Winemaking is 60% cooking. It's like making soup that takes three years. I won't hire a winemaker unless he or she can cook. My second passion, after winemaking, is cooking. PJ and I cook together almost every night and we cook often for events at the winery and even more for friends and family. My daughter, Christine is a professional cook and we like nothing better than to spend time together in the kitchen, the center of our social circles. I have many recipes that I, PJ and Christine have developed over the years and here I will begin to share them with you. When we get enough of them published we'll put them in a book. Below are the first of many more to come.

We are beginning to film videos of some of the recipes from cooking classes we hold in our kitchen at the ranch. The first one is posted for the Red Wine Reduction Sauce.

Robert Rex

Crab Cakes	Grapeseed Oil Mayonnaise
Red Wine Beef Stock, Rich Sauce, Demi Glace	Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Scampi alla Livornese	Tomato Sauce al Fresca
Grand Marnier Souffles with Creme Anglaise	Creme Anglaise (vanilla creme sauce)

Grapeseed Oil Mayonnaise (You haven't had mayonnaise until you've had this one) We make this practically every other week. We haven't bought Mayo in 20 years, this is so good. Yes, it uses raw eggs and we've yet to poison ourselves or anyone else. You could coddle the eggs (cook to a low temperature) if you are nervous about eating raw egg. Her is a source for more information from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayonnaise The amount of lemon juice and mustard, and the brand of mustard, will change the mayo. We often add curry if we are using it for artichoke or Asparagus dip.
Special Tools	Food Processor
ingredients	2 whole fresh eggs Juice from 1 to 1 1/2 lemons 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp paprika 1 to 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 1 cup Deerfield Ranch Virgin Grapeseed oil 1 cup Virgin Olive Oil
Directions	Mix the ingredients, except for the oil, in a food processor. Slowly add the oil while the machine is running. (We punched a whole in the bottom of our food processors cup with a hot ice pick. This allows the oil to slowly run into the bowl.) You can moderate the thickness of the mayonnaise by adding from 1 tsp. to 1.5 Tsp. of cold water at the end of the process. If the mayo is flat tasting add more lemon juice. If it's too spicy use less mustard next time. If it's too thick process in some more cold water. If it's too thin process in some more oil. Grapeseed oil makes the lightest mayo. You can use other vegetable oils. Questions: ask Robert Top of page

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Grapeseed Oil (great alternative to tomato sauce) This is one of our stable sauces that we make when red bell peppers get down to about $1.80 per pound. We make a couple of quart jars full (a double recipe) and keep it on hand in the refrigerator. It lasts for about a month. You can keep it longer if you cook it and can it hot. It won't last too long however once everyone tastes it. PJ is sensitive to tomatoes so this is her favorite red sauce. It goes with anything on which you'd use a tomato sauce. When we cook with it we add more lemon juice before cooking to raise the acid level.
Special Tools	Blender or Food Processor
INGREDIENTS	4 or 5 Red Bell Peppers - may substitute fresh California Anaheim peppers 1 small raw red beet - for color 1/2 large white onion 3 or 4 cloves of garlic 1 small jalapeno pepper (optional) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp Paprika 1 cup Virgin, or Mild Red Pepper, or Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil 1 cup Virgin Olive Oil Juice from 1/2 lemon
DIRECTIONS	Roast the bell peppers over a gas flame or under the broiler until the skin turns black, turning frequently. (they should be mostly black but they won't be completely black) Put the hot peppers in a plastic bag for a few minutes to sweat the skins Hold them under running water and rub off the blackened skins (you don’t need to remove every speck of black). Split open the peppers, remove the seeds and dry the peppers between paper towels. Put all the ingredients, except the oil, into a blender. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and start blender. When the ingredients begin to blend, turn the blender up high and gradually pour in the rest of the oil. Blend until smooth. Correct seasoning with more salt or lemon juice or pepper to taste. (If it tastes flat it needs more salt. It should have a little kick to it, which comes from the onions, garlic and paprika - you could add hot sauce.) Makes about 1 quart. Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is perfect on spaghetti squash, pasta, pizza and fish. If you heat the sauce it gets more red. Questions: ask Robert Top of page

