour, until there is no stickiness to the dough. Then, cut off small balls approximately 1/2-inch in diameter.
6. Take one of the small balls and roll it out to where it is one long strip. Place a few rosemary pieces onto the dough, and roll it into a long, narrow string.
7. Repeat this with a second ball, then place the two together and twist. Press lightly upon the ends so that they stay together, then place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat.
8. Repeat this process until you have completed all your twists. Then, lightly brush the twists with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle the sea salt on top.
9. Place in oven for 8 minutes. Then take out the baking sheet and sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Then place back in oven for another 3-5 minutes, until the twists are golden brown and the cheese looks crunchy.
10. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then place in a basket lined with parchment paper or a napkin… and enjoy!

Nowyou may be thinking, Odile, that’s silly to be rolling it out so much, it’ll toughen the dough. That’s right, and it’s purposeful, it is! The tougher the dough, the crunchier these twists will become. For once, you want to overwork it to the point where it’s going to have the most satisfying “CHH!!!” sound you’ve ever heard when you bite into it. Yum. Mmh. You could substitute the rosemary for thyme or the fresh herb of your choice- though I really do think the rosemary’s nicest.