Chocolate soufflé

Alright, so probably not the best first-post after my rant about eating healthier, but once in a while its okay to treat yourself. This is actually my first attempt at making a soufflé of any kind and it came out pretty good. A soufflé is characterized by its gastronomic raised appearance and light, fluffy texture when it is baked. The name is derived from the French word meaning "to blow up." The worst part about making these is that they come out of the oven looking all amazing and what not, and then two seconds later they are flat as a pancake. It's said that, "the guests wait for the soufflé, not the other way around!"

The best part is that they're pretty simple to make. I used milk chocolate but you can use whatever you want. Just melt the chocolate with the cream, whip the egg whites really good, mix it all together and pop it in the oven.

Ingredients: 
340 g. chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. sugar

1.Butter eight 3/4-cup soufflé dishes; sprinkle with sugar, tilting cups to coat completely and tapping out any excess.

2.Arrange prepared soufflé dishes on large baking sheet.mCombine chocolate and cream in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Stir egg yolks and salt into chocolate mixture. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar, beating until semi-firm peaks form. Using rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold remaining egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Divide chocolate mixture among prepared soufflé dishes, filling dishes completeley.

3.Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Bake soufflés on baking sheet until puffed and tops feel firm, about 16 minutes if at room temperature and about 18 minutes if chilled.










They came out perfectly (or at least good enough for the first time making them). Usually soufflés rise with no crack, but my batter may have been too thick. This can be fixed by whisking the ingredients with more care and resisting the temptation to open the oven door before they are ready. As for its taste, there was a great contrast between it's cooked outside and it's gooey center. It had a very rich chocolate taste with a very light, almost fluffy, taste in your mouth. For a good soufflé, it has to be light, not taste too eggy, be crisp on top and slightly moist in the centre. The reason I actually made this is because I'm making dinner for a girl tomorrow night and she requested desert to be something "chocalatey." So hopefully she likes it!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

...Make A Food Blog?

Before I get to the reason why I am creating this blog, I have to start with why I started cooking in the first place. Being a single guy moving into his first place with a kitchen, it became a big deal about knowing how to cook or not. It was either learn how to cook or eat subpar food from the dining hall for the rest of my college career. I had to learn how to cook.
I spent the summer before my junior year of college working at the D.C. Superior Court House as a Junior Deputy Clerk, which was interesting but overall really tiring. Working a 40-hour week left me exhausted and with little time to hang out with friends or family. It wasn't that I didn't have the time, it's just that the second I got home and sat down I just didn't want to get back up. So that's what I did—I sat there. I resorted to the TV being my best friend that summer and watched hours of television. I started to watch shows such as Hell's Kitchen, and Masterchef, which starred chef Gordon Ramsay. I became really interested in cooking and before I knew it I was trying my own things in the kitchen.  At first, it became trial and error, but soon I really got the hang of it.
There are many reasons why I started learning how to cook. Firstly, like I said before, I was moving into my own place. Secondly, I wanted to start eating healthier compared to what was being offered to me at the dinning hall. Lastly, I heard girls like guys who can cook...but anyway...haha. I've grown up in a family where sadly I probably didn't get the best balanced diet or the nutrition I needed. I just remembered eating out a lot and that practically McDonalds was the go-to meal. About 2 years ago my dad had a heart attack on Christmas morning, which gave me and my family a big wake-up call. Things had to change.
So here I am today. I haven't ate fast-food since then (expect for the one or two occasions where I had to) and I've began working out again. I'm on the Maryland men's crew team, which keeps me really active, and I've been eating a lot healthier. I really like to cook for myself and others, which brings me to why I'm starting this blog. After cooking here and there for a few friends, I've been encouraged to start a blog of the things I cook. This is a nice way to share my knowledge with others and maybe teach someone a thing or two. It's also something for me personally, so that I'm able to look back on not only how my cooking skills have improved, but also how my life has changed and how I've grown as a person.

I hope this blog helps you out as much as it helps me.