Red Wine Beef Stock and Reduction Sauce (a mainstay of our kitchen) We pour a lot of wine at Deerfield and collect the almost empty bottles when they are past their prime and save them to make stock and sauce. We use all wine and no water. You can use water but the more wine you use the better. The collected wine does not have to be refrigerated, as oxidation doesn’t matter. We fill bottles full and they sit in the corner of the kitchen until used. If you open a bottle of wine and it is just not good enough to drink but is otherwise OK, then you can use it for stock. It is often said that you shouldn't cook with a wine that you won't drink but that is for wine used for a saute or directly in a soup or sauce where the wine is not cooked for the hours that it is in this recipe. Don’t used corked wine or wine with too much Brett (mustiness caused by this wild yeast defect). This recipe makes four quarts of stock or 3 cups of sauce or ¾ cup of demi glace. Watch the video, linked at the end of the recipe, and it will take the mystery out of it.
Special Tools	Large 8 to 10 quart cooking pot with lid Colander, second pot for straining, small fine strainer, and four to five quart mason jars with lids
INGREDIENTS	2 lbs beef neck bones (one package) 1.5 lbs pork neck bones (one package) 1 lb beef marrow bones (one package) can’t always find these, can be omitted. Knucklebones are not a good substitute. 6 to 10 bottles of red wine or half wine, half water 1 large onion 6 carrots 1 parsnip 3 stalks of celery 6 to 8 mushrooms 1 head of garlic ½ bunch of parsley 2 or 3 Bay leaves A few sprigs of fresh oregano and basil and other herbs from the garden or 1 Tsp of dried Italian spice mix I throw in a couple of dried Anaheim peppers crunched up. Tsp salt 2 tsp ground black pepper or one hot pepper, like a small jalapeno.
DIRECTIONS	Spread the bones out on broiler trays and broil in the oven until well browned, turning once. While the bones are browning prep the rest: Cut all the vegetables in big chunks. Wash them first but you do not have to peel any of them. Cut the heads off the carrots and parsnip but you can leave on all the skins, even the onion and garlic. Break up the mushrooms and cut the garlic head in half along the equator, exposing all the clove halves. Throw all the veggies into the pot and add all the wine and turn on high heat Add the browned meet and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils turn the heat down as low as you can get it so the stock simmers very slowly. If it boils your stock will be cloudy. If you simmer it without boiling the stock will be clear. You can add as mush wine to the pot as it will hold. This whole preparation process takes me about 30 minutes. I will take you a bit longer at first until you decide how easy it is. Put the lid on and cook slowly over night, up to 24 hours. Stir it once in a while and keep the lid on. The kitchen will smell great. After a minimum of 12 hours take the pot off the stove (I do all the straining and filling at the sink). I use a small saucepan to transfer the liquid, veggies and meet to the calendar, which sits over the second pot. This is the first straining. When I’ve strained as much through the calendar as the second pot will hold or the calendar is full of lees, I start filling the mason jars with the stock. Place a small fine strainer on the Mason jar. I have one that fits inside the Mason jar top, works great. Using a cup I pour the sauce form the second pot through the small strainer. This gets rid of the small bits. After each jar is filled I cap it, rinse it off and put it on the table to cool. The straining process is done while the stock is still very hot. This helps preserve the stock in the jars. Not as completely as sterile canning methods but close enough for a long refrigerator life. The process continues until all the stock is separated and into the mason jars. You should have 4 or 5 mason jars of stock. After the jars are closer to room temperature put the jars in the refrigerator to cool. This allows the fat to come to the top and jell. The rest of the fine solids will sink to the bottom. When you want to use the stock remove the fat from the top and pour carefully leaving the sediment in the bottom behind. The stock makes great soups and sauces, is good for adding to stir fry at the end, to savory baked goods instead of straight water, broth to drink on a cold night. It should have as much salt as necessary without making any additions but salt and pepper can be added. Turning the Stock into Reduction Sauce or Demi glace This is simple. Just pour the stock into a pot, after removing the fat and leaving the sediment behind. I strain it through that small fine strainer into the pan, as this will catch any bits of jelled fat. Cook the stock down until it is as strong a sauce as you like, the more you cook it down the richer and darker it will get until it becomes a very intense demi glace. The four quarts of stock will cook down to about 3 cups of rich reduction sauce or ¾ cups or demi glace. No seasoning corrections should be necessary but I leave that to you. The stock can be boiled vigorously to reduce it because the fat has been removed. It is the boiling with fat that makes the sauce cloudy. I use bits of paper towel to mope any floating fat from the sauce before it begins to boil. The demi glace is reduced enough that it normally doesn’t need thickening. If you used a lot of marrowbones the reduction sauce may be thick enough also as the marrow is a thickener. However, I often thicken my sauce. My favorite thickening agent is Arrowroot. It thickens before it boils and the sauce will remain clear. It takes a bit more than cornstarch but the texture is better. Use about 1.5 Tsp of Arrowroot per 2 cups of sauce. Bon Appétit, Robert Rex   Watch the Video cooking class for this stock. Questions: ask Robert Top of page

