Dark Chocolate souffle with Raspberries, plus Posadas!

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have a deliciously easy souffle recipe that has an extra dash of summer. Right in the middle of December, it was a real bright spot for our entertaining!

You'll need:
7TBS sugar
1 cup raspberries
5 TBS unsalted butter
6 oz good chocolate
1/2 tsp vanilla
5 large eggs, plus two more egg whites
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
powdered sugar for dusting

YUMMY. The kids wanted to gobble these so badly, but I was strong and sent them away. (But they did get the leftovers.)

Gratuitous chocolate picture. I'm a Lindt fan, so I just picked up a bar at the grocery store.

Melt the butter and chocolate over medium-low heat. When it's all melted, add the vanilla. Butter the ramekins and preheat the oven to 375F.
                                    
Beat the egg yolks and 3 TBS of sugar on medium speed until thick and fluffy.
                                                     
Fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs yolks.
                                         
Whip the eggs whites into stiff peaks with the pinch of salt and cream of tartar, adding the 3 TBS of sugar near the end. Carefully fold the egg whites and chocolate together.

Fold the chocolate and the egg yolk mixture together.
I know, there's a lot of folding and beating, but not in that order. I think the key to a good souffle is understanding that the beating is serious business. And the folding is serious business. And never the twain shall meet...

Until the ramekin. Here 'tis, filled with sugared raspberries. It's been buttered, and then dusted with sugar. Mmmmm.... I could eat it just like this. A bite of chocolate, a bite of raspberry. That's all. But that's not very festive and the guests might appreciate more of a presentation. We'll keep the chocolate/raspberry noshing to visits with good friends.

So, spoon (not beat or fold, that's a relief) the mixture into the ramekin.

Run your finger along the edge. This makes it form that little "top hat" when it's cooking. So much prettier. And remember, we're trying to be presentable. Little known fact: souffles can be chilled in the fridge for up to one whole day. So, this is a good dessert to pop into the oven while everyone is having their main course (and you're not standing in the kitchen). Then they come out pretty and warm and ready...

Set the ramekins in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. You can poke the top to see if it's done, but with the raspberries inside, it's hard to tell, so it's best to wiggle them a little and see if the center jiggles. If it's puffed up and the center jiggles just a little, they're done!

Don't overcook. They'll still be edible, but the edges will be harder and crustier. We want light and fluffy.

And a picture of the bottom layer. I thought the raspberries might not cook enough but the were perfectly melded into the chocolate. What a pairing!

POSADAS

Now, Susanna reminded me of this tradition we have here, called Posadas. From the 16th to the 24th, children walk a certain route in the neighborhood, singing a song that remembers Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem. Usually there are two kids dressed up, but sometimes they're all dressed up in different costumes. They go door to door, singing a song, which you can listen to here (the singing isn't great, but just focus on the words). That clip also translates the words and shows some of the costumes. So CUTE. The outside crowd sings on stanza, and the inside crowd sings another. The last house on the route is the host and they finally open the door an everyone comes in for spiced hot chocolate, or takes some to go.

   On the last day, the last stop is the church and we have our Christmas Eve celebration, with a pinata in the parish hall and lots of games  It's great fun and a really neat way to educate the kids on the birth of Jesus and how hard it was for his parents even though they had faith, like a walking tour of the nativity.

(Christmas throwback: I love this picture of my girls because of my oldest's expression! ha!)

Okay, I hope everyone is having a wonderful Advent! Next week I'll either re-run my step-mother's Croatian nut roll (which I need to make... right now) or the famous Aplets and Cotlets of the Northwest. I love them both. Hmmm.... decisions!