Molten Chocolate Cake or Coulant au Chocolat

Mmm Chocolate "Coulant", this nice little cake with a smooth and runny center... 

So if you love chocolate, especially, the ooey-gooey style, so this is for you! 

This dessert has become so popular that one might think it has always existed, when in fact it was created in 1981 by Michel Bras, France’s most venerated chef, in his restaurant of Laguiole. 

The original recipe uses a frozen ganache filling surrounded by a cookie dough. Since 1981, the recipe has been simplified and the principle of 2 textures, 2 different temperatures is now often neglected.  Many food writers have rhapsodized that this coulant has been copied often but never equaled. 

Although simplified, this coulant au chocolat is just as appetizing as the original one. Fortunately, there’s a classic version of this amazing chocolate cake that’s easier to accomplish. Unfortunately I have never had the opportunity to taste the Michel Bras version. Hopefully soon!!

Ingredients:
100g (3.5 oz) of dark chocolate (over 70%)
100g (7 tbsp) of butter
100g (1/2 cup) superfine sugar
50g (1/3 cup) of flour
3 eggs
An untreated orange

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200°C).

Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
Remove from heat, add sugar and stir with a wooden spoon or with a normal one, but not with a whisk, you do not want to incorporate air. Stir until sugar dissolves.

Add flour, stir and add the eggs 1 by 1 stirring after each addition.

Grate an orange into the chocolate mixture.

Place in moulds or ramekins. Bake in the oven 10 to 12 minutes.

Moelleux au chocolat

Ingrédients:

100g de chocolat (70%)

100g de beurre

100g de sucre

50g de farine

3 œufs

Le zeste d'une orange

Préchauffez le four à 200°C.

Au bain marie, faites fondre le chocolat et le beurre coupés en morceaux.

Hors feu, incorporez le sucre et mélangez à l'aide d'une cuillère en bois.

Ajoutez la farine, mélangez puis ajoutez les œufs, un par un, en mélangeant après chaque ajout.

Ajoutez le zeste d'orange. Versez dans des moules ou des ramequins et enfournez 10 à 12 mn.

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Chocolate & Speculoos terrine

This is probably the easiest dessert I've ever made. It takes no time to assemble then a few hours in the fridge and it's done!! Sometimes you just don't feel like standing in the kitchen for hours and sometimes you have some friends coming over for a last-minute drink or dinner and you need to whip up a dessert in just a few minutes. Well, this chocolate terrine is the solution, all you need is to melt the the butter and the cream, add the chocolate then the crumbled cookies and place in the fridge and hop c'est fini!!

For those who may not be familiar with Speculoos, well they are a Belgian specialty. Originally baked as a treat for St-Nicholas' day, those caramelized biscuits, flavored with spices, are proving increasingly popular internationally, they are known internationally as Lotus caramelized biscuits.

The cookie's distinctive taste comes from the use of vergeoise brune : this is a delicious kind of brown sugar made from beet syrup, very common in Belgium, with thick crystals that look and feel as if they were slightly wet. The biscuits owe their typical taste to the caramelization of the sugar during the baking process.

To serve this terrine, remove it from the fridge 25-30 minutes before serving, then cut into slices. It's really delicious!

Ingredients:
250 g (9 oz) Speculoos (Lotus caramelized biscuits)
85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter
400 g (14 oz) bittersweet chocolate
20 cl (6.5 fl oz) heavy cream

Grease a loaf pan with melted butter then line it with parchment paper. Crush the cookies so they become crumbs but not powder.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and the cream on low heat. When the butter is melted, add the chocolate pieces and let it melt on low heat.

Add the cookie crumbs, mix and pour the preparation into the prepared loaf pan.

Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Cut into slices and serve.

 

Terrine de chocolat et spéculoos

Ingrédients:
250 g de spéculoos
85 g de beurre
400 g de chocolat noir à dessert
20 cl de crème fraîche

Chemisez une terrine de papier sulfurisé. Réduisez les biscuits en miettes mais pas en poudre.

Versez le beurre et la crème dans une petite casserole. Faites-les doucement chauffer. Quand le beurre est
fondu, ajoutez le chocolat coupé en carrés et laissez fondre tout en remuant, sur feu très doux.

Ajoutez les biscuits au mélange, mélangez et versez dans la terrine.

Placez au froid au moins 3 heures avant de servir en tranches.

 

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Madeleines with pine tree honey

What I love about baking is the fact that recipes are much more of a chemical formula. Exact amounts of flour, sugar, leaveners, fat and liquid involved. Adding a little more or a little less of any of these key ingredients could quite possibly throw off the formula, and result in a less than perfect outcome. And because these elements change in the baking process, tasting during the steps will not help in the finished product. And because of the precision involved in baking, pastry chefs tend to be much more disciplined with regard to their formulas.