Robert's Crab Cakes I've never before written a recipe for crab cakes as they are a bit different each time depending how much crabmeat I have. The less crabmeat the more celery, onions, and peppers I use. The real secret is that we use almond meal (from Trader Joe's) instead of wheat flower as a binder with the eggs. It works really well and has a better texture. I hate those restaurant ones that are really bready. You have to let the mixture set awhile to let the almonds soak up. We typically buy an extra crab so we have leftovers to make cakes. We clean it all at the dinner table then you can get the other guests to help or at least enjoy the conversation when you're cleaning. We are fortunate to have a market in Santa Rosa, a few miles away, that sell live Dungeness Crab during the Crab season, from mid November through the end of June. The commercial sellers cook crab for 20 minutes or more. We cook ours for 12 minutes, much better. Cracked Dungeness Crab is a traditional Christmas Eve meal in much of Northern California and is a great meal, picked at the table by dinner guests over a long and leisurely meal. We pair it with our Chardonnay to start followed by our Pinot Noir. We use our homemade mayonnaise as a dipping sauce. Melted butter is more traditional but the mayo is perfect. For a side dish we usually serve Asparagus, blanched and served at room temperature. Makes six to eight crab cakes
Special Tools	If you're cracking your own Crab you'll need a nut cracker and pick or small narrow fork.
INGREDIENTS	Crab meat (about 2 cups). You can substitute spider crab leg meat or other crab meat. 1/2 small onion or green onions (everything minced fairly finely) 1 stalk of celery, maybe two smaller ones 1/2 red bell pepper, for color mostly, finely cubed Anaheim chilly pods dried; finely chopped (from the market in the Mexican food bins-California Anaheim) I also use these in the Tamales. 1/2 tsp Cumin 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 to 1/2 tsp paprika 1-1/2Tsp mayonnaises. See recipe one this page. 2 large eggs, whipped slightly juice from half a small lemon (about 1.5 Tsp) 1 cup of almond meal (hard to find. You can buy blanched almonds and pulverize them in the food processor. They will come out as a course meal, like polenta. Taste it for spice and salt. Grapeseed oil and 1 Tsp butter for frying.
DIRECTIONS	Mix everything together. Don't break up the larger pieces of crab. Let the mixture set for 20 minutes to allow the almonds to soak up the liquid. Fry in virgin grapeseed oil (not deep fried). I put a pat of butter in the pan to promote early browning. The temperature of the fat should be between 350 and 375°F The cooking is to set the egg and that's about all. Takes about 4 minute per side. I make them into paddies as I fry them. Pressing out the liquid. I try to shape them tall and cylindrical, like a biscuit. You can use your fingers as a round form on your palms. They kind of flatten out anyway but I like them as thick as possible. I make them fairly small so each serving is three cakes. You'll have a lot of eggy liquid left in the bowl. I imagine it could be strained out and used for a hollandaise type sauce although I've never tried it (I'm going to next time). The cakes are quite fragile. Use a non-stick pan and lift and turn with a spatula. Cook on each side until brown. Drain them on a paper towel before plating. You can use almost anything as a sauce. The easiest one is mayonnaise thinned with water, lemon and a touch of cumin added. The most decadent one is hollandaise. The Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (recipe here) also is very good. At the holidays we often make crab cake eggs Florentine. They are like regular eggs florentine but with the crab cakes substituted for the English muffins (to die for!)  A spinach salad seems perfect with the cakes and a great side dish is snow peas, with toasted blanched almond slivers. Broccoli also pairs well. the best wine is our Windsor Oaks Sauvignon Blanc although we've also enjoyed the Sangiovese with the cakes. Bon Appetit. Questions: ask Robert Top of page

