When Life Gives You Boueuf, Make Bourguignon!

Lately, my hormones have been out of control. Not to get personal or anything; however, it is giving me some beef and has put a damper on the baby making department for a couple of months. So, life gave me some beef...I made Boueuf Bourguignon.

For my birthday last year, my mother gave me the famed Julia Child cookbooks. I had not made anything and was waiting for a special occasion. While this weekend wasn't anything special, I did put myself to work in the kitchen. Justin and I enjoyed the results!

The recipe is fairly labor intensive if you make everything as it calls for in the recipe, including the braised onions and sauteed mushrooms. I served the entree with parsley potatoes. And no meal like this is complete without a little something for desert: Hot Chocolate Fudge Cakes, courtesy of Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009.

While I may be lacking in the presentation department, I served the desert in coffee mugs. The cake is really like hot chocolate you can eat with a spoon! So good!


Hot Chocolate Fudge Cakes

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cub unsweetened cocoa
5 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cub unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (2.6 ounce) bar dark 71% chocolate, finely chopped

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour and next four ingredients.

Place butter in a large bowel; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars, beating until well blended. Add egg substitute and vanilla, beating until blended. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture; fold in chocolate. Divide the batter evenly among 10 4 ounce ramekins on a jelly roll pan. I used coffee mugs and filled them half full. The recipe does call for ten; if you serve the desert in the mugs, it will serve around four to five. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. I stuck mine outside in the frigid air for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Let the ramekins or mugs stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake at 350 for 21 minutes or until cakes are puffy and slightly crusty on top. MMMMMMMmmmmmm! Delicious!