Spasming into the Kitchen

Well today is my second consecutive sick day from work... I haven't done this in years!  Not a great feeling.  Apparently I am having back spasms (you know, like athletes... which I am so not)  and there is not really much to be done about that besides massages (yeah right) and some exercises to strengthen my back.  Since I am going to be miserable well into the unforeseeable future, I figured I would suck it up and do some more baking today.

Seriously, how gorgeous are these ramekins? Never mind the cakes!

Susie bought me ramekins this weekend, after hearing me whine that I want to try souffles but had no small dishes.  She surprised me with the most beautiful little ramekins: four are white and four are turquoise; they have little polka dots all over, and I am in love with them.  It was perfect timing, too: my new Food Network magazine subscription finally kicked in (thanks Nick!) and there was a recipe for chocolate molten lava cakes.  I remember having these for the first time on my first cruise and thinking that it was pretty darn cool, so I thought it would be a great thing to cook in my new ramekins.

What is surprising is the amount of eggs in these babies.  It calls for 6 eggs, which is a lot in and of itself, but then you also need 6 more yolks!  One entire dozen eggs in these 8 little cakes!  I was shocked (and also stressed, because you know I refuse to waste egg parts... more on that later).  Another surprise is the inclusion of a pinch of cayenne pepper!  You can't taste it, but you know something is there.  And there is cinnamon in there too: I am realizing that chocolate and cinnamon are winning combinations. 

Anyway they weren't too hard to make, and they come out fantastically.  Susie and Mom devoured them, and as more people stopped by (Pat, Betsy, Kenzie), they have been thouroughly enjoyed by all.  Susie claims I could market them to restaurants!  My only regret is that I think I cooked them for maybe 4 minutes too long, and they weren't so molten.  The middles were soft, but not runny (then again, Mom says she hates runny cakes, so it was for the best!)  The recipe says to bake for 12-14 minutes; mine were nowhere near done in 14 minutes, but my oven is always slow, and I bet they took more like 25.  Maybe next time I will take them out at 20.  And yes there will be a next time, as soon as my family has recovered from eating 12 ounces of chocolate, 2 sticks of butter, and a dozen eggs, all mushed into only 8 little cakes :)  One last  tip: serve them with vanilla ice cream.

Then, despite the throbbing pain in my back, I could not let my egg whites go to waste, so I whipped up my favorite old egg white -user-upper: the pavlova.  Sooo easy and delicious!  This one came out way better than my last one.  I tried a slightly different recipe (this one called for lemon juice instead of vinegar, and had a higher oven temperature; it also did not require leaving it on the oven after you turn it off). The last pavlova stayed a little mushy, but this is perfectly meringue-y.  This one called for kiwis to top it (apparently it is the national dessert of New Zealand!) but I wanted to keep it simple.  I texted Pat and told him it was all his (this is one of his favorites) if he brought strawberries for the top, and we had a deal.  I cheated a little and used a can of whipped cream on top.  Hey, give me a break, I'm injured!  If you plan on trying the lava cakes, plan on making a pavlova too.  It is just too easy and delicious not to.

Recipes:
Pavlova

The Neelys' Molten Lava Cakes
From the March 2012 Food Network Magazine
Active time: 30 min
Total: 50 min
Makes: 8 cakes

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for buttering ramekins
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinchof nutmeg
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
6 large eggsplus 6 egg yolks
1  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Butter 8 6-ounce ramekins (I think mine were bigger... no matter!) and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon sugar (I tried to spread the sugar around so it wasn't just one big clump).

2. Combine the butter, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until melted and smooth.  Cool slightly.  Whisk the flour, confectioners' sugar, eggs, yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a bowl until creamy (I think I will use my mixed next time).  Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture.  Divide among the prepared ramekins.

3.  Bake the cakes until the tops are stiffand the edges darken, 12 to 14 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes.  Loosen the edges of the cakes with a small paring knife and transfer to plates while warm.  Dust with confectioners' sugar (and serve with vanilla ice cream!)