Scampi alla Livernese (This dish will make you look like a genius, a true gourmet. It takes only a little practice) This recipe is from the cookbook, A Treasury of Great Recipes, written by Vincent and Mary Price. Vincent, besides being a great character actor, was a gourmet cook. He got the recipe from the Blue Fox restaurant in San Francisco, once the most highly regarded French restaurant in the City. We ordered it there once, many years ago, and found that ours was better. I think it had a lot to do with the wine that we used. Here is what Vincent wrote: “The large prawns that are native to Italian waters are prepared in many different ways in different parts of Italy. In this country, Italian chefs make-do very nicely with large shrimp in place of their homeland’s scampi, but their recipes remain authentically Italian. At the Blue Fox we especially like the Scampi (or large shrimp) cooked as they are in Leghorn, one of Italy’s great seaports. Delicate and subtle.” Vincent Price. The hardest part of this recipe is figuring out how to cut the shrimp tails into four. We're working on a video to show you how. This is a small first course dish, perfect for a very special dinner party. PJ and I sometimes make it for dinner. (Original recipe modified by Robert Rex) FOR 6 FIRST COURSE SERVINGS:
Special Tools	None
ingredients	18 Jumbo shrimp, raw of course For a first course figure 3 Jumbo shrimp per person. If only large shrimp are available use 5. Always use an odd number, for a main course use 7 or 9 per person. The ingredient list is based on 3 shrimp per person x 6 or 18 shrimp, adjust accordingly. 1.5 cups Milk 1 cup Grapeseed or peanut oil for frying 1 cup White flour 1 tsp Salt 2 tsp Paprika 2 large Shallots, chopped 1/2 bottle Sweet white wine Late harvest type or Malvasia Bianca (Louis Martini in a pinch) the best wine has not only high residual sugar but high acid and a flowery fruitiness or Botrytis character. We use the Deerfield Gold. Don’t use Marsala or other such flavored wine. 4 oz. Sweet butter, room temperature 1/2 Lemon, juiced 1/2 Lemon, cut into six wedges (one for each plate) Parsley, chopped
Directions	CLEAN AND CUT THE SHRIMP Remove shells from Jumbo shrimp and de-vein. Now days I buy the raw de-vained shrimp which are shelled and de-vained but still have the tails. Reserve the tails for the reduction sauce. Place the shrimp down on a cutting board convex (backside) up. With a sharp knife cut the tail through, from the end of the tail to 2/3 the way to the head. Lay the shrimp on its side and cut each of these two tails into two each to the same point (three cuts, four tails) Place all the shrimp in milk to cover for 15 to 30 minutes. (This freshens the taste of any shellfish) PREPARE THE WINE SAUCE Pour 1/2 bottle less 1/4 cup of the sweet wine into a saucepan, add the tails of the shrimp and reduce the wine - cook down to half volume on high heat. Strain the reduced wine into a frying pan big enough to hold all the shrimp and sauce, discarding the tails. Add the chopped shallots and set to a slow simmer. DREDGE THE SHRIMP IN FLOUR Add the salt and paprika to the flour, mix and place some on a plate. Drain and rinse the shrimp and dry in a paper towel. Dredge (drag and shake off) each shrimp in the flour (you want only the slightest amount of flour on each shrimp - they are not breaded). Place them on a plate so that they are not touching each other or they will all stick together. If you’re making a lot of shrimp it is best to dredge them as you are cooking them, rather than to do them all first. COOK THE SHRIMP Heat 1 cup of Grapeseed oil in a deep saucepan to 375°F. Fry each shrimp for 30 seconds to 45 seconds. Cook only a few at a time so the temperature of the oil does not drop. Place the fried shrimp to drain on a paper as they come out of the oil. ASSEMBLE THE DISH Turn up the fire under the sauce until the sauce begins to boil, add all the shrimp and cook for one minute. Turn off the heat, take the pan off the stove and add 4 ounces of sweet butter cut into small pats. Whisk the butter around between the shrimp until it’s melted and creamed into the wine. (Do not cook sauce after the butter is added or it will separate. Do not add the butter while the pan is still on the stove or the butter will separate). Add the juice from half a lemon. SERVE Serve immediately in individual small plates placed in the center of a larger plate. Scatter the chopped parsley randomly and sparingly over the shrimp and plate. Place a lemon wedge on each plate and serve. WINE TO SERVE This dish is very rich. It needs to be balance by a bright wine, such as Deerfield Sauvignon Blanc.   Questions: ask Robert Top of page

