You might think that because you are a small family of only one or two people, molten chocolate lava cake is off the menu for you, or that you will have to wait until you have company before you can enjoy it.
I am happy to say that is just not true. Whether you are one person or two people, you can certainly enjoy a delicious chocolate dessert, built just for two or for one with leftovers to enjoy another day!
Not only that, but this delicious dessert sports the Mexican flavor addition of ground cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne for a tiny bit of heat.
I remember when my friend Eliza flew over to the UK to visit me when I was working at the Manor. She was from Arizona and she brought some lovely Mexican chocolate with her to make a chocolate dessert for us.
I was really surprised to note that it tasted of cinnamon. I wasn't exactly sure that I would enjoy it, but surprise! It was delicious!
Who would have thought it! If you are not fond of the idea or of the taste of chocolate together with cinnamon, then just leave it out.
There is a pinch of cayenne pepper in this dessert as well. You can by all means leave that out also if you are not fond of any kind of heat. It is only a touch though. I am not a lover of really spicy food.
Aside from that you can expect a lovely full on chocolate flavor from these tiny cakes. I do so adore chocolate of any kind, especially in a cake.
One thing I really enjoy about Lava Cakes is that they have that soft and gooey, molten center. They are meant to be eaten warm so that it stays that way.
They are very quick and easy to put together and cook very quickly as well. Just until the edges are set and firm, and the center is quite jiggly. You can see from the above photograph just what it should look like when done.
They do cook further as they sit and will harden up somewhat, so you will want to eat them while they are still warm to enjoy them at their best.
Chocolate Lava Cakes were always a popular dessert when I worked at the Manor, for ladies luncheons or dinner parties. You can access that full sized recipe here.
It is not gluten free however. It does make about 10 lush cakes, that are perfectly molten in the middles. One thing which I always liked about them was that I could make the mixture up ahead of time and then stick it in the refrigerator, covered.
It kept for more than a few days, unbaked. That made them the perfect dessert for when my employers were entertaining. Less work for me at the last minute.
When I think back now on all that I had to do and managed to do, I am amazed at myself. Six course silver service dinners for up to 25 people, prepared from start to finish by only me. How did I do that!
Very careful planning, that's how! The Mrs. liked for everything to be complicated, but I would always slip in a few easier things, like the molten cakes, or things I could do completely ahead of time.
That left me with more time to execute everything else on the day. To be honest, I don't think I could cope with it all now. Seriously. I must be slowing down in my old age, LOL.
You would think with so much time on our hands we would get more done, but the reality is we are scrambling to just get the basics done.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Back to this dessert. It is one I adapted from the cookbook entitled The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook by Mary Younkin, of Barefeet in the kitchen.com. It is filled with 80 irresistible recipes which only need 5 to 15 minutes of prep.
How can you go wrong with that! You can't!
This recipe intrigued me, not only because it was chocolate, quick and easy, but because of the Mexican cinnamon flavor addition.
Also in looking at the recipe, I could see that it would be very easy to adapt it down to just two servings instead of the original four.
If you would like the original measurements to make four desserts, just ask. I will be happy to give them to you.
These chocolate puddings are meant to be enjoyed warm. If I was in the UK I could really enjoy them with a dollop of clotted cream on top, alas . . . no clotted cream where I am not.
Vanilla ice cream works very well with them however. Mary suggested cinnamon ice cream or chocolate ice cream.
No such thing as cinnamon ice cream here, and true confession . . . I hate chocolate ice cream. Funny how that goes.
I adore chocolate cookies, cakes, pies, candy bars, etc., but I cannot stand any kind of chocolate milk wise.
Not chocolate milk, not chocolate ice cream. I can only just barely tolerate hot chocolate. and when I do have one, its not my favorite thing, unless there are lots of marshmallows or whipped cream on top!
I used two six ounce ramekins to cook these in, simply sprayed with some Pam cooking spray. Worked a charm. My puddings were done in 18 minutes.
