Valentine's Day Desserts: Chocolate Souffle with Chambord Creme

Isn't it wonderful that we have an entire day devoted to love, romance, and chocolate!  And since I LOVE chocolate, here's a tribute to my Valentine; deep, dark, rich chocolate!

Soufflés have always intimidated me. As I have learned, soufflés are not difficult. AND they are simply lovely, fluffy, delightful bites of heaven. You can try any sort of topping for this dessert. It's perfect hot out of the oven with just a drizzle of heavy cream... but I wanted something special and really romantic for all of you celebrating Valentine's Day at home... so break out the chocolate, the whipping cream and the Chambord. Doesn't that just sound like a party?

Soufflé au CHOCOLATE

Makes 4 individual servings

Prep: 20 minutes Bake: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon cocoa

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for the ramekins

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely

3 large egg yolks, room temperature

6 large egg whites, room temperature

1/16 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375. Butter each ramekin. Dust with the cocoa and sugar. Set aside.

Carefully melt the chocolate over simmering water. Chocolate burns quickly so don't leave it unattended. Stir until just completely melted then remove the chocolate from the heat. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, gently whisking them together with the chocolate. Sit aside.  

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with salt on medium speed until they are shiny and form soft peaks. Then turn the mixer on high and add the sugar, a little at a time until the egg whites will hold stiff shiny peaks.

Next, begin to incorporate the egg whites into the chocolate. This is an important step. You do not want to deflate the egg whites, but you do need to make sure there are no visible whites peeking through. Use a large spoon, spatula, or whisk; work gently. Add about a cup of the egg whites to the chocolate to smooth out the chocolate a bit. Then add the rest, 1/3 at a time, spooning up and over, very gently, to incorporate. It should be very light and fluffy, but make sure you have no threads of white peeking through the chocolate.

Spoon into the prepared ramekins- leaving about 1/2 inch at the top.

You can let these sit for up to 30 minutes before baking or you can bake them immediately.

CHAMBORD (RASPBERRY) CREME

Make this a few hours ahead.... and the white chocolate step is optional if you are short on time.

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup Chambord (raspberry liqueurl) plus 2 Tablespoons

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream plus 2 Tablespoons

1 Tablespoon Confectioner's sugar

2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

First, put raspberries in the Chambord and let them soak to absorb the flavor.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring to make sure it does not burn. Add 2 Tablespoons heavy cream or whipping cream to make the mixture smooth. Set aside.

Make whipped cream as usual.... Mix on medium, incorporate the sugar and 2 Tablespoons Chambord. Turn up to high and whip until stiff peaks form. With a whisk, add the whipped cream to the white chocolate. Refrigerate until serving time.

When the souffle comes out of the oven, top with the cream and raspberries. Drizzle a litle of the liquid from the raspberries over each. You can omit the cream and just use the raspberries! It's good that way, too!

Martie's Mocha Margarita

My Mocha Margarita is so good, you may not be able to stop at one... and with so many variations, you'll love this for any special occasion, too. Especially Valentine's Day... shake one up for your sweetie. She'll love it!

Martie's Mocha Margarita

Serves two.

3 ounces Espresso (you can use instant)

2 ounces blanco (white) tequila, I like Casa Noble Crystal for this cocktail.

5 ounces good quality chocolate ice cream- slightly melted so it will pour.

Combine ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake until well chilled and ice cream is smooth and pourable. Serve in a chilled martini or margarita glass.

Now, the variations on this drink is what makes it really interesting. Try it with a shot of Grand Marnier (orange), Frangelico (hazlenut), or Chambord (raspberry) liqueur. Muddle in your favorite fruit if you want or use it as a garnish. My favorite was mint... so delicious. Muddle 5-6 fresh mint leaves with a little ice in the cocktail shaker first. You can add a shot of creme de menthe but it's not necessary. Then add the remaining ingredients, shake well and strain into chilled martini glasses.

You can get creative with the rims, too! Use chocolate sauce or any other combo that suits your drink.

Need more cocktail recipes? Try one of these:

Chambord Champagne Cocktail

French Martini

Pomegranate Cranberry Kiss

Host an Oscar Night Party

After weeks of bowl games and playoffs, aren’t you in the mood for something different? Get out of those sweats and off of that couch, step away from the clicker and get ready to bust up those winter blues with your own red carpet party!

The Academy Awards nominations are out (get the nominations) and the race is on as Hollywood gears up for its big night. You  can go all glitz and glam or keep it movie night casual; either mood is easy to create.

For a sophisticated soiree, roll out a real red carpet and ask guests to dress up. Everyone has a formal gown hiding in back of the closet to wear; even an old bridesmaid gown can fit the bill. Guys can dust off and wear a tuxedo in old Hollywood style or rock an indie vibe with their own unique look. 

INVITATIONS

Send out invitations with a red carpet, Hollywood, or movie ticket theme. Weigh and check the dimensions of your invitation to make sure you have sufficient postage before mailing. Include an RSVP to get an accurate head count for food and beverages. An evite is also perfectly acceptable.

