by Therese De Grace
Is there anything more romantic than breakfast in bed?  Ooooh the nostalgic smell of Smokey bacon, eggs snapping as they hit the pan and the soft orchestral clatter from the kitchen: Take me out, get me loaded, do me all night long,  make me a greasy breakfast and repeat……I will be your bitch forever. 

I‘ll be honest with you, I would be more likely to be struck by lightening standing in the middle of Queen Street naked holding  a Hello Kitty umbrella than be served breakfast in bed.   Unlike my partner I love the morning, a new opportunity, a fresh day, so preparing a meal to be devoured by my “day sleeper” is as much a treat for her as it is for me, besides there is always the hope of “repeat” wink wink. 

Now, the whole part about soft clatter is a lie.  As a self proclaimed klutz I usually trip over the dog, swear at the cats, drop pots on the floor and if I make it up the stairs without dropping anything there is the question of when I will drip some sort of salsa or hollandaise on the bed.  Thank-fully I have found a non-coffee drinker who’s appetite helps her overlook and love my utter dorkness, the fact that I can cook a pretty kick ass breakfast doesn’t hurt……….isn‘t love Grande. 

Poached Eggs, Silky Canadian Cheese Sauce and Cajun Home Fries

*I decide on making breakfast the night before so chop a little bit extra of this and that while you are making dinner, cook off your potatoes and store your prep the night before.  Breakfast will be ready in a snap, Cumbrae Meats has the best ever chicken sausage that is an excellent addition to this dish* 

You will require the following ingredients:

For the Eggs and Sauce:

5 whole large eggs
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
250 grams of Upper Canada Gold Cheese, remove the rind
½ a cup of 10% cream
1 finely minced shallot or a quarter white onion
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of butter
2 ounces of white wine
1 teaspoon of white flour
A pinch of cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped dill 

For the Potatoes:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small sweet potato cut into 1 inch squares and cooked
1 small white potato (I like Yukon Gold) cut into 1 inch squares and cooked
Half a pepper cut into strips
½ a cup of chopped button mushrooms
1 small white onion chopped
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 teaspoon of Cajun spice
Juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon of hot sauce
½ a teaspoon of cumin
1/3 of a cup of water 

Method

Fill a sauce pot with 1 and a half liters of water along with your vinegar and bring it to a boil. 

In a sauce pan Melt butter, add flour and cook for a few minutes over medium heat until the mixture lightly bubbles and add your wine whisking out any flour lumps.  After the wine has dissolved add remaining ingredients ending with the cheese stirring constantly.  When sauce has melted together it is ready.  Cover it and set it off to the side. 

In a Fry pan sauté off your onions and garlic, add your spices and allow to cook out for a few minutes moving around your onions and garlic constantly.  Your pan will seem dry and at this point add peppers; mushrooms lime juice, hot sauce and potatoes.  Toss for a minute and add potatoes and water, allow everything to cook together for about 3 minutes and adjust with salt. 

Drop your eggs in your boiling water, cook to taste.  Using a pasta bowl or lipped plate spoon out your potato mixture.  Top with your perfect eggs and smoother in sauce. 

Chef’s Tip 

Mimosa’s make everything better, try blood orange juice and prosecco for a perfect Mimosa!

by Therese De Grace
Growing up in Toronto my fondest memories were of barbeques in our 1 x 1 backyard with over cooked protein (Italians really aren't barbeque experts), mushy corn and watermelon.  I loved being totally gross as a kid and spitting those seeds, the young sector of my family loved seeing the seeds projected either by fore finger and thumb or the more conventional “puff and spit.”  This marathon only went on for a minute until the adults gave us the ultimate “evil death” stare and we returned to our more conventional game of tormenting each other. 

Can you believe that twenty five years later  we have almost made these classic sugar babies extinct?  Was it really such a hassle with the seeds?  The watermelon dance was messy and beautiful, cool liquid dripping from you chin followed by the barbaric spitting……….good times.  I read just recently that money in abundance is being spent on genetically modifying watermelons into a square shape in order to minimize waste and make it more “convenient” to cut them.  Don't get me wrong I love change and modernization but I am a sucker for the K.I.S.S. abbreviation and square watermelons are where the line is drawn for me. 

This recipe is a perfect way to use up all the extra ripe watermelon you have left over.  If you can get an organic or heirloom watermelon do it, just pick the seeds out. If by chance you swallow a seed no worries, you will not grow a watermelon in your “tummy” and explode as my uncle assured me as a child. 