They were quite liquid but as they cooled they firmed up a bit more. If you don't want a really liquid center, leave them in the oven for a few more minutes, but I wouldn't go any longer than 20 minutes maximum.
This photo is just to give you an idea of how molten they are at 18 minutes, so if you want them a bit firmer leave them in just that tiny bit longer, always bearing in mind that they will start to firm up as they cool.
SO, a quick and easy chocolate dessert, built just for two. Deliciously gluten-free. You really can't go wrong with this!
Mexican Chocolate Lava Cakes
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 18 MinTotal time: 23 Min
This delicious recipe for molten middle chocolate lava cakes is perfectly sized for two. With the Mexican touch of cinnamon and a hint of heat, they make the perfect quick dessert. Top with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream for a real treat! These are also gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter
- 1/3 cup (55 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips
- 4 1/2 TBS icing sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 large free range egg
- 3 1/2 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
- Ice cream to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter two 5-6 ounce ramekins really well. Alternately spray with some non-stick baking spray. Place onto a baking sheet.
- Pop the butter and chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 30 seconds. Whisk to melt the chocolate and amalgamate the two. Whisk in the icing sugar, cinnamon and cayenne pepper if using.
- Whisk in the egg to combine fully. Stir in the corn flour until you have a smooth, well combined mixture. Divide the mixture between the two ramekins evenly.
- Bake for about 18 minutes, until the edges are firm but the center still appears soft and almost liquid like in appearance.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes, then serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
I picked up a rather largish piece of pork loin roast the other day for about $7. It was rather large just for myself, but I knew that I would be cooking a meal for a friend's family later in the week, and I thought I could cut the remainder into chop sized pieces to use for making schnitzel or whatever another time.
I got 8 (1-inch thick) chops and enough pork from it to make this tasty pork and potato pie! I consider that to be a win! I did also make a small casserole of this dish for myself to have for my own supper as well.
I think when you are asked to send a meal to a family, the best thing you can make is a stew, soup or a casserole. Its usually for a time when they may be going through something rough and they may not have time to tinker about with a lot of fussing.
Something which can be simply reheated, or frozen for a later date is the best option. I had this pork and I found the perfect recipe for a simple pork and potato casserole with a biscuit topping in one of my favorite cookbooks.
Marcia Adams, New Recipes from Quilt Country. I have had both of her Amish books for years and years. I can remember watching her cooking show on PBS many years ago.
Actually PBS was ahead of its time, well before the food network came along. I can remember watching cooking shows on PBS back in the 80's and 90's and some very good ones at that.
That is how I first became acquainted with the Irish Chef, Paul Rankin and his ex wife Jeanne. Watching their Gourmet Ireland show on PBS. It used to be on in the 1990's.
Little did I know that I would one day get to meet Paul Rankin in person some years later. We were on a cooking show together in the UK, and he declared my soup to be delicious. It was my Parsnip and Apple Soup.
Life is a funny thing is it not? With all of its twists and turns. He was much shorter in real life than I had imagined him to be.
Back to this casserole dish. It is an Amish dish and we all know that the Amish are great cooks, much like the Mennonites.
I used to go to a Mennonite restaurant near Saint Jacob's in Ontario's horse and buggy country. They had the best food. It was called Anna Mae's.
Great home cooked meals, with ample portions, lovely bread and pies. All from scratch. Maybe I will get a chance to go there again one day.
This is not a pie in the real sense of pies. There is no top or bottom crust. Just a type of a biscuit cobbler topping.
The base is composed of a juicy tender pork and potato filling, in a lush flavor filled gravy. Cubes of pork are browned in a skillet until golden brown. Make sure you don't crowd the skillet or your pork will stew rather than brown.
Once it has browned you add some water and a bay leaf. The pork then gets simmered for about 40 minutes until it is starting to become fork tender.
