Ah dear sweet chocolate. Whether you are blissful or bitter about Valentine’s Day, you should still indulge in this fabulous dessert. Chef Frank McClelland is the author of Wine Mondays, and chef/ owner of L’espalier restaurant in Boston. He shares with us in this video one of his signature restaurant desserts, chocolate orange soufflés with an orange creme Anglaise sauce. This one sounds complicated but is actually quite simple, as chocolate soufflés tend not to have the “falling” issue common to many soufflés, a result of the strength of the cocoa.
Some soufflé trivia: The word soufflé is derived from the past tense of the french verb “souffler“, which literally translates to “blown up”. Legend has it that the original soufflé recipe was printed in the book “Le Cuisinier Moderne” in 1742, which was written by Vincent La Chapelle, a prestigious author and french master chef who was employed by Madame de Pompadour, the famous mistress of Louis the XV. And did you know? Febuary 28th is National Chocolate Soufflé day in the US!
Autumn has arrived in full swing and we find ourselves betraying our favorite summer foods like a wicked adulteress. We’ve been ditching salads, ignoring the barbecue, and even walking away from one of our best friends, sushi. Instead, our fickle appetites have found a new love, warm and hearty comfort foods. This week our new love is soup, and today, we have a crush on French onion soup.
Made of beef broth, onions, croutons, and cheese, this ancient soup has enjoyed a rebirth beginning in the 1960’s when French food came into vogue in America (I believe we were late to the party!).
Where did it come from? Although onions have always been a staple among poverty stricken diners since ancient Roman times, ironically French onion soup was presumed to have been invented by French royalty, King Louis the XV. The story is that, in his hunting lodge, alone with only onions, butter, and champagne (poor thing), he created the world’s first French Onion Soup.
October is past the mid month point and you haven’t yet had your dose of pumpkin trivia! Let’s fix that!
Pumpkins are considered a superfood, meaning they have high levels of antioxidant flavonoids and micronutrients, most notably vitamins A, C, potassium, and fiber. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which contribute to healthy brain function according to recent research from UCLA. Enjoy that fact while munching on your pepitas!
The amber pumpkin flowers are also an edible food, and considered a delicacy in many cultures. I found a few interesting pumpkin flower recipes! The first one is a Bengali dish, Kumro Phool Bhaja which translates to “Pumpkin Flower Fry”, you can see a recipe here. Sopa Mexicana De Flor De Calabaza is a traditional Mexican dish that translates to “pumpkin flower soup” and a recipe from Miguel Angel Castillo can be found here.
Pumpkin seed oil is a viscous, nutty, dark green nutrient packed oil made from roasted pumpkin seeds. It is traditionally used in the Styrian region of Austria as a salad dressing ingredient combined with apple cider vinegar.
Our pumpkin tribute today is concluded with a video by Chef Matteo Carboni from the Academia Barilla Culinary School in Italy, and he prepares penne with a pumpkin and bacon sauce, garnished with balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.
Penne pasta with pumpkin sauce
Chef Matteo Carboni
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb pumpkin
3 oz smoked pancetta (or bacon)
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
parsley to taste
rosemary to taste
garlic
few drops of Academia Barilla Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, aged 12 years
½ onion
extra virgin olive oil
1 lb penne rigate
Peel and remove the seeds from the pumpkin.
Cut into cubes of about 0.5 inch each side.
Place the rest of the pumpkin, the onion, and a little salt in a pan and cover with water until it boils.
When the vegetable is cooked, whip until you obtain a cream.
First cut the smoked bacon into pieces of about 0.2 inch in length and then cut in Julienne style.
Mince the rosemary, garlic and parsley.
Put a pan on medium heat, add a drop of oil and fry the smoked bacon.
Remove the smoked bacon from the pan, add the pumpkin and cook, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Add garlic, rosemary and the bacon to the pumpkin and after 2 minutes of cooking, add the pumpkin cream. In plenty of salted boiling water cook the pasta, drain and add with the previously prepared sauce.
Add the Parmesan grated, plate the pasta and drizzle with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena before serving.
