With winter's cold upon us, here's a substantial meal to enjoy,
that's colourful and different.
Offer the guests a less usual entree - tasty Fresh Corn Souffles.
For mains, another flavour twist, Garlic Steaks
with a refreshing but tangy fruit relish,
Dessert offers a bonus - you can make the
Coffee Cake
ahead of your dinner.
ENTREE Fresh Corn Souffles Serves
Makes 4 (6 oz.) souffles
What
you need
*Butter, for coating souffle dishes
*Breadcrumbs, for coating souffl¨¦ dishes
*3 tbs. unsalted butter
*4-5 shallots, white and light green parts, finely chopped
*3 tbs. all-purpose flour
*1 c. milk
*¼ tsp. salt
*ground pepper, to taste
*pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
*4 large eggs, separated
*3 tbs. tasty cheese
*1/3 c. fresh yellow corn, cut from the cob
*¼ tsp. cream of tartar
How
to do it.
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees.
2. Grease 4 (180g.) ramekins with butter and coat with bread crumbs, shaking out excess.
3. Taste the corn. If it is sweet and tender, use it as is. If it tastes a little under ripe, microwave in a bowl with about a tablespoon of water for one minute. Drain and proceed with recipe.
4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes or until very soft.
5. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly.
6. Add the milk and cook until slightly thickened, whisking continuously. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Remove from heat.
7. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Quickly stir in a spoonful of the milk mixture to temper the egg yolks (so they won't scramble when added to the hot mixture).
8. Add the yolks to the milk mixture (do not return to stovetop), stirring to incorporate. Stir in the cheese and corn. Set this aside and beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
9. With a spatula, fold about one third of the whites into the souffle batter. You want to still see some white streaks, and maintain the volume of the egg whites, so fold gently and briefly.
10. Fold the remaining egg whites into the batter in two more additions.
11. Evenly divide the souffle batter among the prepared ramekins and place on a baking sheet or roasting pan.
12. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are tall, golden and just set in the center. Serve right away.
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MAIN
Garlic Steaks & Nectarine-Onion Relish Serves
Makes 4 servings - note advance prep. On meat
What
you need
* 2 boneless beef top loin steaks, around 225g each, cut thick
* 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1-1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
* 2 teaspoons honey
* 1 cup chopped nectarine
* 2 teaspoons snipped fresh mint
How
to do it.
1. Trim fat from steak. With the point of a paring knife, make small slits in steak. Insert half of the garlic into slits. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Wrap steak in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
2. Meanwhile, for relish, in a large nonstick skillet cook onion and remaining garlic in hot oil over medium heat about 10 minutes or until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in vinegar and honey. Gently stir in nectarine and mint; heat through.
4. For a charcoal grill, place steak on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill to desired doneness, turning once. (Allow 11 to 15 minutes for medium-rare and 14 to 18 minutes for medium doneness.
5. For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place steak on grill rack directly over heat. Cover and grill as above. Allow 12 to 14 minutes for medium-rare and 15 to 18 minutes for medium doneness.
6. Cut the 2 steaks in half and serve with relish.
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DESSERT
Old Fashioned Sour Cream Coffee Cake Serves
Makes two 9-inch rounds or one 9 x 13-inch cake
What
you need
Crumb Topping:
* 1 c. all-purpose flour
* 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
* 1 c. granulated sugar
* ½ tsp. salt
* 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
* 14 tbs. unsalted butter (185g)
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract
* ¾ tsp. almond extract
Cake:
* 8 tbs. (115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 c. granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1 c. sour cream
* 1 c. all-purpose flour
* 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
* ½ tsp. baking soda
* ½ tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. baking powder
How
to do it.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round pans or one 9 x13 pan.
Make the crumb:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
3. Pour the butter over the flour mixture and stir to combine until the flour is uniformly moistened and you have a sandy, moist crumb. Set aside.
Make the cake batter:
1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
3. Beat in the vanilla and sour cream, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
5. Add flour mixture to the sour cream mixture and beat on low to medium or stir with a large spoon until evenly combined.
6. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan(s). Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the batter with your fingers, covering the batter completely.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes for 9-inch rounds; 30-35 minutes for a 9 x 13 pan.
8. Cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean and the sides are light gold and slightly pulling away from the edge of the pan. Cool cakes in their pan(s) on a wire rack.