Pork loin can be a very dry meat as it is so lean. This slow simmer prevents that from happening.
At the end of that time you add some celery, onion, potato and seasonings. A further simmer ensures perfectly tender and juicy pieces of pork, perfectly cooked potato, and a flavor filled broth, ready to be thickened in preparation for the oven bake.
It so simple to thicken the broth. Flour and milk, shaken or whisked together. Make sure you don't have your mixture bubbling when you whisk it in, or you will end up with lumps.
In fact, I would take the pan off the heat just to do this part. Slowly whisk it in until its amalgamated and then put the pan back on the heat. Slow and steady, constant whisking. That is key.
Return it back to the heat until the whole bit is bubbling and thickened. Ready to pour into your casserole dish.
That topping is just like a drop biscuit dough, made with butter and seasoned with celery seed and black pepper. You just drop it on top of the warm meat and potato filling in tablespoon sized amounts.
Into the oven it goes until the biscuit topping it golden brown and that is it! Casserole done!
Tender pieces of pork and potato . . . crisp buttery topping . . . deliciously simple.
Not a dry piece of meat in the mix and incredibly moreish. I do so hope the people this is intended for enjoy this.
In the meantime, if you are looking for a delicious sharing dish, or something tasty to take to a gathering, look no further. This tasty pork and potato pie fits the bill on all counts!
Amish Savory Pork Pie
Yield: Serves 6
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 20 M
The meat and potato filling for this delicious cobbler type of pie can be made ahead several days in advance. Simply reheat, drop the biscuit topping on top and then bake when you are wanting to serve it. It makes the perfect dish for a take-along, or buffet.
Ingredients
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 pound lean fresh pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 1 bay leaf, broken in half
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 stick celery, peeled and copped
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken stock
- 1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1 TBS dried parsley
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 1/2 TBS flour
For the cobbler topping:
- 1 cup (140 grams) plain all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp celery seed
- 1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 3 TBS cold butter
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large heavy based skillet. Add the cubes of pork. Sauté until the pork is evenly browned, about 10 minutes or so. (Don't crowd the pan, doing it in batches if you need to.) Add the water and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the pork is tender.
- Add the potatoes, celery, onion and the chicken stock. Continue to simmer for a further 20 minutes, covered. Stir in all of the seasonings.
- Whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk into the meat mixture, stirring constantly, cooking until the mixture bubbles up and thickens. Transfer everything to a baking dish (12 by 7 inches) (You can do it two days in advance up to this point if you wish.)
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C.
- To make the cobbler topping, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Stir in the celery seed and black pepper. Drop in the butter. Cut in using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
- Add the milk all at once, blending together until just mixed. Using a tablespoon, drop the dough in dollops on top of the warm meat mixture.
- Bake for 10 minutes until the biscuit topping is golden brown. Serve hot.
Butter Bath Corn on the cob. How have I gone my whole life without tasting this delicious technique of cooking corn on the cob?
I discovered this Butter Bath Recipe on thekitchn and as soon as I saw it I knew it was something I really wanted to try. I was immediately intrigued. Butter. Bath.
Surely something immersed in a butter bath has to be delicious right?
I decided to risk it. I have gone over 20 years without tasting really good corn on the cob. It just doesn't exist in the UK. (Sorry UK!)
It is saying something when canned corn tastes better than the corn you can buy fresh in the shops. England does not have a climate that is conducive to growing sweet corn, eating corn. Cow corn, certainly, but not the kind of corn I grew up on.
Its just far too wet and they don't get enough sunshine. I even tried growing my own one year using seeds someone had sent me from North America. Peaches and Cream.
I got (from the whole pack) only 4 ears of corn and they were no more than 4 inches in length and whilst tasty, left me wanting.
You do get corn on the cob there, but it is shipped in from afar. None of it is grown locally. And they always husk it before you see it in the shops.
Everyone in North America knows corn begins to deteriorate in flavor as soon as it is picked. Also husking it too far before eating it is a huge no-no.