DECORATIONS

Rent a red carpet and velvet rope to line your entrance. This isn’t expensive and adds an authentic touch to your décor. Party stores including our online fav, Oriental Trading Company, have a cheap faux red carpet and all of the Hollywood props you'll need to set the mood.

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

Keep the food California casual and easy to eat. If you aren’t up to cooking, serve Wolfgang Puck cuisine... his soup and pizza is available at your local grocery. Just make the presentation "Wolfgang style" by serving food on white platters and  cut everything in the same shape. Or, you can use a pretty glass or martini glass to serve your food. That's a signature Puck move. Try this Shrimp Martini with Napa Cabbage Slaw. It's a showstopper.

Serve a signature cocktail to make bartending easyFor cocktails, create a signature cocktail to match your color scheme. Pre-mix to make serving easy but don’t add ice to the pitcher; it dilutes the mix. Serving rows of drinks in one color makes serving easy and is a stylish presentation.

For an elegant party, chocolate fondue with fruit dippers is a great choice.

For a casual party, have movie-style boxes of gourmet popcorn, Junior Mints, Milk Duds, and other movie theatre candy for guests to nibble on while watching the show.

Another elegant idea for an Oscar party is a Champagne tasting. Be sure to serve plenty of food, though. You don't want guests to go home hungry. Our Champagne & Chevre party would be absolutely perfect for Oscar night!

Print ballots directly from the Oscar site so guests can vote.

A candy bar with movie candy is easy to set up and guests love it!ENTERTAINMENT

Before the show starts, ask guests to fill out their own ballots and predict their winners. Award guests with the most winners prizes like movie tickets, DVD’s of current movies, or online movie rental gift cards.

What red carpet party would be complete without swag? Assemble a fun gift bag to give your guests; chocolates, small bottles of liqueur, and note cards, and free movie rental cards are all inexpensive tems for your party swag! Read all about the Academy Awards on their official website.

Make your party casual or elegant... the style is up to you!

February Fun: Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, Academy Awards!

We're only a couple of weeks into the new year and I already feel it speeding by. Before you know it, February will be here. Planning has already started for my favorite holiday, Martie Gras. We'll have lots of recipes and ideas for you. Then, there's my most dreaded holiday of the year, Valentine's Day. And then there's the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards, too.

Just so you have your dates down:

Super Bowl XLV is Sunday, February 6th. It's being played at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas at approximately 5:30 pm Central time. We're getting pumped for the big showdown and plans are underway for our own Souper Bowl Showdown.... an easy and fun party idea.

Photo: Arden PhotographyMardi Gras 2011 is Tuesday, March 8th. Mardi Gras dates change every year. The term "Mardi Gras" refers to the Carnival season beginning on the day of Epiphany and ending with "Fat Tuesday" which is day that Mardi Gras is celebrated. We'll be celebrating Mardi Gras now until Fat Tuesday on March 8th! Stay tuned for a fabulous all-day gumbo recipe that will be your new favorite! 

Valentine's Day 2011: Do we really need to tell you? It's Monday, February 14th. Now, the fact that it is on a Monday might throw some of you off a bit. It probably requires a little more advance planning so get those dinner reservations made or put in your flower order now to insure delivery for THE day. Most of the parties for the kids will probably be held on the Saturday before. We'll have lots of fun ideas for you in the coming weeks. Here's a romantic dessert for two; try my Chocolate Souffle.... it's pretty easy and very decadent!

Academy Awards 2011:

The nominations are out and the awards ceremony will be held on February 27th. Many cities are hosting "Oscar Night America" parties for a variety of different charities.

Click to see the list of charities and cities.... or host your own Oscar bash!  

Looking forward to lots of fun this month.... send us your party photos and ideas. We'd love to see them!

Soup Showdown Recipe: Vickie's Golden Cheese Chowder

For our Souper Bowl Showdown for Super Bowl Sunday, try this Golden Cheese Chowder recipe from Vickie, one of our Facebook friends! I tried it and thought it was really good. I used 1/2 white cheddar and 1/2 sharp cheddar for the cheese and added a little goat cheese (I had some in the fridge so I used it up) but I think any cheese combination would taste pretty good. Try it and let us know what you think!

VICKIE'S GOLDEN CHEESE CHOWDER

3/4 Cup Butter or Margarine

1/2 Cup all purpose flour

4 cups Milk (warm)

4 Cups (1 lb) shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

3 Cups Water

4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced onion

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 cups diced, cooked ham

Hot Sauce (to taste)

Melt butter in heavy 2 quart saucepan over low heat and add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute; Stir constantly. Gradually stir in warm milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine water, vegetables, salt and pepper in a 5 quart Dutch oven; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in all other ingredients. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated (DO NOT BOIL). Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Vickie's note: The better quality cheese you use, the better the soup will be. Sometimes I substitute beer for some of the water and bacon for ham.