This does not necessarily mean that baking is easy! Many say that baking is like chemistry and therefore the dosage of the ingredients is particularly accurate.

For example, if you look at the basic recipe for macarons, it is almost always the same, followed by some tips and tricks, depending on everyone's experience and this is what makes all the difference.

And as there's always an exception to the rule, I have been very intrigued by the diversity of recipes when it comes to madeleines, my favorite French shell-shaped cookie!

Some bakers use baking powder, some not, some lower the oven temperature after formation of the hump, some not, some leave the dough rest in the fridge, others do not and, worst of all, the proportions of the ingredients in each recipe seem to obey no rules!

After trying lots of recipes, I finally adopted this version. I enjoy these as simple desserts, but they are great with tea or coffee too. They taste like mini cakes, so soft and rich.

Ingredients (yield 24 madeleines)

110 g (1 stick) unsalted butter
extra melted butter for the molds
4 eggs, room temperature
85 g (3/8 cup) sugar
130 g (1 cup) flour
1 tsp (8 g) baking powder
40 g ( 2 tbsp) pine tree honey
a pinch of salt

Brush the indentations of a madeleine mold with melted butter. Dust with flour, tap off any excess, and place in the fridge or freezer.

Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat until it's brown and gives off a deliciously nutty aroma, around 10 minutes. Strain (you want to leave the solids behind). Add the honey and let it cool to room temperature. 

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, whip the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt for 5 minutes until frothy and thickened.

Sprinkle the sifted flour and the baking powder on top of the egg batter, and gently fold in. Now fold in the butter mixture. Only stirring enough to bring everything together.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
To bake the madeleines, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each mold 2/3 -3/4 full. I use a small cup filled with batter to keep things clean and manageable, it is easier than using a spoon.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cakes just feel set and the edges are golden brown.

Remove from oven and tilt immediately out onto a cooling rack. Cool on racks.

Madeleines au miel de sapin

110 g de beurre doux

+ extra beurre fondu pour les moules

4 oeufs

85 g de sucre

130 g de farine

8 g de levure chimique

40 g de miel de sapin

une pincée de sel

Beurrez et farinez votre moule à madeleines et mettez-le au frais.

Faites fondre le beurre sur feu doux, dans une casserole, jusqu'a coloration, env. 10 mn, puis versez dans un petit bol. Ajoutez le miel.

Dans un grand bol, battez les oeufs, le sucre et le sel à l’aide d’un fouet environ 5 mn.

Ajoutez la farine, et la levure tamisées puis mélangez jusqu’à ce que la pâte soit bien lisse.

Ajoutez le beurre tiédi et mélangez bien.

Couvrez le bol et placez-le au frigo minimum 1 heure. Vous pouvez le garder toute une nuit.

Préchauffez le four à 180ºC.

Remplissez les alvéoles du moule à madeleines aux 2/3 et enfournez pour 12-14 minutes. Les madeleines doivent être dorées.

Laissez tiédir, puis démoulez en tapant le moule sur une grille.

Laissez refroidir sur la grille,  et dégustez.

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Fish kibbeh - kibbit samak

You may all be familiar with kibbeh, one of the most venerated dishes of the Levant, and sometimes considered the national dish of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq. Generally, kibbeh is most commonly defined as a mixture of bulgur and ground meat usually in meatball-form. However, there are a variety of dishes under the name of “kibbeh”. Aleppo alone is famous for having more than 17 different types of kibbeh. There are several popular vegetarian versions made with potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, etc, with plenty of onions for flavor.

There are a hundred and one way of preparing kibbeh; but the most common form of kibbeh uses meat in both parts: a meatball with an outer layer of ground meat and bulgur and an inner stuffing of ground meat and pine nuts. However, kibbeh can be shaped into balls, either grilled or fried, it can be cooked in yoghurt sauce, or tahini sauce. It can also be served raw, yes raw, and it’s called kibbeh nayyeh, raw beef and bulgur pounded together, like a Lebanese tartar, frequently served as part of a mezze in Lebanon, garnished with mint leaves and olive oil, and served raw with green peppers, scallions and pita.

Well, there are so many ways to prepare kibbeh, but today I will introduce the fish kibbeh, or kibbit samak. This recipe hails from Tripoli, on Lebanon’s coast, and it’s made from ground fish and bulgur then stuffed or garnished with caramelized onions and pine nuts.

Ingredients (serves 4):

For the base:
2/3 cup (160g) fine ground bulgur
1 onion, cut into quarters
1 lb (500g) fish fillets
½ bunch fresh coriander, chopped
grated zest of ½ orange or lemon
1 tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon finely ground white pepper

For the topping:
1 lb (500g) onions, sliced
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (50g) pine nuts
Salt, to taste
¼ teaspoon finely ground white pepper
a pinch of tumeric

For the base:

Soak the bulgur with water 10 minutes. Drain well.