Robert's Tomato Sauce Al Fresca Over Pasta (Salsa fresca della pasta del pomodoro con i funghi ed il basilico) Chunky, fresh style, garden tomato sauce with mushroom and Basil. I'm half Italian and I learned how to cook pasta sauce from my Italian grandmother, Camille. She lived half of her life in Sicily and as it typical of southern Italy and Sicily, she cooked her sauce for hours. She would start it early on Sunday morning in preparation of the family Sunday night dinner. It was laden with Italian sausage and meatball, which gave it most of its flavor. The tomatoes tart, not completely vine ripened so the long cooking caramelized the sugars and reduced the acid, making the sauce sweet. Many Americans add sugar to this style of sauce but that's a poor substitute for patience. The recipe here is something completely different. We don't have to deal with less than ripe tomatoes, at least during the growing season, when we pick them from our garden. Even the market sells hot house tomatoes that are a good second choice to growing them. We also like the flavor of our foods to be fresh and layered. It is the basis of California Cuisine. We eat less meat than we used to, or we like to grill our sausages, rather than cook them in the sauce. We also have less time to cook, although I think cooking with friends in the kitchen is a marvelous way to build an extended family and strong social structure. After you get the hang of it you can throw this sauce together in 30 minutes. By varying the seasoning, chunkiness and time of cooking you can use it for everything from a cooked Salsa for tacos, an enchilada sauce, a pasta or pizza sauce. You can throw in whatever vegetables you have in the refrigerator or none at all, just relying on garlic. Keep a couple cans of whole cooked tomatoes and tomato paste on hand and it will save you when you suddenly have to make dinner for four at 9 PM on a Sunday with little else in stock. I think Grandma would like it also. Our favorite wine with anything with this sauce on it is Deerfield Super T-Rex or Sangiovese Makes about 1.5 quarts
Special Tools	Food Processor optional. I often chop everything by hand. I like the look better.
ingredients	3/4 cup chopped onion 3 large cloves garlic (more if you like), crushed with a broad knife to remove skins and minced 2 tablespoons Grapeseed oil (This can be virgin, roasted garlic or black truffle GSO) 3 tablespoons Virgin Olive Oil 6 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, about 6 large, fresh, peeled and de-seeded tomatoes 1/2 cup dry red wine 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil 1/2-teaspoon sugar 1-teaspoon salt 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms or two packages of dried mushrooms that have been reconstituted.
Directions	PREP: To peel tomatoes place them in boiling water for about 1 minute (parboil). The skins will then peel off. Hold them momentarily under running water to keep your hands from burning. Cut them in quarters and push out the seeds and gelatinous membrane around the seeds with your fingers and discard. Chop, do not puree, the tomatoes. The mushrooms should be brushed, not washed, and slices about 1/8” thick. If dried mushrooms are used, re-hydrate them by placing them in boiling water, turn off the heat, let soak for a couple of minutes and drain. You can use any variety of fresh or dried mushrooms you like, try the gourmet mix. Don’t chop the parsley and basil too finely. The red wine should be the same one you’re going to drink with dinner. I suggest the Deerfield Sangiovese or Super T-Rex.   COOKING: Place the chopped onions and garlic in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven with the Grapeseed oil and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes, add the tomatoes, parsley, most of the salt (reserve a pinch for the mushrooms), sugar, and red wine (everything but the basil and mushrooms). Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes. Once the sauce comes to a boil turn the heat down so that it just simmers. (Slightly bubbling with no spattering). While the sauce is cooking put 2 of the 3 T of olive oil into a saucepan and saute the mushrooms (heat while turning) over med-high heat until they first absorb the oil and then start to release moisture. They will just begin to glisten. Add the pinch of salt and the chopped basil, stir a couple of times to heat the basil and remove from heat. Empty onto a dish so they quit cooking. If you're making Pasta now is the time to cook the pasta. It should be “al dente” or firm. When you cook pasta put a tablespoon of oil (Grapeseed or Olive) and salt in the water. The pasta should be done about the same time as the sauce, meaning the sauce has cooked about 20 to 30 minutes and the pasta about 6. After staining the pasta add the 3rd T of olive oil and toss. If you're just making the sauce for later use now is the time to add the cooked mushrooms and basil to the sauce, stir a bit and remove from heat. The idea is to cook the tomato sauce enough that the flavors are developed and integrated yet retain the fresh tomato taste. The mushrooms and basil are cooked less so that they stand off on their own and don’t get lost in the sauce.   ALTERATIONS: You can add other things to the sauce, like sauteed carrots, celery, or frozen peas. If you are using it for a mexican dish like enchiladas, add some cumin and some red pepper to the heat you want. For Pizza ad a dash of Worcestershire Sauce, cumin, more garlic, lots of oregano, freshly ground black pepper and more finely chopped parsley. you can puree it all in a food processor to make a smoother sauce. If it needs thickening, like for pizza, stir in canned tomato paste and then adjust the salt. Questions: ask Robert Top of page

