The Alphabet Challenge "C"

Chocolate Souffles:
I was going to save this post for tomorrow, but I'm MUCH too excited. Yes, I've come across something so incredibly sexy that I must summon all of my strength to not freak out as I type. I have made chocolate souffles and I am proud. These puffy little brown pillows have captured my imagination and I sit here dreaming up all of the glorious things I could make into a souffles; berries and herbs and flavors are floating through my mind on rivers of whipped egg whites. Before this gets obscene, I should give you he recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chocolate-souffles-recipe/index.html) by the trustworthy crew in the salt mines known as the Food Network Kitchens. Yes, I made changes (shame on me) but I was only serving 4 so I did a half recipe, after reading that it makes about 18 ounces of batter when split and I was using 4 ounce ramekins. Now, if you read the recipe you'll see that it only calls for 1/2 a teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Half of a half of a teaspoon is a quarter of a teaspoon and that's smaller than a rat's tushy. I know that we're only on 'C' and we don't know each other that well, but I am NOT about to cut and juice an entire, beautiful lemon just for a 1/4 teaspoon of juice. So instead, I used a 1/4 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar and a pinch of salt to beautify the chocolate flavors (which the recipe left out). Other than that, I did my best to follow the recipe. I'm not exactly an expert on egg-whipping technique but the detailed instructions were written to help the intermediate bakers such as myself to make sure that we know what to look for. I was good up until the term "ribbon stage" so I looked it up and found this nice video by Z's cup of Tea and it shows what exactly "ribbon stage" means (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CIw9xAjqDA). I appreciated the notes, so don't skip to the end, if you can help it. Zoe is pretty helpful in technique-stuff so I recommend sifting through her other videos and her blog. Finally, in the recipe it says you can butter the ramekins ahead of time BUT I put mine in the freezer for about 10 minutes while I whipped the egg yolks and melted the chocolate and the "crust" came out perfectly. My mother said the crust was the best part and I have to agree with her on that. It added a bit of texture to an otherwise soft, moist gloopy thing. She also likened it to a brownie-cloud, which I thought was an accurate description. MAKE THESE. You know you want  to~

Peace, love, and chocolate,
Aubrey~

The Alphabet Challenge "B"

Black and Blue Burgers:
I may be a vegetarian, but the one thing I miss most from the meat-circle of world-changing culinary achievements is, of course, burgers. I have always loved burgers and I have missed them so much so that I go out of my way to make the perfect black bean burger patties and freeze them for a rainy day. My favorite recipe in the wide world is this one (http://annies-eats.com/2011/06/22/black-bean-burgers/) from Annnie's Eats and my only changes are normal breadcrumbs instead of panko (because, really, who keeps panko in their pantry?) and a few jarred jalapeños for some extra pizzaz. And, of course, caramelized onions and blue cheese never hurt anything~


Peace, love, and jalapeños,
Aubrey~

The Alphabet Challenge "A"

Almond Biscotti:
Coffee is a strongly rooted deity in my household, so any confection that somewhat honors its beauty is perfectly welcome here. Naturally, I'm talking about biscotti, the perfect little crunchy cookie that goes so well when dipped in a cappuccino or hot chocolate. I don't like taking pictures (I think it's a waste of time and it's usually awkward), so I'll just show you the picture from the recipe. I adapted it from the recipe posted by P4 on Food.com (http://www.food.com/recipe/almond-biscotti-51936), my only changes being the use of Frangelico (hazelnut liquor) and slivered almonds in place of whole almonds (friendlier on the teeth and more even distribution). It's a lovely recipe and very easy, almost too easy to satisfy my craving to do something. My only real complaint is that it tastes egg-y. I could just be overly sensitive to it, since I really hate the taste of eggs in anything but breakfast food, but it's a little off-putting to me. If you're not picky about egg-smells or you are capable of overpowering it with more alcohol, I strongly recommend this recipe. I still like the flavor and the texture is spot-on. In fact, I will probably make these again, perhaps with more frangelico or some cocoa powder to make it a little less egg-y. I'd try to take out an egg, but I'm convinced that that is where it gets it's beautiful texture and crispy, crunchy, chewiness.

Peace, love, and frosting,
Aubrey~

The Alphabet Challenge

Hello, Foodies everywhere! I'm Aubrey, a very quirky, adventuresome teenager with some unusual hobbies, one of which is cooking. See, cooking and baking is somewhat therapeutic for me; on more than one occasion, I have come home from school, stressed to tears, and all I wanted to do was bake. The problem is, I also want to cook when I'm bored or lonely, so this summer is going to be a living hell for my family (mainly my mother) who has to put up with my daily "Mommy, can I make something today?" Since school just ended on Friday, I've decided to put some method into this madness and have a plan for the summer where I cook something for every letter of the alphabet by the time school starts on August 13. I shall name it "The Alphabet Challenge". Subtracting the 16 days of vacation plus bandcamp, that means I have 76 days to do this if I start today. Using the English alphabet of 26 letters, I can allot approximately 1 recipe per 3 days except for 1 more that I'll have to squeeze in there somehow. So, one day for prior notice to my mum, one day for cooking plus pictures, and one day to make the post. Should keep me busy. I would be elated to see some followers participating in the challenge as well! Also, expect to see a few friends/assistants on some of the more exciting recipes, since cooking is a lot less job-like when you're not alone. "A" will be up in a day or two!

Peace, love, and frosting,

Aubrey