Chilled Watermelon Soup With a Vodka Kiss

*When picking a watermelon either with seedless or with seeds make sure the skin is shinny and firm, if the skin is soft and slightly lumpy it is over ripe* 

You will need the following ingredients

5 cups of peeled and cubed watermelon
2 cups of maple water (1 and ¾ cups warm water
and 1/3 a cup of maple syrup mixed together)
The juice of two lemons
1/3 of a cup of cucumber puree
½ cup of ripe strawberries
Two shots of vodka
½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
A pinch of cayenne pepper 

Method:

In a blender puree watermelon, cucumber and strawberries until smooth and pour contents into a mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk thoroughly.  Allow to chill for at least four hours before serving.

Garnish:

1/3 of a cup of honeydew melon finely diced
1/3 of a cup of cantaloupe finely diced
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon of minced mint
A few mint leaves

*Toss in a bowl and refrigerate* 

Chef's tip:  You can freeze the remaining honeydew or cantaloupe and add them to your favourite smoothy.

by Theresa De Grace
Trading in our Manolo’s and shopping at the local “food boutique” is passé’.  It would seem the hottest fresh spots in the city are the local markets, with smells of vegan Chili, “American Cigarettes” and some of the hugest Legume enthusiast this side of the Don Valley.  The thing that is most amazing is that we haven’t been doing this all along, as a city we chose to ignore the food around us and settled for jet lagged  tomatoes and unearthy carrots that can only be compared to porn star extremities but lacking the  vim and vigor. My recipe choice is as simple as the concept of shopping locally and its peasant history has not prevented it from becoming one of the staples on many a Toronto menu. 

All you really need to find real tomatoes that explode with passion when you eat them.  So throw on your Birkenstocks and make your Granola friend proud (yes, we all have one).  

Panzanella Salad

*This war time salad was created out of shear necessity when food was scarce and several bits of “stuff” got thrown into a bowl.  It’s cousin’s polenta and risotto share in this humble history.  My grandfather who lived through this time thinks it is hilarious that we young would go to our local restaurants and pay top dollar for these dishes.*

You will require the following ingredients:

6 cups of stale foccacia or Italian loaf cut into cubes
6 cups of ripe tomato chunks
1 bunch of basil torn into pieces
¼ finely minced medium red onion
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/3 teaspoon of sea salt, fleur de sel or kosher salt
3 celery centers finely minced
Cracked black pepper
3 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 clove of minced garlic
1 can of tuna drained (preferably Unico packed in oil) 

*Toss all ingredients in a bowl and adjust with salt and cracked black pepper* 

Tip:  Be a conservationist, use up the stale ends of last receipes foccacia.  It will rock this salad!

by Therese

The first time I tried cheesecake after much coaxing was about 2 decades ago, it seemed oddly bizarre to me having cheese and cake together.  After my first bite and realizing that it didn't taste like American cheese and whipped cream I was instantly addicted.  One of my very good friends proclaimed the other day that Cheesecake is outdated all the while shoving fist fulls of my cheesecake into her cake hole.  I disagree, the whole no sugar, no carb cult is depriving themselves from one of the only forms of legal highs available... and you can do it in your workplace.  This is a simple base receipe for cheesecake that is wonderful, just add whatever bit of yourself to it to adjust the flavour.  The minimal mess and time it makes to create this cake is shocking, I never correct people when they assume I slaved over it for hours and neither should you. 

Not So Plain Jane Vanilla Bean Cheesecake 

You will need the following ingredients:

For the filling:

1 cup of  white sugar

2 and ½ cups of low fat cream cheese

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 whole eggs 

For the crust:

1 cup of crushed almond

½ of a cup of melted butter

1/3 of a cup of white sugar 

Method: In a food processor blend all of the filling ingredients until smooth, set aside.  For the crust combine all ingredients together in a bowl, set aside.  Line a spring form pan with parchment paper and grease the sides well.  Press the crust evenly along the bottom of the spring form and  bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  Pour filling over top of the crust and make sure that the batter is evenly distributed.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  Allow to cool in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours before serving 

Tip:  Wet your knife and wipe it clean in between each cake cut, you will have lovely even slices as opposed to a crumble mess!

