WARM AND WONDERFUL: INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉS ARE EASY TO MASTER

Soufflés always intimidate, but they are not difficult. These individual chocolate soufflés are fluffy, delightful bites of chocolate heaven. And so easy! They will be a favorite... serve them warm out of the oven with just a drizzle of heavy cream... or ice cream, or whiskey sauce, or whatever you have around.

INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉS

Prep Time: 20 minutes    Cook Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon cocoa

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for the ramekins

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely

3 large egg yolks, room temperature

6 large egg whites, room temperature

1/16 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter four oven-proof ramekins. Combine the cocoa and 2 tablespoons sugar. Dust the ramekins with the cocoa and sugar mixture. Set aside.

Carefully melt the chocolate in a heat-proof glass bowl over simmering water. Chocolate burns quickly so don't leave it unattended. Stir until just melted then remove the chocolate from the heat. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, gently whisking them together with the chocolate. Set aside.  

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with salt on medium speed until they are shiny and form soft peaks. Then turn the mixer on high and add the sugar, a little at a time until the egg whites will hold stiff shiny peaks.

Next, begin to incorporate the egg whites into the chocolate. This is an important step. You do not want to deflate the egg whites, but you do need to make sure there are no visible whites peeking through. Use a large spoon, spatula, or whisk; work gently. Add about a cup of the egg whites to the chocolate to smooth out the chocolate a bit. Then add the rest, 1/3 at a time, spooning up and over, very gently, to incorporate. It should be very light and fluffy, but make sure you have no threads of white peeking through the chocolate.

Spoon into the prepared ramekins- leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Bake for 15 minutes or you can bake up to 18 minutes to make them more cake-like.

You can let these sit for up to 30 minutes before baking or you can bake them immediately. Makes 4.

RECIPE: CHEESY BACON, SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE BITES

For some reason, mini quiches are not cool anymore. There was a time when there wasn't a party menu to be found without these little wonders: Crust filled with cheesy goodness... what's not to love? But for some reason, quiche has become un-hip. To paraphrase Will Shakespeare, a quiche by any other name will still taste as good. These cheesy spinach and bacon bites are easy to make and wayyyy to good to be frowned upon because they are quiche.. I like my own crust recipe but you can buy mini tart or Phyllo shells and fill them if you prefer or are short on time.

CHEESY BACON, SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE BITES (AKA MINI QUICHE)

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter, very cold, diced

3-4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

6 bacon slices, chopped

1 shallot, minced

5 cups baby spinach

1 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

For the pastry shells: In your food processor, add the dry ingredients and pulse to blend. Add the butter, a few pieces at a time and pulse quickly to incorporate. Once all the butter has been added (and looks kind of like uncooked grits) turn the food processor on ‘run”.  

Add the ice water quickly, one tablespoon at a time just until the dough comes together in a ball. Stop immediately. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured piece of plastic wrap. Form into a disc and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  

Roll the dough about 1/8” thick. Use a mini biscuit cutter (about 2 ¾” size) and cut 24 rounds. Or you can portion into 24 balls. Press them into tiny non-stick muffin tins and chill.  Also, I chill one same size muffin tin and then flour it lightly and press it into the shells to help make them smooth and uniform. Chill the dough in the tins for at least 30 minutes.  

For the filling: Grate the cheese. Set aside.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to drain on paper towels. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the shallots and cook just until softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and the artichokes. Cook until the spinach is wilted; 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and grate in the nutmeg. Add the cooled spinach mixture to the bowl and stir just to combine.

When you are ready to bake the quiches, preheat your oven to 375°F. Divide the bacon and the Gruyere cheese evenly between the pastry shells. Pour in the spinach mixture, filling each cup ¾ full. Top each with the Parmesan cheese. Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden, approximately 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and remove immediately from the pan. Serve warm.

You can freeze the crust and use it when you are ready. You can also freeze the cooled quiches and thaw on a cookie sheet, then bake when you need them. A perfectly easy make-ahead party bite!

Yield: 24 mini quiche bites

RECIPE: CHUNKY BLUE CHEESE and YOGURT DIP

Blue Cheese always reminds me of my mom. We never had blue cheese at home because she was the only one who liked it... but on the rare occasion that we'd get to go out to a restaurant, mom would always order a salad with bleu cheese dressing. Over the years, I've come to love it and I'm especially in love with the Smokey Blue Cheese from Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon. You can usually find it at most Whole Foods locations. It runs about $9 for about 4 ounces. Yes, a little expensive for a dip but whoa... it is good. You can use whatever blue cheese you like- this is the best all-purpose, non-Ranch dip I know for chicken wings, veggies, and crackers.

My chunky blue cheese dip is the perfect dip for chicken wings, veggies, or crackers... this is even good spread on a slice of bread and toasted under the broiler!

CHUNKY BLUE CHEESE DIP

Difficulty: Easy    Category: Party Food

Prep Time: 5 minutes    Cook Time: non-cook recipe

INGREDIENTS 

½ cup chopped shallots

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 Tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon lemon zest

2 cups Greek yogurt (you can sub sour cream if you don't like yogurt)

8 ounces (1 cup) Blue Cheese (okay to use crumbles)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

1Tablespoon minced chives

 DIRECTIONS:

Add everything but chives to food processor. Pulse to combine. Pour into a bowl. Garnish with chives. Serve with veggies, chicken wings, chips, or crackers.

Yield: 2 cups