Strawberry Souffle

I have always wanted to make a souffle.  It has been one of those things that I just hadn’t gotten around to making myself.  When I saw this recipe at Closet Cooking, I knew I would have to give it a try.  Even though the recipe said it would be easy, I was still surprised at how quickly this came together.  I love that it uses strawberries.  Most of the souffle recipes I have seen use chocolate.  I had some really awesome strawberries we bought at our local farmers market.  I bought these cute mini ramekins on sale a while ago and had yet to use them.  I wasn’t really sure how high to fill them so I erred on the side of caution.  I would probably fill them a little higher for dramatic effect next time.  The souffles were really light, like strawberry air.  I will definitely be making and tinkering around with this recipe again.

Strawberry Souffle recipe from Closet Cooking
1 cup mashed strawberries
2 tbsp sugar (I used only one)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (I used some vanilla bean paste, about 1/2 tsp)
3 room temperature egg whites

Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.  Taking care not to deflate the egg whites, fold in the strawberries, sugar and vanilla. Bake in greased ramekins at 350 degrees until puffed (about 10-12 minutes)

Daring Bakers: Bakewell Tart

The June Daring Bakers‘ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800′s in England.

I had never heard of a Bakewell Tart or Pudding before this challenge.  I like pretty much anything that involves almonds and jam so this was a welcome dessert in my house.  I had never made frangipane before, and I was happy that the blob in the middle of the tart spread and rose in a surprisingly even layer when baked.  It didn’t puff up too much, but I don’t know if that’s because my layer was really thin.  I made this into five little tarts with some pastry leftover.  It was actually really rich, even with a pretty generous layer of raspberry jam.  This isn’t to say I didn’t like it, but there is a lot of butter in these innocent looking tarts.  I think the next time I make this I am going to try making bite sized ones.  I have a cute set of tiny tart molds from my parents house that I am pretty sure has never been used.

This month’s challenge actually marks a year since I joined the Daring Bakers with last June’s Danish Braid.  This year has really been a whirlwind in other areas of my life.  The challenges have inspired me to keep up with blogging and spend quality time in the kitchen making new things.  I really have learned a lot and have made a number of things that I wouldn’t otherwise.   Thanks to Ivonne and Lis for starting this awesome group and to Jasmine and Annemarie for hosting this month’s challenge!

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

I wanted to post this recipe in honor of Father’s Day.  My father taught me his secrets to making really good meatballs: you have to add Parmesan cheese, don’t over do it with bread crumbs, and always brown the meatballs.  This recipe is somewhat different from the ingredients my dad would use, but I still always use those three tips.

Ingredients
1 pound ground bison or beef
1/2 to 3/4 cup of bread crumbs (I use panko)
1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 egg

Combine the ingredients by hand until the mixture is evenly combined.  I like to make the meatballs with about 2 tablespoons of meat so they are on the small side.  Heat a pan with about a 1/4 inch of olive oil.  Add the meatballs in batches and brown on each side.  They will fully cook when they are added to the sauce.

I like to serve this with a really simple sauce: 3 cloves garlic sauted in olive oil, 1 large cal on crushed tomatoes and 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil.   Add the meatballs to the sauce and heat through and toss with spaghetti.