In a few weeks, the streets of Little Italy are going to fill with Torontonians and tourists alike, all hoping to take a bite out of the neighborhood.  Before the crowds gather for the feast and push us native Little Italians out of the way, try taking advantage of the College St. strip.  Recently, I discovered that one the neighborhoods favorite, dependable little bakeries sells huge bags or their pizza dough, raw, for a steal at $1.75—a surprise in this day at age, when homemade and non-processed tends to mean “lovingly overpriced.” 

So, veering away from the obvious, I thought the fresh dough would lend itself well to the perfect cocktail or midday snack:  focaccia 

I’ve made two versions here one red and one green, but feel free to experiment with the flavours and ingredients you like.   In addition to toppings, I’ve used one bag of fresh pizza dough from the local bakery, which, before rising is about the size of a large grapefruit.

Red Focaccia

Grape tomatoes
Sliced scallions
Artichoke hearts
Chevre cheese
Fresh basil 

Green Focaccia

Arugula
Brie
Caramelized onions 

Basic Focaccia

Fresh rosemary and roasted garlic.  Sometimes simple is best. 

Before you start baking, place your dough in a greased bowl, cover with a cloth, and leave in a warm corner of the house (by the warming oven, perhaps).  Once the oven is warm, (to 425 degrees), and the dough has risen in the bowl, let out your frustrations and give it a wallop, knocking some of the air out of it. Work it in, but only a little bit….the more you pull at and handle your dough, the tougher it gets.   

Flatten out your dough to a baking sheet sized rectangle on to a piece of floured parchment paper or a non-stick baking sheet. Before adding any ingredients to your flattened dough, make sure to brush the entire surface of the dough with olive oil.   Sprinkle with salt, and add your toppings, making sure to remember that your toppings will brown and get cripy, but only if they’re thinly sliced and tend to cook quickly.  My carmelized onions, for example, were done in advance.   

Making sure your oven rack is in the very middle of the oven, leave your focaccia to cook approximately 20 minutes, depending on the heat of your oven.  The focaccia is done when it’s golden brown and, if you tap the edges, sound hollow.  Now there’s your taste of Little Italy, minus the line-ups. 
 

by Jacqueline Segal

Just got back from what could only easily be described as a whirlwind trip to Amsterdam.  And though it was colder than expected, with nary a tulip in bloom, my girlfriends and I had a wonderful time.  And, easily put on about 5 to 10 pounds each.  Easily.   

I’d never been to Amsterdam before, and my only culinary expectations were those of the clichéd variety.  And expected to pay half for.  (To obvious?)  Beyond chocolate and cheese, we had no idea what to expect, and, frankly, wouldn’t have been too upset if those were our only options.  We ended up being pleasantly surprised though, once we ventured beyond the tourist traps to the more livable neighborhoods in the city. 

Amsterdam was strikingly smaller than expected, not that much larger than Ottawa, and very compact, making it very walk-able.   

Some things we discovered on our adventures:

• Coffee there was wonderful, as the watery-brewed drippy stuff was nowhere to be found. 
• Fresh baked goods were plentiful, mostly of the sticky-sweet pastries variety.
• Beer was cheaper than water.  Cheaper than most things, really.
• There seem to be no fire codes for crowd control in bars and clubs.  Bars were shockingly packed.  Even locals kept their eyes on the fire escapes. 
• Frites were EVERYWHERE, in every size, with all kinds of toppings.  You could tell the tourists by what their sauce choices were.  Ketchup? American.  Sweet chili sauce?  Aussies and Kiwis.  Mayonnaise and peanut sauce, together?  Dutch locals.  Even post-club, I couldn’t stomach that one.   
• Make sure to take some time to enjoy the plentiful Indonesian cuisine, and specifically, a Rijsttafel, a dining experience unique to the Dutch.  Dating back to colonial times, the Rijsttafel (or rice table) consists of rice accompanied by a number of smaller side dishes (anywhere from 6 to 60) that range from mild to spicy. 
• A night out can turn pretty expensive if you don’t watch what you’re drinking.  The drinks are poured strong, but the mix comes at a high price.  If you’re trying to make a dollar stretch, stick to beer, or order your drinks straight up on ice, and split the mix with a friend. 
• The red-light district may be lit in red, but is hardly the eyebrow-raiser it’s made out to be.   A Pride parade in Toronto makes Amsterdam’s district seem tame.  Frankly, a night out on at Circa could easily trump it. 
• It was surprising how low-key the cannabis culture was.  Not in the hidden sense, but in the “who really cares?” type of mindframe.  “Coffeeshops” ranged from dingy to trendy, and could be helpful and tourist friendly or snooty and offended you didn’t know your organic Thai from your hydoponic Jamaican varieties.  They did, however, take ID-ing seriously, more so than any bars we visited.  In some cases, we got the impression they served almost the same purpose as our LCBOs.  Young couples, stopping on their way home from work, picking up something that would complement their dinner party nicely. Made us wonder what all the fuss was back at home. 
• The entire trip was like a giant game of Frogger, dodging between the bikes and trams that seemed to make no concessions for pedestrians.  This proved dangerous as we would criss-cross the streets, filling our knapsacks with charcuterie treats for picnicking around the city.  
• The best meals were found off the beaten track, beyond the fluorescence of the touristy centre, towards neighborhoods like the Jordaan and along streets such as the Utrechtsestraat.  They were better value, better tasting, and catered to the inner foodie in each of us.  If you visit, be sure to check market times, as the mid-week organic market is considered to be one of the best. 
• And lastly, in the vein of being as responsible as my mother wishes I were, be sure, if you visit, to make use of the bathrooms available to you.  Otherwise, you’re sure to be charged anywhere from 1 to 3 Euro just to visit a restaurant’s, church’s or even public garden’s facilities.   My friends do tell me that the stalls found at the Museumplein are futuristic and stylish, if you’re in to that kind of thing. 
  

