Souffle Fears...Conquered?

This past weekend I attempted my first souffle. I definitely had some reservations about taking on this dish; visions of deflated souffles danced in my head.

Savory goodness

I'm happy to report that my first souffle was actually....well pretty damn delicious. While I didn't get as much of the signature souffle lift as I had hoped, the texture and flavor were spot on. Served with a peppery arugula salad, the savory gruyere souffle was the perfect Sunday brunch at home.

Nonetheless, making one souffle does not an expert make. I still have a number of questions, mainly:

1. Is there such a thing as over-whipping egg whites?
2. How long does a souffle really need to bake for? And why does every recipe have a different temperature and time?
3. Why is it so hard to not open the oven door when the souffle is cooking?
4. Why does anything with melted gruyere taste so perfect?
5. When would it be socially acceptable to make and eat another souffle - ideally chocolate?

These are just a few questions I'm looking forward to getting to the bottom of.

In the meantime though, I won't be too quick to dismiss a seemingly challenging recipe from David Tanis, Saveur or the like. If there's anything this venture taught me, it's that - like with most things in life - it's good to go out of your comfort zone every now again. 99 percent of the time you end up surprising yourself and that's always a good thing.

Souffle Fears

Late last year, I outlined my 2012 cooking resolutions. As of today, all but one - the souffle - have been attempted.

Avid readers of this blog know that my last foray into my cooking resolutions (making homemade pasta) was met with a number of...ahem...challenges. See The Time I Made Pasta and it Turned to Mush for more details on that particular cooking debacle.

This weekend, I'll be tackling my final cooking resolution heads on and making a savory souffle with nutty gruyere. Armed with an excellent recipe from Michael Ruhlman's Twenty (a book every cook needs to own - more on that later) and my trusted Kitchenaid mixer, I'm hopeful things will come together...or at least be edible.

I'm not going to lie; I'm pretty intimidated to attempt this notoriously fickle dish. If you have any words of wisdom, tips or ideas, leave a comment and let me know.

In the meantime, I'll be studying this video and working to get perfectly peaked egg whites. This makes it look so easy doesn't it?

Best Dishes of The 2012 Hiatus

Work, travel, dinner, work, deadlines, chores, sleep, life...seasons pass and suddenly it's fall. And so is the highly uninteresting story of the Drunken Goat Hiatus of 2012.

I wish I could say the hiatus was spent in the Basque region of Spain learning new cooking techniques and taking weekend trips to San Sebastian and southern France. Sadly, it was not. It was, however, filled with a lot of delicious meals, many enjoyed with wonderful friends and family. Here are a few of the standout dishes I enjoyed most during the blogging hiatus.

Succulent Sicilian pork shoulder at Next

• Spalla di Maiale Brasato at Next: If you asked anyone who went to Next for the Sicily menu, there was one dish that was unanimously agreed to be the best: the pork shoulder. Sous-vide and braised for six hours, the fork-tender pork melted in your mouth with every bite. I'd like to find a way to recreate this dish one day.  
• Taglionini Nero with Crab and Sea Urchin at Balena: This dish is the dish that made me fall in love with sea urchin. After a not so great sea urchin experience at Nellcote (it was paired with burrata, and the texture didn't work for me), this pasta dish finally made me understand what the sea urchin buzz was all about. 
• Burger at Au Cheval: I don't eat burgers very often, so when I do, my expectations are high. Needless to say, this burger met - and exceeded - my expectations. Top it with a runny egg and Au Cheval's famous thick cut bacon to really put it over the top (but honestly it doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles). 
• Butter Cake at Mastro's: This dessert is so good it has a Facebook page for the people who love it. Served warm with a side of whipped cream, I almost had to pay the waitress to take Mastro's signature dessert away from me. 
• Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes at The Lady and Sons. Located in Savannah, Georgia, The Lady and Sons is the cathedral of Paula Deen and all things southern comfort food. So much butter; so much goodness, ya'll. While I had to double up on classes at Flywheel Chicago to work this meal off, it was worth every calorie. 
• Secret Hamachi at Arami: Comprised of yellow tail, mushroom and truffle oil, we had to wait a while for this simple yet incredibly flavorful sashimi dish. It was well worth the wait. Truffle can be overpowering if not weilded correctly, especially with a light and mild fish like yellow tail. The restraint demonstrated in this dish made all the difference. 



Crispy, juicy and positively sinful  

• Tea Smoked Duck Breast at Belly Q: Served with sweet buns and chinese broccoli, this dish was so good my dining companions and I ordered a second helping. 

After meals spent with good company and, let's face it, usually good wine, these were the dishes that had me thinking about them the next morning. 

What meals, dishes and restaurants have caught your attention lately? Leave a comment and let me know.