The best corn of all is eaten fresh on the day it is picked and you don't husk it until just before you go to cook it. Its the truth.
I have eaten a lot of corn on the cob in my lifetime. When I was a child my parents would buy it by the paper bag full, several bakers dozen (which means 13 cobs each dozen) and we would have a corn on the cob feast supper.
That is literally all we would have for supper. Corn on the cob, hot, buttered and salty. And we could have as much of it as we could eat.
It was the same for my children when they were growing up. Corn season was something we looked forward to all year long.
When I lived in Southern Ontario we would buy it from the backs of farm wagons parked by the side of the road. It made for really good eating.
We would sit the kids out back at the picnic table with the bags of corn and a garbage bin fitted with a black bag. They would go to town husking it ready for cooking.
I used a huge and I mean HUGE stock pot to cook it in. Bringing the water to the boil (I always added some sugar to the water) and carefully dropping in the cobs.
As soon as you could smell it, I knew the corn was done to perfection. And I do mean perfect.
This tasty recipe is a riff on that original and is really delicious. Instead of just cooking your corn in a bath of boiling water, it gets cooked in a bath of water, milk and butter. Oh my my . . .
Has to be good right? Right! Its excellent. I saw some corn at the local market and I picked some up the other day and was looking for a different way to cook it.
I saw this and just had to try it. I am so happy that I did, because it is excellent!
I actually tried the Hot Honey Butter Bath version. It was delicious!
Sweet corn on the cob cooked in a bath of water, milk, butter, honey and hot pepper flakes. Has to be good right?
There are actually five different versions to choose from including the basic. Hot Honey Butter. Garlic and Herb Butter. Buffalo Butter and Tex Mex Butter.
I aim to try all of them before the summer is out. Diverticulitis be damned! (Yes at my age, eating corn on the cob can be a bit like playing a losing game with my innards.)
But I love corn on the cob so much that I am willing to take the risk. I have been without good corn on the cob for far too long.
Far too long. I am just grateful that I still have all of my teeth to be able to eat it! Yay me!
I can remember as a child eating corn on the cob like the cylinder on a typewriter going through its motions. Yes, we had watched too many cartoons.
We would run our mouths along it row by delicious row, as quickly as we could. Even emitting a dinging nose when we got to the end, ready to start again at the beginning.
Oh the innocence of childhood. What a wonderful thing it is. Simple simple joys and pleasures!
Like abundant corn on the cob feasts, all you can eat, dripping with butter. Seriously tasty. I don't dare eat that much butter on it now. But I confess . . . the child in me would still love to,
Anyways, do yourself a favor and cook your corn on the cob like this at least once this summer and when you do, prepare yourself to fall in love.
Totally and inextricably in love. You have been forewarned.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Butter Bath Corn
Yield: 6
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 13 Min
A wonderfully unique method of cooking corn on the cob that yields sweet delicious, perfectly cooked and juicy corn on the cob, with four tasty variations.
Ingredients
Basic Butter Bath Corn
- 6 ears of ripe husked corn, cut in half crosswise
- 4 cups (1 liter) water
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Place the cold water into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and then add the milk, butter and salt.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the corn. Cover and cook for exactly 8 minutes.
- Remove to a platter and serve immediately with or without additional butter for spreading.
Notes:
For Garlic and Herb: Cook as above, adding 6 cloves of smashed garlic, a medium sized bunch of fresh thyme.
For Buffalo Butter: Cook as above adding 1 cup (240ml) of lager (beer), 1/4 cup (60ml) hot sauce. Reduce the salt to 1/2 tsp.
For Hot Honey Butter: Cook as above adding 1/2 cup (120ml) liquid honey and 1 tsp red pepper flakes.
For Tex Mex: Cook as above adding 1 cup (220g), 1 tsp mild chili powder, 1/2 tsp ground cumin and reducing the salt to 1/2 tsp.
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