Molten chocolate cake

So my recent obsessions with Pinterest and Foodgawker have led me to while away hours at work and otherwise, but I also find myself constantly itching to making something new. And drooling at work, too, might I add. I'd been particularly entranced this particular recipe I saw at PinchmyYums excellent blog.

I've been fascinated by molten chocolate cake(also known as lava cake) for quite some time now. What's not to love about gooey chocolaty goodness? This recipe is slightly different and has a pudding like consistency, but also rather good.

The cakes came out rather well for the most part except that I added 1 cup boiling water instead of half of 1 1/4 cup as directed by the recipe. I will have to try it out again too see if it makes a real difference. Mine ended up being more gooey inside with all the cake on the outside, but I would have liked more cake.

Ok here's how you make it.

Ingredients:

• All Purpose Flour - 3/4 cup
• Sugar - 2/3 cup
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 1/2 cup (divided)
• Baking Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Low Fat 1% Milk - 1/2 cup
• Canola Oil - 3 tbsp
• Brown Sugar - 2/3 cup
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips - 1/4 cup
• Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
• Hot Water - 1 1/4 cups

1. I started with my beautiful ramekins and greased them with some Canola oil.

 

2. Boil 2 cups of water. This is where I messed up. I think the rule of thumb is that you  boil 2 cups of water but the water reduced down to 1 1/4 cup. I ended up putting in 1 cup(halved) into the ramekins, which I think was too much.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, the sugar, half the cocoa powder, the baking powder and salt and stir until mixed. I did not sift the ingredients, but it might have been a good idea.

 

4.Then add the milk and oil.

 

5. Divide the mixture into the ramekins. I actually halved the recipe, and I divided the mixture into 3 ramekins.

6. Sprinkle the brown sugar and half the cocoa powder on top.

7. Top it all off with the chocolate chips.

8. Combine the vanilla with the water.

9. This is the tricky part. Divide the water into three parts and pour it on top.  Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 F.

10. The should come out looking like this!

I was pretty pleased, but I'm going to try again using the right amount of water. I ended up using 1 cup water instead of 5/8 as directed. O well, next time!

Spicy Mac and Cheese

I've never been much of a mac and cheese girl. Sure, I've had it occasionally, but something about store bought liquid cheese always seemed off-putting to me. Through my recent obsession with foodgawker.com, I was somewhat more tempted given that the pictures always looked so amazing. What's not to love about beautiful browning cheese?

In engaging in more food-porn, it struck to me that mac and cheese could indeed be made very creatively! You can play around with the kinds of cheeses you use, what base you use, what spices/seasoning to add, and it's nearly impossible to go wrong with such wonderful quantities of cheese.

I'm also proud to note that this will probably be my first ever recipe brought to fruition solely through my imagination, and while it may not be any great feat, it's rather exciting to know that you concocted something delicious, even while being inspired by many sources. Ok so here goes the recipe. It's rather straightforward:

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
2 cups low fat milk
1/4 cup flour
3/4 pack wheat macaroni shells
about 2 cups cheese. I used a combination of monterey pepper jack, cheddar and dill fontina.
1 onion
1 jalapeno pepper
1 serrano pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 tbsp crushed peppers
salt and pepper
2 tbsp habanero pepper for heat


1. Melt the butter in a pan, and add the flour to it until the mixture turns a light brown. Meanwhile, heat up the milk in the microwave until it has reached a lukewarm temperature. Pour the milk into the flour and butter mixture and stir around the sauce for around 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.

2. Meanwhile, chop up the onions, peppers and bell peppers finely and sautee them in a pan until the onion is golden brown in color. Allow to cool.

3. Also, in the meantime, cook the macaroni shells and allow them to cool once cooked.
4. Once the sauce has thickened add the cheese to the mixture and blend in the cheeses with the sauce to create a thick and rich cheese sauce. Add in the crushed peppers, salt and pepper at this point.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Combine the cheese sauce with the vegetable mixture and add in some habanero sauce for more heat if you like. Bake for around 25 minutes.