Chocolate Souffle Cookies...Kosher for Passover

As my cousin, Teresa, who lives in Italy recently informed me, I've never posted any cookie recipes on my blog. That surprised even me, since I have a bit of a reputation for industrial scaled cookie baking, especially around the holidays. Over the years I've tried almost every kind of cookie known to man, crispy, chewy, sandwich style, hand shaped, dipped, topped and decorated cookies...with mixed results. But, I have had enough winners I could have easily blogged about, and why I haven't is beyond me.

In Italy, cookies run the gamut of being rock hard (like biscotti) to crumbly hard (think butter cookies), with not much variation in between. This can be a little disappointing for someone with a sweet tooth like me, spending weeks at time in Italy. So, it became my mission to bring American cookies to Italy (well, to my family there anyways). I schlepped bags of chocolate chips, oatmeal and American measuring cups and spoons to make the classics. It shouldn't surprise you to know that Teresa, and her family, fell in love with American cookies. I passed the recipes and measuring tools onto her so she could make them for her friends, who have also fallen for our cookies. Teresa, having exhausted the few recipes I had given her some years back, looked to me again for a new cookie recipe to impress her family for her daughter's birthday party next week.

Coincidentally, Reno and I were invited to a Seder dinner by our friend, Andrew, and his family. We wanted to bring something appropriate, and our first instinct was Kosher wine. We had seen countless suggestions in various food and wine articles, but we couldn't find anything in our neighborhood other than Manischewitz...argh! Sure we could bring flowers (which we did), but I wanted to stick with the "something appropriate" for the occassion. I figured, an extra dessert is usually welcomed, and can be pretty easily added to a meal. Like the chocolate chip cookies I brought to Italy, I wanted to provide an uncommon dish for a traditional Passover, while still following Kosher guidelines.

Whenever I read about Passover meals in food magazines, not much differentiates the desserts. It's usually a meringue/macaroon number or macerated fruit. I knew I could follow Kosher rules (even if my kitchen wasn't Kosher), and make something more interesting. I have a bunch of good oil based cake recipes, but "damn it!", they've got baking powder (which is not kosher). Okay, maybe this will be a little more challenging than I thought.... I've seen a few crumbly nut cake recipes, but nothing stood out. Then I remembered a recipe for chocolate souffle cookies that I first saw in the Winter 2004 issue of Fine Cooking magazine that would be perfect. Dairy? No. Leavening agents? No. Chocolaty? VERY! Perfect!

It's been awhile since I've made them but this is a keeper recipe for me, since they always turn out well. Thankfully, everyone seemed to enjoy them at the Seder. I just hope that Teresa's guests will like them too.

This recipe is a take on meringue, being whipped-egg-white based, but it is the melted chocolate and nuts that make them chewy, crunchy and yummy. You won't even miss the butter! And, I don't say that lightly.

Chocolate Souffle Cookies

6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 large egg whites, at room temp
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar (which is kosher, I checked!)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup finely chopped walnuts

Position oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350. Lightly grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment.

Melt the chocolate and set aside. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. With the beaters running, gradually add the vanilla and sugar until the egg whites hold stiff peaks but don’t look dry. Pour the nuts and melted chocolate over the whipped whites. Gently fold the mixture with a large rubber spatula, trying not to deflate the egg whites, until the color is just uniform. Immediately drop level measuring tsp. of the batter onto the baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between the cookies. Bake until the cookies are shiny and cracked, 10-12 minutes; they should be firm on the outside but still gooey inside when you press them. Slide the parchment liners onto racks or use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to racks and let cool completely.

Makes about 34 – 2 inch cookies

Spring in my step

We have many things to be excited about this time of year; longer days, warmer weather and best of all, the new bounty of produce. I can pretty much find standard, thick asparagus year-round at my market. But, the start of spring is marked by the growing number of vendors selling it.

What a pleasant surprise for me to find tender thin asparagus hiding amongst the bundles of asparagus logs at the farmers' market the other week. This was a first for me. These were skinnier and even more delicate than pencil asparagus. Where have these babies been my whole life? Why haven't I ever seen them before? Are they usually just sold out by 8am, the official opening of the market and my general arrival time? Should I start showing up at 7:30am, while the vendors are still setting up? Argh!

What's the big deal you ask? Smaller fruit, veggies & meats are generally more tender and flavorful than their larger counterparts. Like people, young food hasn't yet had the chance to grow up to be callous and jaded. Because the super skinny asparagus is so young, you don't have to spend a lot of time prepping and cooking the stalks to get them tender and edible. Peeling the stalks of the big boys can take quite a bit of time.

My mind went crazy with the possibilities. I could serve it with fettucine (a long, wide pasta) and shrimp. An asparagus frittata with salad could make a nice light dinner. I could even just dress them with a light vinaigrette, so the asparagus could be the focus. Would asparagus ice cream be out of the question? Ok, maybe that was going a little far, but I couldn't help myself.

I've been snatching up bundles every week I'm lucky enough to find them. Since it will be a short season, I have to squeeze in all my crazy new asparagus ideas before the show is over. And, so should you!

Below is the recipe for the pasta dish I made that night. You're own your own for the rest of the season.

Fettucini with Asparagus and Shrimp in a Pink Sauce
serves 2-3

1/2 pound fettucini pasta (penne rigati would also work here)

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound medium shrimp (or large ones cut in half), peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch pencil thin asparagus, ends snapped off then cut into 3" long pieces
1 large ripe tomato, diced along with its juice
1/4 cup cream
2 tablespoons chopped herb (ie - parsley or basil)
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and stir. Lower heat, and continue to gently boil until al dente (tender to the tooth). You can use the package timing as a guideline, but you should always taste it first! Frequent stirring at the beginning of cooking will help keep the pasta from sticking, not adding oil to the water (which will just end up on top, while the pasta is on the bottom of the pot).

Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil, giving it a swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Quickly add the shrimp - you don't want your oil to burn. Season the shrimp with salt & pepper. Shrimp only take a few minutes to cook, so be sure NOT to overcook, otherwise, they'll be rubbery. Add the garlic, being carful not to let it brown. Once the shrimp has become opaque on one side flip them to finish cooking the other side. Add the asparagus and tomatoes. Cook for just a minute or two, until the shrimp has cooked through and the asparagus is tender. Add the cream, and stir until heated through, then stir in the herb. Season the sauce with salt & pepper, and remove from heat.

This is a very quick sauce, and should be done while the pasta is cooking. Use a glass measuring cup or coffee cup to scoop out a cup or so of the pasta water before draining the pasta. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Either add the sauce to the pot of pasta, or add the pasta to the pan with sauce (depending on which is bigger), and cook for a minute over medium high heat to bind the sauce to the pasta. If the sauce seems a bit dry, add some of the pasta water to get the right creamy consistency.

Serve immediately.