Put the coriander in a blender or food processor together with the fish, quartered onion, orange or lemon zest, cinnamon, pepper and salt. Process the ingredients together then add the drained bulgur and blend again in order to get a smooth mixture

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC) and grease a medium baking dish with a little olive oil. Then press the paste into the bottom of the dish with your hands.

With a pointed knife, cut the kibbeh into 6 wedges through the center. Dribble a little olive oil over the top and bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until cooked.

For the topping:

Heat some olive oil in a skillet and saute the onions until golden brown, stirring often.
Add the pine nuts and fry until lightly golden.
Season with salt white pepper and tumeric.
Spread the onion mixture oven the baked kibbeh and serve!



Kibbeh de poisson

Ingrédients (4 personnes):

Pour la base:
160 g de boulghour fin
1 oignon, coupé en quarts
500 g de filets de poisson (Cabillaud)
½ botte de coriandre, hachée
zeste d' ½ orange ou citron
1 càc de sel
poivre noir moulu, selon goût
½ càc de cannelle
¼ càc de poivre blanc

Pour la garniture:
500 g d'oignons émincés
3 càs d'huile d'olive extra vierge
50 g de pignons de pin
Sel selon goût
¼ càc de poivre blanc
une pincée de curcuma

Pour la base:

Faites tremper le bourghoul dans de l'eau pendant 10 minutes. Bien égoutter.

Dans un robot, mixez la coriandre avec les filets de poisson, l'oignon, le zeste de citron ou d'orange, la cannelle, le poivre et le sel. Ajouter le bourgoul égoutté et mixez de nouveau afin d'obtenir une pâte homogène.

Préchauffez le four à 180ºC et huilez un plat rond allant au four. Presser la pâte dans le moule avec les mains et lissez la surface.

A l'aide d'un couteau pointu, coupez le kibbeh en 6 tranches égales (comme pour une tarte). Versez un peu d'huile par dessus et enfourner 30 à 40 mn jusqu'à ce qu'il soit doré.

Pour la garniture:

Faites chauffer de l'huile d'olive dans une poêle et faites revenir les oignons tout en remuant de temps en temps.
Ajoutez les pignons de pin et continuez à les faire revenir jusqu'à coloration.
Salez, poivrez et ajoutez le curcuma et le poivre blanc.
Étalez la garniture sur le dessus du kibbeh et servez.

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Chocolate mousse guaranteed

Chocolate mousse is a much-loved dessert and it's funny that there are so many different ways to make this classic, with different textures but one only name: the chocolate mousse.

This recipe is really easy, only 2 ingredients and you're done.

Since the recipe has only two ingredients, it all depends on the quality of the chocolate you're using. My choice was Valrhona’s Guanaja, but if you have another favorite, feel free to substitute as long as it has 70% cocoa. If you find the taste of bittersweet chocolate too strong, you may add a bit of sugar.

You can also flavor your mousse with cinnamon or cayenne pepper if you like or add a tablespoon of liquor like Grand Marnier for example!

The mousse sets beautifully after few hours in the fridge and never looses that melt-in-your-mouth consistency. 

The recipe was adapted from a French chef called Cyril lignac! Enjoy and Bon appétit!!

 
Ingredients (serves 6):
200 g (7 oz) bittersweet chocolate
6 eggs
pinch of salt

In a saucepan, melt the chocolate with 2 tbsp of water on low heat.
Set aside and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.

Separate the eggs into whites and yolks. Beat the whites with a pinch of salt on high speed until soft peaks form.

Add the beaten yolks to the melted chocolate. And mix well.
In 3 additions, fold egg white into chocolate mixture, and gently mix until seamlessly combined.

Pour into ramekins and refrigerate for around 8 hours.



Mousse au chocolat inratable

Ingrédients (6 personnes):

200 g de chocolat noir

6 œufs

une pincée de sel

Dans une casserole, faites fondre à feu très doux le chocolat avec 2 càs d'eau. 

Hors du feu, laissez refroidir quelques instants.

Séparez les blancs des jaunes et montez, à l'aide d'un batteur éléctrique, les blancs en neige bien ferme avec le sel.

Ajoutez les jaunes d'œufs battus dans le chocolat fondu. Mélangez énérgiquement.

Puis ajoutez délicatement les blancs d'œufs en 3 fois, sans les casser.

Versez la mousse au chocolat dans 6 verres transparents et placez-les au réfrigérateur 8 heures environ.

