Week 15!!!!! Orange!!!!!

Baby is the size of an orange!



This recipe calls for a little background story!  For Christmas a couple years ago, Jim bought be the coolest little individual dishes from Le Creuset called mini-cocottes along with the best little recipe book for dishes to make in them. 

Set of Mini Cocottes & Recipe Book:

http://cookware.lecreuset.com/cookware/product_Mini-Cocottes-set-with-Cookbook_10151_-1_20002_50577___cocotte_search 

http://www.screwpull.us/en-us/Whats-New/Mini-Cocotte-Cookbook/#

I love these so so much!  They are perfect for making small meals for two or desserts, soups, or appetizers,  for entertaining.  (The picture on the cover of the book is for the molten chocolate cake...the recipe below ;)delicious!)(It calls for orange zest in the cake and on top for a garnish, but I made candied orange peel for the garnish instead..recipe below!)

I definitely recommend these cute little dishes if you enjoy cooking.  They are bright, fun, easy to use and clean, and everything I have ever made in them comes out perfectly!!!!!

Mini Cocotte- Molten Chocolate Cake

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Prepare and serve in the stoneware Mini Cocottes

Makes 4 servings (I cut this in half and made two for Jim's birthday)

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) butter
• 4 large egg yolks
• 4 large whole eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup unbleached flour
• Zest of 1 orange

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter and flour 4 mini cocottes, tapping out any excess flour.

In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir until well-blended, then let cool to warm room temperature.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs together, then beat in the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the eggs have tripled in volume, and are a pale yellow color. This may take upwards of 15 minutes, or 4 minutes with an electric whisk. (I recommend the electric whisk!  I use the whisk attachment that came with my immersion blender)

Fold the beaten eggs into the chocolate and gently blend the two.

Sprinkle the flour into the cooled chocolate mixture, little by little, and continue mixing until well blended.

Add the orange zest. Save a few strands for decoration.

Divide the batter into the four prepared cocottes and place, uncovered, into the oven on a baking sheet.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. When done, the batter will have puffed up. Move the baking sheet slightly. The middles of the cakes shouldn't jiggle, but they should still be soft.

Dust the tops with powdered cocoa and garnish with reserved orange zest. Serve immediately.

Candied Orange Peels

Ingredients

-6 thick-skinned oranges

-4 1/2 cups sugar (plus a little extra)

-1 1/2 cups water

Directions

Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and cut the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces (use the orange for another recipe). Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how strong you want the orange peel. Remove the orange peels from the pan.

Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes (If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels become translucent, about 45 minutes. Do NOT stir the peels, if necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for something else if you'd like). Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Store them in sugar.