Grand Marnier Souffle This is a very showy dessert and not hard to make. The secret is in the technique, as usual. Try it on your friends until you perfect it. Souffles can be unpredictable. Sometimes they will stand up nicely, other times they will fall fast. The temperature of the kitchen during prep has something to do this this. If the kitchen is hot cool the yold mixture after cooking. Whip the egg whites in a cold bath to chill them. The Creme of Tarter addition to the egg whites helps hold the peaks. The traditional method is to use a copper bowl in which to whip the egg whites. When I want to show off I use my copper bowl and a large balloon wire whip to whip the eggwhites by hand, which is also very satisfying. You can substiture other flavoring for the Grand Marnier, like vanilla or rum or appricot surup. You can also fold in bits of anything from cherries to nuts, although I like mine plain. This recipe does not work for Chocolate Souffle, which is a different recipe. If you want it, send me an emial or clikc on this link, which will also work if you have questons. Questions: ask Robert Favorite Wine Paring: Deerfield Ranch 2005 Gold This is the perfect wine for this dessert
Yield	8-3 inch to 3.5" ramicans = 8 servings
ingredients	3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter plus additional for buttering ramekins 1 cup sugar plus additional for coating ramekins 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup whole milk 7 large egg yolks 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1/8 teaspoon orange oil (from the flavoring section of the store not the cleaning section) 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier 9 large egg whites ¼ tsp cream of tartar
Directions	Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously butter eight 1-cup (3 1/2 x 2-inch) ramekins and coat with sugar, knocking out excess sugar. In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan melt 3/4-stick butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk and cook over moderate heat, whisking, until mixture is very thick and pulls away from sides of pan. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool 5 minutes. In a large bowl whisk together yolks, vanilla, oil, and a pinch salt, and whisk in milk mixture and Grand Marnier, whisking until smooth. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with the cream of tartar until they hold soft peaks. Beat in 1-cup sugar, a little at a time, and beat meringue until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk about one fourth meringue into yolk mixture to lighten and with a rubber spatula fold in remaining meringue gently but thoroughly. (Fold, not stir. To fold cut the rubber spatula down through the egg whites and when you reach the edge of the mixture turn it over by rolling your wrist. Turn the bowl and repeat. Do this until the two parts are blended. It is a gentle mixing. Your folding the ingredients together.) Spoon batter into ramekins, filling them just to rim, and arrange ramekins at least 1 1/2 inches apart in a large baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to reach almost halfway up sides of ramekins and bake soufflés in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until puffed and tops are golden. Remove pan from oven and transfer ramekins to dessert plates. With a spoon make a small hole in the center of each soufflé and pour some Crème Anglaise (recipe follows) into opening. Serve soufflés immediately. Remember, when Soufflés are done they wait for no one Bon Appétit.   ALTERATIONS: This recipe will work for Souffles flavored with almost anything suitable for dessert. Another favorite of mine is dried appricots. Cook dried appricots in a bit of water and sugar until they are like a stew. Chop them in a food processor until it is like a paste and cook it into the base. Questions: ask Robert Top of page

Creme Anglaise This vanilla cream sauce is so delicious and simple to make. We use it on the souffles, inlcuding chocolate souffles. It is great on chocolate or coffee ice cream and itself makes a great base for ice cream. There is a note at the bottom of the recipe for using it for ice cream.
Yield	about 1 1/2 cup
ingredients	1 cup heavy cream 4 large egg yolks (2 of the yolks come from the Soufflé recipe – You’ll have two egg whites left over – save them to clarify your next chicken stock 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (don’t use artificial vanilla extract)
Directions	Have ready a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan combine cream and vanilla. Bring mixture just to a boil and remove pan from heat. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Add hot cream mixture to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Transfer mixture to cleaned pan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until slightly thickened and a thermometer registers 170° F. (Do not let custard boil.) At the first sign of a whiff of steam, it should be done. Pour custard through a fine sieve into metal bowl set in bowl of ice water. Cool Crème Anglaise at least until it is at room temperature. This will keep it from separating. If you want to add other flavors, like brandy, do so now (2 Tsp Brandy or Rum) Spoon the Crème Anglaise over the Soufflés. (Crème Anglaise may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.) Crème Anglaise makes an outrageous ice cream. Instead of vanilla extract use the seeds scrapped from the center of the vanilla bean. Put the outside of the vanilla bean in your sugar bowl to scent the sugar. For ice cream you may want to make a double batch. The mixture should be cooled until cold and then put in the ice cream freezer. This is called French Vanilla Ice Cream. Bon Appétit. Questions: ask Robert Top of page