Once you get beyond the core, and you’ll know what I mean when you’re there, you’ll find an unexpectedly beautiful city in Amsterdam.   Good luck, and good eating! 

by Jacqueline Segal
These days, there’s always a certain segment of the population who can’t engage in the best (in my mind) of all food-groups—The “Carbs.” Seasonal holidays, allergy restrictions, or plain, old, personal choices (which I’ll never understand) have forced the industry to include wheat-free and gluten-free versions of our favorite products to satisfy the growing numbers of the non-carbivorous. From bagels to waffles and everything in between, wheat-free foods are available everywhere, and though some do have the same texture and taste as a moderately seasoned cardboard box, there are some that are most definitely worth your while.

Take this flourless chocolate cake, for example. One of the few times my love for carbs is completely overshadowed by deliciousness. And also, for those who cannot stray from the ways of wheat, I’ve also offered a little cheat to make your Duncan Hines taste and look gourmet. Your guests will never know.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

(This recipe should serve eight for dessert. Or, one…I don’t judge.)

1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup espresso (or liquid flavour you might like to add. Liqueurs work well too)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides, (or a 9” square pan – looks messy, but tastes just as good). Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper. Stir chocolate, butter, coffee, and vanilla in heavy large saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool to lukewarm. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and 1-cup sugar in large bowl until thick and pale, about 6 minutes (when you lift your beaters, the mixture should form ribbons then dissolve in the bowl). Fold 1/3 of egg mixture into lukewarm chocolate mixture. Fold remaining egg mixture into chocolate mixture.

Place prepared pan on baking sheet. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a knife inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 55 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Gently press down edges of cake. Cool completely in pan.

To serve, run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove sides of pan; transfer cake to platter. Remove parchment paper. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar or, use the glaze recipe below.

Chocolate Cheat – A glaze for your boxed cake mixes.

3 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons espresso/liquid flavour of your choice – nothing too concentrated
3 tablespoons unsalted margarine or butter
3 tablespoons sugar

Cook all ingredients in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, whisking until smooth. Cool 5 minutes and then pour warm glaze over cake. If you really want to impress, double the recipe and add ¼ cup whipping cream. Cut your cake through the middle horizontally, and brush a generous amount of glaze on the bottom layer of the cake, before coating the top. Best to do when just slightly warm, to allow the cake to absorb the glaze, and best done on a rack over a baking sheet, in case there’s any (finger-licking) overflow.

by Jacqueline Segal
You all know what I’m talking about.  That dusty melting-pot, still in its original box.  You know, the one that features happy friends or dreamy couples with Farrah Fawcett-esque waves, or beehives, or sideburns (as the case may be), enjoying a lovely evening huddled around the fondue pot.   

Well, if you don’t already have an old, dusty fondue-set sitting in a box at the back of a closet somewhere, invest in one.  If you do have one lying in storage—whip it out.  Because fondue is back again, and if I’d had my way, never would have gone ‘out.’ 

