Henry's birthday cake

My baby boy celebrated

his 4th birthday yesterday

with family.

He wanted a "Transformer"cake,

and this is what he got.

An Autobot symbol.

It was my first time using fondant

which was very challenging

in 90 degrees weather with 100%

humidity. I only made a couple

mistakes.

The cake is a 3 layered marble

and vanilla cake with a

chocolate butter cream.

It was darn good. Not a fan of

the fondant though....

Bacon Shallot and Gouda Souffle.

This is the first attempt on making a souffle and it came out delicious. It could have looked better if I owned and used a traditional souffle dish. But it was scrumptious!

I used a basic souffle recipe for the base and added my own goodness.

The recipe is at the end of this post.

Gather and prep ingredients.

Butter dish then coat with fresh bread crumbs and parm cheese

Melt butter and add flour to make a roux.

Add milk. Combine and bring simmer and stir till it's thick.

Beat egg whites until peaks form.

Add spices and such.

Add egg yokes.

Transfer into bowl, let cool for a few minutes.

Add the rest of the goodness.

Combine whites.

Pour into a souffle bowl, or in my case whatever will work.

Cook until it's nice and brown on the top and puffy.

Scoop that deliciousness onto a plate and enjoy with a couple

slices of a fresh baguette. Yum!!

INGREDIENTS

1. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus softened butter for brushing
2. 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3. 1/4 cup fresh toasted bread crumbs
4. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5. 1 1/2 cups milk
6. 3/4 teaspoon salt
7. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8. 1 teaspoon of a blend of parisian spices
9. 6 slices of bacon
10. 2 sliced shallots
11. 6 large eggs, separated
12. 6 ounces shredded aged Gouda
13. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375° and brush 8-cup ramekin with butter. Lightly coat the Parmigiano-Reggiano and bread crumbs and set them on a sturdy baking sheet.
2. Saute bacon then shallots until caramelized.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook over moderately low heat until smooth and very thick, about 2 minutes. Stir in the salt and cayenneand parisian spices. Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolks. Let cool slightly. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the Gouda, bacon and shallots.
4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at medium-high speed until frothy. Increase the speed to high and beat until firm peaks form. With a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the soufflé base until no streaks of white remain.
5. Spoon the soufflé mixture into the ramekin filling it to 1/2-inch below the rim. Run your thumb inside the rim of each ramekin to help the soufflés rise evenly. Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top and bake in the bottom third of the oven until the soufflés are puffed and golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Serve immediately.

I got my basic souffle recipe from Food and wine and then made it my own.