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Chickpea and eggplant dip

Now who doesn’t love a good hummus dip? And who doesn't also love a good baba ghannouj dip? So why not combine them both and have a wonderful creamy and flavorful dip. Usually when my husband and I visit our favorite Lebanese restaurant we are always torn between ordering hummus or baba ghannouj and we always end up ordering both. So last night, I just had the idea of combining both and I ended up with a nice and creamy texture that is unique. This chickpea and eggplant dip only requires a few ingredients and it is so easy to make. It pairs wonderfully with fresh vegetables, toasted bread or pita triangles. It's a wonderful appetizer that you do not have to feel guilty about!

Ingredients (makes 3 cups):
2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water for 8 hours and drained
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 eggplants
1/4 cup tahini 
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
a pinch of cumin
1 tsp salt

Cook the chickpeas in water until tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).

Prick each eggplant a few times, place them on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for around 30 minutes, until they’re completely soft; you should be able to easily poke a paring knife into them and meet no resistance. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Split the eggplant and scrape out the pulp. Transfer to a blender, add the cooked and drained chickpeas, the crushed garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, 2 to 3 tbsp of the reserved liquid, lemon juice and olive oil. Puree, adding more of the cooking liquid 2 tablespoons at a time as necessary, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Taste, and season with additional salt and lemon juice, if necessary.
Sprinkle some olive oil and garnish with chopped parsley.

Hummus et caviar d'aubergines

Ingrédients:

2 tasses de pois chiches, trempés dans de l'eau env. 8 heures puis égouttés

2 gousses d'ail, écrasées
2 aubergines

1/4 tasse de tahini

2 càs d'huile d'olive

2 càs de jus de citron
une pincée de cumin
1 càc de sel

Faites cuire les pois chiches dans de l'eau jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient tendres.
Egouttez-les et gardez un peu d'eau de cuisson.

Pendant ce temps, préchauffez le four à 190ºC.

Piquez les aubergines à plusieurs reprises avec une fourchette et faites-les griller au four pendant environ 40 mn ou jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient cuites. Laissez-les refroidir un peu. Pelez-les puis mettez les morceaux d'aubergine dans un bol mixeur. Ajoutez les pois chiches, l'ail, le cumin, le sel, le tahini, 2 à 3 càs d'eau de cuisson, le jus de citron et l'huile d'olive. Réduisez-les en une purée, en ajoutant 2 càs d'eau de cuisson à la fois, si nécessaire jusqu'à obtenir un mélange lisse et homogène.

Goûtez et réctifiez l'assaisonnement en sel ou en jus de citron, si nécessaire.

Versez un filet d'huile d'olive et parsemez de persil haché.

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Chicken wings with pomegranate molasses

This is one of my favorite appetizers. A meal that is full of flavor for only a tiny amount of effort. Sometimes just a few ingredients can create lots of wonders, like these chicken wings which are packed with really tasty flavors. One if its secret ingredient is pomegranate molasses, a key ingredient in Lebanese cooking. 

It is basically the juice of sour pomegranates, boiled down until it is a thick syrup. Pomegranate molasses adds a rich and tangy flavor to those chicken wings in addition to the garlic and chopped coriander.

This is a super appetizer for a big group of people, served with a tasty salad; it’s perfect for weekday entertaining. My husband told me the chicken was like heaven in his mouth, and if that doesn't sell it to you I don't know what will!

2.2 lb (1 kg) chicken wings
6 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 a lemon, juiced
a handful of coriander, finely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Season the chicken wings with salt and pepper. Then add the spices and mix well.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the olive oil. Add the chicken wings and saute for about 10 mn on each side, until they're nicely browned and done.

Once cooked on both sides, add the minced garlic and the chopped coriander and cook for another 3 to 5 mn. Finally add the lemon juice and the pomegranate molasses, mix well and let it sit for about 5 mn before serving.

Ailes de poulet au mélasse de grenade

1 kg d'ailes de poulet
6 gousses d'ail
1/4 càc de quatre-épices

1/4 càc de poivre blanc

1/4 càc de cannelle

1/4 càc de coriandre

1/4 tasse de mélasse de grenade

2 càs de huile d'olive
jus d'1/2 citron
une poignée de coriandre, hachée
sel et poivre

Assaisonnez les ailes de poulet de sel et de poivre. Ajoutez les épices et mélangez.

Dans une grande poêle, faites chauffer l'huile. Ajoutez les ailes de poulet et faites les revenir 10 mn de chaque côté jusqu'à coloration.

Une fois cuites, ajoutez l'ail émincé et la coriandre hachée et faites cuire 3 à 5 mn. Enfin, ajoutez le jus de citron et la mélasse de grenade, mélangez et laissez reposer 5 mn avant de servir.

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