If you were associating fondue with sinfully rich desert or cheese, you’d be right.  But, since the first wave of fondue fanaticism hit North America in the 60’s and 70’s, recipes have gotten more creative, more health conscious, and less impractical.  (Hands up if you drink kirsch regularly.  No hands?  Then let’s continue, shall we?)  

I’ve included a few recipes to try with your fondue pots:  The old classic, a veggie-friendly delight, and a new twist on a chocolate dessert. 

And, I digress….I’ve had a very hard time avoiding fondue-themed word puns throughout this article.  

The Old Classic (circa. 1960)

This recipe should feed six-ish 

1 garlic clove, halved crosswise

1 1/2 cups dry white wine (preferably Swiss, but a dry German wine works too)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons kirsch

1/2 lb Emmental cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)

1/2 lb Gruyère , coarsely grated (2 cups)

Accompaniment: cubes of French bread on fondue forks or long wooden skewers

Special equipment…(wait for it)….: a fondue pot  

Rub inside of a 4-quart heavy pot with cut sides of garlic, then discard the garlic. Add wine to your pot and bring just to a simmer over medium heat.

Stir together cornstarch and kirsch in a cup and set aside.  Gradually add cheese to pot and cook, stirring constantly in a zigzag pattern (not a circular motion) to prevent cheese from balling up, until cheese is just melted and creamy (don’t let it boil). Stir cornstarch mixture again and stir into fondue. Bring fondue to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. 

Transfer to fondue pot set over a flame and serve with bread for dipping.  For a different take, and the gluten-free loves in your life, try serving this one with halved new potatoes, or gently steamed veggies. 

Caramelized onion and wine fondue

A non-cheesy version of a fondue perfect for veggies and meat. This one can be made to suit the herbivores or carnivores in your life. 

1 bottle white wine (something drinkable, but nothing too extravagant)

1 red onion, finely sliced

2 cups vegetable or beef broth

steamed veggies, or very thinly sliced beef

pinch of ground rosemary 

salt and pepper to taste 

In a large pot, cook the sliced onions over medium heat in some olive oil.  Let them sit at  low heat for several minutes, stirring occasionally until caramelized. 10 minutes should do the trick.   Add the rosemary, salt, pepper, wine and stock to pot and bring up to a boil. 

Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer, and allow flavours to combine for 5 minutes before transferring to high heat fondue pot.  If you’re cooking meat, make sure you’ve got your pot at a high temperature—slightly simmering, and serve your meat at room temperature. (Butane or electric sets only….candles wouldn’t make enough cooking heat in this case.)  I’ve allowed for a lot of fondue mixture here, in case you’d like to have one pot for veggies and a separate pot for meat.   

Serve this recipe with a nice assortment of mustards and sauces to add variety to the flavours. 

Chocolate Coconut fondue

The name says it all. 

1 15-ounce can sweetened coconut cream or coconut milk

12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Assorted fresh fruit (such as whole strawberries, banana, peeled cored pineapple, or whatever your little heart fancies) and biscotti. 

Combine sweetened cream of coconut and 12 ounces chocolate in heavy large saucepan. Stir mixture over very low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in whipping cream and extract.

Transfer mixture to fondue pot. Place over candle or canned heat burner. Serve with fruit for dipping.  

Chocolate fondue can be made up to 8 hours in advance.  Just make sure to cover it and keep it at room temperature.  Simply warm it up over gentle heat when you want to serve. 

by Jacqueline Segal 
Have you flipped through a bar-menu lately?  The days of cosmopolitans and flavour-tinis are certainly in the past.  Food trends are all pointing towards a new generation of gastro-bartenders, away from simple mix-drinks to liquid, alcoholic, culinary masterpieces.  Cocktails are now seasonal, fusion influenced, 100 mile-organic-holistic, vegetarian and even carnivorous.  The bars in the top restaurants in Toronto, and all over the world, are featuring muddled fresh fruits, herbal fusions, holistic tea syrups, and even, in the right situations, a few drops of beef jus.   

All new trends aside, such complex cocktails aren’t always the easiest things to prep without a full, 4-star kitchen to back you up.  I’ve simplified some of Toronto’s most talked-about cocktails in to recipes you’ll be able to recreate easily at home.

