Cookerati

My husband isn’t a foodie, or a recipe follower, but he’ll try my cooking and listen when I tell him how I made something.  For weeks before Christmas whenever we went to the store I pointed to the ramekins and said, I really want some of those for Christmas.  There was a mortar and pestle nearby that my daughter pointed out and I said, yes, I could use that also, but I’d really like the ramekins.  Would my husband have a clue if I hadn’t pointed it out? Ummm no,  I point my wishes, and hope for some of my list.  Then he points out some tools in Home Depot and I get some ideas for him, so it works out.  I received both the ramekins and the mortar and pestle for Christmas, and I’m a happy camper.  I found a recipe for lemon pudding cakes, but only had oranges, so I made orange pudding cakes.  They are/were divine.  When I opened the ramekins I decided I wanted to make sure I used them before my daughter went back to college on Monday, Jan 5. 

The recipe is from 2007 edition of Fine Cooking Annual.  I found it on clearance in Barnes and Noble.  If you see it snatch it up, it has such good useful recipes.  I’ve made a few of these recipes already since I bought it at the end of the summer.

Ingredients:

• softened butter for the ramekins
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup granulated sugar (2/3 cup & 1/3 cup)
• 3 large eggs (separated at room temperature)
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk (at room temperature)
• 1/3 fresh orange juice
• 1 tbs finely grated orange zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter 8 ramekins and place in a baking dish.  Position a rack in the center of the oven that the baking dish will be place on. 

In a large bowl, whisk cooled butter, 2/3 cup sugar and the egg yolks until smooth and light @ 1 minute.  Add the flour and salt and pour in just enough milk to whisk the flour smoothly into the egg yolk mixture.  then whisk in the rest of the milk and the orange juice until smooth. The mixture will be fluid.

Put the egg whites in a large bowl.  Beat on medium until the whites begin to foam, 30 – 60 seconds.  Increase to high and beat until the whites hold soft peaks, another 1 – 2 minutes.  reduce speed to medium.  Slowly sprinkle in 1/3 cup sugar.  Stop and scrape the bowl.  Beat on high speed until the whites hold medium-firm peaks another 30 secs.

Scrape 1/3 of the egg whites onto the egg yolk mixture, sprinkle the orange zest on top and whisk until combined. Gently fold and stir the remaining whipped whites into the batter, using the whisk.  The batter will still be thin. Pour the mix into the ramekins filling them to within 1/8 of the top.  Pull out the center oven rack out and place the baking dish with the ramekins on it.  Pour water in the baking dish around the ramekins up to half way up the sides.  Bake until the tops of the cakes are light golden and slightly puffed.  They should feel spongy and spring back a bit, but hold a shallow indent – about 25 – 30 min.  Using tongs, transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack.  Let cool to room temperature, then put into the fridge for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.   Mmmmm good.

Ramekins