How to make easy Chocolate Souffle

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1⁄4 cup all purpose flour
• 1⁄4 cup cocoa powder, sifted through a finemesh sieve
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1 prepared souffle dish

Here's how:

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl until creamy, smooth, and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
3. Clean the whisk. Whisk the milk, flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat until well blended.
4. Add the chocolate; stir over the heat with a wooden spoon until the chocolate has melted and the mixture has just started to bubble and is thickened somewhat like pudding, perhaps 3 minutes.
5. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, slowly beat this chocolate mixture into the eggyolks until smooth and light. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
6. Clean and dry the beaters. Beat the egg whites at high speed in a large bowl until foamy. Begin adding the sugar in 1 tablespoon increments, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Continue beating until the mixture makes smooth, glossy, droopy peaks off the tip of a rubber spatula, about 3 minutes.
7. Fold half the whites into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then plop the rest of the whites on top of the chocolate and gently fold in smooth, even arcs until there is no white visible but the eggs have maintained their height.
8. Spoon the mixture into the prepared souffle dish, smoothing the top gently with a rubber spatula.
9. Bake until puffed, set, and slightly cracked, about 30 minutes. Serve without delay.

Vanilla Frozen Custard with Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:

• 9 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 1⁄4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Procedures:

1. Beat the yolks and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick, pale yellow, creamy, and doubled in volume, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary with a rubber spatula.
2. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles pop up around the pan’s inner rim.
3. Beat about half the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture in a small, steady stream until smooth; then beat this combined mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining egg yolk mixture.
4. Set the pan over low heat; if you’re cooking with an electric stove, use a second burner just now turned to low. Cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not bring to a simmer or even the merest bubble. 
5. Strain the custard into a large bowl through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of inadvertently scrambled egg. Cool for 10 minutes; then stir in the cream, vanilla, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
6. Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve at once with Hot Fudge Sauce, if desired, or spoon into a plastic container, seal, and store on the floor of the freezer at the back for up to 3 days.

Vanilla Chocolate Chip Frozen Custard: Pour in 1 cup mini chocolate chips during the last few churns in the ice cream maker, just so the chips are evenly distributed in the frozen custard.

Vanilla Chocolate Swirl Frozen Custard: After the custard has frozen in the machine, spoon or scoop it into a plastic container, layering chilled Hot Fudge Sauce between several layers to create ribbons. Place the container in the freezer to firm up for at least 2 hours.

Mint Chocolate Chip Frozen Custard: Substitute 1 teaspoon mint extract and several drops of green food coloring for the vanilla. Pour 1 cup mini chocolate chips into the machine during the last few churns to get the chips evenly distributed in the frozen custard.

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Hot Fudge Sauce

What would a frozen custard be without a thick, rich hot fudge sauce? Follow the cooking times here exactly. Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup light corn syrup
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Bring the half-and-half, sugar, and corn syrup to a low simmer in a medium saucepan set over medium heat; cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes.
2. Add the chocolate and butter. Continue cooking, whisking all the while, until smooth. Bring to a very low simmer, the barest bubble; then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles just this slowly. Cook, whisking constantly, for 5 minutes.
3. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. Set aside off the heat for 5 minutes before using; or seal in a glass jar or other heat-safe container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Making a easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Roots

This is our default holiday side dish: a sheet pan of caramelized, irresistible parsnips, sprouts, and the rest. The trick is to cut everything the same size: about the size of a small Brussels sprout. Makes 8 servings

You'll need:

• 3 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1⁄2-inch rings
• 2 medium acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium turnip, peeled and cubed
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1 pound small Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed, tough outer leaves removed
• 1 tablespoon coarse-grained salt, such as kosher salt

Directions:

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 375°F .
2. Place the parsnips, squash, rutabaga, and turnip on a large lipped baking sheet; toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Roast, tossing occasionally, for 35 minutes.
3. Toss the Brussels sprouts with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl. Add them to the baking sheet, toss well, and continue roasting, tossing occasionally, until caramelized and lightly browned, about 25 more minutes. Season with salt and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Variations: Substitute 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, for the acorn squash.Substitute carrots for the parsnips.

Yellow Squash Noodles with Butter, Peas, and Cream

Look for fairly straight, long summer squash, ones you can easily run a vegetable peeler over to create these “noodles.” Makes 4 servings

What you'll need:

• 2 pounds yellow squash
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup shelled fresh peas or thawed frozen peas 
• 1⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (about 1⁄2 cup)

Here's what to do:

1. Use a vegetable peeler to make long, thin noodles from the squash, running it along their flat surfaces, turning the squash after each strip. Don’t shave them into their seedy cores which you should discard.
2. Melt the butter in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, raise the heat to medium, and cook for 20 seconds.
3. Add the prepared squash noodles and cook until tender, tossing often, about 3 minutes. (Kitchen tongs work best.) Add the peas; cook for 1 minute.
4. Stir in the cream and bring to a boil. Stir in the pepper, salt, and red pepper fl  akes; then remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted.

Variations: For a stronger taste, substitute Asiago for the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Substitute 1⁄2 cup pine nuts for the peas. For an even creamier dish, omit the Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir in 2 ounces soft goat cheese such as Montrachet into the sauce until melted.