• One’s Tokyo Rose is a subtle blend of tea, sake, vodka and ginger.  To create your own version, start with a jasmine or green iced-tea base by simply brewing a strong small pot of tea, and leaving it in the fridge to chill.  Then add two shots vodka or two shots sake (or a shot of both) to an ice-filled, tall glass.  Fill up halfway with ginger ale, and top the rest of your glass with chilled tea. 
  

• C5’s Champagne punch has been described as a Shirley temple, all grown up.  For your home version, I’d recommend using fresh berries – raspberries or blackberries would be best.  In a mortar and pestle, or in a bowl with a fork, mash up a handful of berries and use about a tbsp of this mash for each glass you serve.  In a cocktail shaker mix the muddled berries, a shot of either Grand Marnier or Cointreau, ice and three shots of champagne.  Strain the mixture in to a short or martini glass, and enjoy.  Grenadine?  Grenadine who?
  

• Amaya’s emergence on the Toronto scene has left spice-loving foodies salivating.  Their Kheera-Mirchi gimlet balances fiery green chili with cool cucumber.  To create a similar cocktail, infuse some gin (with techniques from a previous article) with a several slices of cucumber for a few hours, or a day or two, in advance.  To prepare the gimlet, run a sliced, hot green pepper along the inside of a martini glass.  Make sure to avoid the actual rim of the glass, as the oils from the pepper are lovely in combination with the juices in the drink, but not necessarily with your lips.  In a martini shaker, combine 2 ounces of cucumber-infused gin with 1/2 an ounce of lime juice and shake with ice.  Pour this cool combo in to the pepper flavoured glass, and voila!
  

• Lucien’s apple crisp martini invokes nostalgia, but with a kick.  This drink has more tart than tenderness, and is more refreshing than mellow.  To create you own apple concoction mix one ounce of vodka with one ounce of sour apple liqueur in a shaker.  Add a hint of amaretto liqueur, a squeeze of lime, some ice, and shake vigorously….this drink is best with a little froth.  Pour it out in to a martini glass, and consume.  Responsibly, of course.  

by Jacquline Segal
Yes, soufflé…and—deep breaths—you totally can.  I wouldn’t dream of suggesting it if this wasn’t the case.   As easy as a pancake batter, but with 100x more wow factor.  THIS will impress your guests, I promise you.   

Stuffy and dated, you say?  True…the soufflé has long been a dish of years past.  A staple of French cooking 101, and the prim and proper dinner parties of yesteryear, the soufflé has already had a substantial amount of fame.  But honestly folks…this stuff is coming back in vogue, BIG TIME.  Give it a few months, and I guarantee you’ll be seeing soufflés a-rising (oof…sorry about that one) on menus from Toronto to Tallahassee.   It’s part of the über-common trend of classics revisited and reinvented.   Flavours however, are where chefs, and you, can get creative.   

I present you with individual goat cheese soufflés, with arugula and green onion.  But where I’ve put arugula and onion, you can go wild.  Thyme, parsley, chives, basil…all are possibilities.   And all, I’m sure, would be delicious.   

Individual Goat Cheese Soufflés

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 5 oz. Chevre (goat cheese)
  
• 3 eggs, separated
  
• 2 tablespoons of whatever greenery you chose.  In my case, green onion and arugula.
  
• salt and pepper to season
  
  

Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in flour, cooking on low heat for 30 seconds.  Remove the pan from heat and gradually stir in the milk until smooth.  Return the saucepan to heat, and, stirring constantly, until the milk mixture thickens.  (Should be approx. 1 minute).  Put the saucepan aside, away from heat to cool slightly.  Once the mixture has cooled, beat in your chevre, egg yolks, herbs, salt and pepper.     

In a separate dish, beat your egg whites until they form soft peaks.   Then, gently, fold the egg whites and cheese mixture together making sure to maintain fluffiness.  And yes, I did just say that.  If you find folding egg whites daunting, just think of doing a gentle figure-eight pattern through your mixture until everything’s incorporated.   Spoon the mixture out in to well greased ramekins, or, if you’re like me and don’t have any (a foodie!?  for shame!), use a muffin tin.   Put your mini-soufflés in the middle of a 400 degree oven, for approximately 18 minutes, making sure they’re slightly golden on top, but not too overdone.  Once done, they should cool for about 10 minutes before serving.  And, don’t fret if they fall.  One or two of mine…ahem…may have as well.  I refer you to garnishing techniques you see here to compensate for such minor infractions. 

Enjoy!