My French Food experiment (Part 3): Along with “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”

I made it through breakfast I have to admit, with quite a few dishes that needed to be dealt with but was not deterred since I was on a mission and rather excited to tackle my first soufflé.

A VERY French Lunch:Soufflé Au Fromage (Cheese Soufflé)

Mr. B. was very surprised when I told him I was quite nervous about this soufflé, he was shocked to hear that I had never made a soufflé before, sweet or savory. I always take risks when I entertain, trying new recipes on old and new friends, and I never really worry about things. In my house, there is always a frozen pizza in case of emergencies. I have never had an emergency but there have been many recipes I would never do again. The soufflé just seemed so intimidating-the falling, the egg whites, the last minute prep, etc. When I entertain I like to do a lot of prep ahead of time. Soufflés always seemed so last minute to me but the book notes many steps that can be done ahead of time. Actually the entire soufflé can be made ahead of time and just covered with a large pot for up to an hour!

The book illustrates what a soufflé pan should look like but as noted most American soufflé pans are not high enough. I looked around and I did have one that looked high enough but it was too small. I did not want to alter the recipe. I opted for my round Corning ware white set. I arranged parchment paper around the perimeter and tied it with a string. This took 15 minutes! Not sure if I am just THAT uncoordinated but I have just added a proper French soufflé pan to my birthday list. Since I KNOW I will be making soufflés on a regular basis. Out of the three meals of the day this was by far the easiest. I chose the basic Cheese soufflé because I wanted to try it in its unadulterated glory. I am not at all a fan of omelets. I am not sure if it's a texture thing or what but I would never choose to have my eggs that way. A soufflé is a whole different egg-sperience (sorry I had to get at least one in there, I am done now J). The book suggested you butter and sprinkle the dish with grated Parmesan cheese. This created a crispy crust all around. I am thrilled that I used the paper collar because the soufflé rose almost to the top of the collar. It was perfectly browned and yes it did fall fast. The saying that "you wait for the soufflé it doesn't wait for you" is right on spot. The only laborious part was the egg whites which went fast with the stand mixer.

Because we were eating so much in one day I did not serve it with anything but for guests for a lunch course a nice green salad would be perfect. The soufflé is for 4-6 people (which is what is suggested) and it came out amazing! It was so tender with the cheese sprinkled throughout. Perfectly seasoned. WOW! The next time I would like to try the spinach soufflé or maybe even chocolate! I obviously had leftovers and the next day I heated it up on the stove and served it over a piece of baguette (think Hayes Street Grill Stand at the Farmers Mkt on a Saturday).

I can now say I have achieved a perfect soufflé, not so sure I have "mastered" it but I am looking forward to my next one that's for sure!

Five recipes and 2 meals down!

Jusqu'à ce Soir…Until tomorrow…

Going Bananas!

Who is bored with banana bread? ME! Ever since I started going food shopping bananas are always in my cart. You can't buy them in individual stages of ripeness, NO, you have to buy 1 bunch and hope that you get to them before they go bad. Well, I always have good intentions in finishing them but there is always that one or two bananas left, staring at me, making me feel guilty. It's not my fault; I just can't eat over-ripe bananas. And I am just saying…Chiquita is the best…if you can get them you are lucky…

SO here I am yet another time staring at two lowly bananas and thinking to myself "no WAY am I going to bake another banana bread!" I have done ALL different variety of banana breads—regular banana bread, chocolate chip BB, Coconut BB, Chocolate BB. Then of course there are the banana cakes, muffins and smoothies. Banana pudding and cream pies are amazing but you need to eat those desserts the same day and since there is only 2 in my household that would be quite a challenge.

On the phone with my sister yet again talking food, I started complaining about the bananas and the thought about making yet another banana bread. Now, don't get me wrong, banana breads are amazing I just need something different right now. Sis suggested…coooookies….HA! On to my quest for some variety of a banana cookie! I came across several and chose one with Oatmeal in it. I was trying to find one with peanut butter in it and will experiment with it next time but I was still very skeptical of using a banana in a "cookie". I was also looking for a recipe to use 2 large bananas. I am not convinced that you would be able to taste the banana in a recipe that uses only 1 with all the other stuff you put into making the cookie.

A little history on this cookie…So this is a very old recipe and you will notice it calls for shortening. This was a recipe that was used during wartime because there were no rationed goods used like butter. Oatmeal was also a replacement for wheat. This is also a cookie that ships very well and was often sent to troops overseas.

Would LOVE to hear from you about what you do with your leftover bananas!!!

Gadget: ice cream scoop—I always use this when I am making cookies. I like this particular one because it has a squeeze handle and not the trigger for your thumb. You can get these at most kitchen stores in a variety of sizes. So think about what size cookies you like to make while picking out your size.

Notes: When I say to cream the shortening and sugar that doesn't mean until it comes together, it means until its light and fluffy almost like a frosting. I do this in my KA mixer and add in the quartered bananas, I like to have little chunks of banana in the cookie. If you do use an ice cream scoop for these cookies keep in mind they do not spread a lot so if you like a flatter cookie then flatten the dough. I used my silpat but feel free to bake these on parchment. I chose not to frost mine but feel free to frost yours!

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Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from


1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas
1 3/4 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Cream together the shortening and sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, banana, oatmeal and nuts/chips. Mix well.
Add dry ingredients, mix well and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until edges turn lightly brown. Cool on wire rack. Store in a closed container.