I like coffee. I didn’t used to, but years of working in the church have led me to understand coffee as the gift that God intended it to be. The problem, however, is that I’ve never had good luck with coffee at home. Krystal isn’t a coffee drinker. Sure, she likes a mocha every once in a while, but that’s more chocolate and whipped cream than coffee. I, however, would drink espresso morning, noon, and night if my body could take it. This relationship lends itself to a coffee dilema – do I make coffee in a small pot for just myself (knowing that a small pot brewer just doesn’t make good coffee) or do I make a larger pot and pour out what I don’t drink (which I would drink it all). Add to this the fact that a good drip machine is a bit costly and I have always shied away from coffee at home.

Until now.

I have discovered the hidden secret of coffee experts everwhere. The french press. It’s simple really – add coursely ground coffee to a special pitcher, pour on hot water, stir, steep, and press down a plunger with a metal filter. The coffee is amazing. It is smooth and rich. The metal filter allows all the oils to stay in the coffee (unlike paper filters) and the grounds get to steep as a whole in the coffee, keeping them from getting bitter. Plus, they are cheap! I can make myself 16 oz of great tasting coffee in less than 10 minutes. It’s like having my own coffee shop at home, less the high prices and the constant noise.

I now own two Bodum coffee presses and would not dream of making coffee any other way. Next time you’re by the house, drop in and I’ll make you a believer too.

Krystal’s parents came down to visit for a few days and brought with them a half bushel of peaches. Larry, Krystal’s dad, said, “I can’t wait to try your famous peach souffle.” Funny, I didn’t know I had a recipe for peach souffle, let alone one that was famous. Always one willing to expand my horizons, I did a little research and put together what I feel is a pretty good recipe for a light, peachy summertime treat.

Now he says he can’t wait to try my bar-b-que souffle. I think that’ll be a long wait.

Peach Souffle

1 tsp butter

2 tbsp sugar

1 lb ripe peaches, pitted and peeled

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp water

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp butter

4 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 425. Butter 4 individual ramekins and use 2 tbsp sugar to coat insides of each ramekin (similar to flouring a pan for baking a cake). Puree peaches in blender. Pour peach mixture into a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup sugar, and cook down over medium heat to 1 cup. (TIP: before you start pour 1 cup water into saucepan and measure depth with a skewer. Mark the line on the skewer and use to measure puree mixture) The puree will be thick and bubbly. Mix cornstarch and water and add to hot puree mixture. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Take mixture off the heat and wisk in 1 tbsp butter and egg yolk. Set aside to cool slightly.

In separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites and 1/4 cup sugar to stiff peaks. (I use my stand mixer for this, it’s easier and quicker than by hand.) Mix about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites with the puree mixture to lighten it. Then add the lightened puree mixture to the egg whites and gently fold in. Fold until mostly incorporated – it’s ok if there are still streaks of white. Pour into prepared ramekins and arrange ramekins on a sheetpan with at least 1 inch of space between each.

Place ramekins into oven and immediately turn oven down to 350. Bake for 28 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the side of the souffle comes out clean. Serve immediately with either powdered sugar or (my favorite) peach whipped cream (1 cup heavy cream, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp peach liqueur beaten to medium peaks).

**These were delicious. I will try them with other fruits (strawberries, mangos, etc) as a substitute and I believe it will work just as well.

Yesterday Krystal and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a very nice dinner at Mark’s American Cuisine. It was fabulous. According to Zagat, Mark’s is the top restaurant in Houston and one of the top 10 in the entire US. It is the most romantic restaurant in Houston as selected by numerous publications. The facility itself is a restored church and has the perfect balance of subdued lighting, candles, and rich but muted colors. We were seated in what was the balcony and had a great view of their high end wine selection (one of the best in the US) which was located where the choir loft used to be. I will have to say it was the best meal I have ever had in an old church, and with all of the great potlucks I have been to that’s quite a compliment.

In order to go to Mark’s we had to convince ourselves that this was a once in a lifetime event. It made the sticker shock of the menu less, though we still didn’t go overboard. Each night they feature 3 menus – one verbal specials, one list of chef’s choices, and one seasonal rotated menu. Interestingly enough when another party was seated at the table next to us I listened in on the verbal specials and they had changed slightly even from when we heard them. We started with an asparagus appetizer that was one of their verbal specials. It featured white, green, and purple asparagus along with homemade lobster sausage and a garlic and herb flan topped with a basket made out of cheese loaded with sauteed porchini mushrooms and asparagus tips. Everything was cooked to perfection. The purple asparagus was tempura fried and was delicious. The flan was creamy and had a perfect balance of garlic and spices. I think we would have licked the plate if that would have been proper. We followed that with a dinner salad with spring greens, thin slices of comic pear, valencia and blood orange slices, slithered nuts (I think macadamians?) and a semi-soft white cheese that I didn’t catch the name of. It had a light drizzle of vinigrette. It was a refreshing spot after the appetizer.

For dinner Krystal and I went two different directions. I had the “Study of Pork” from the chef’s selections menu and Krystal had the sea bass from the seasonal menu. Both were wonderful. Mine was a bourbon and molasses glazed pork loin slice, two pork ribs, some homemade pork sausage, and some slow smoked pork belly. Krystal said it was the meat platter. It was served with cabbage that had an apple flavor, braised apples, and a sweet potato & gold potato gratin. The sides to me were more impressive than the meat. I would have eaten a whole plate of the potato gratin. Krystal’s sea bass was cooked to perfection and had a citrus sauce that was tangy yet not overpowering. The lobster risotto that came with hers was very good. (I’m a big fan of risotto in general!) It came with a healthy portion of crab as well. The little I had after cleaning my plate was very good. Both of our meals were paired with great wines, but Krystal’s was particularly good. It was a Craggy Range Sauvingnon Blanc that had great flavor. It was good enough that I’ll be looking for it next time I buy wine.

We finished dinner with the chocolate truffle cake – layers of rich chocolate cake and dark chocolate ganache served with homemade cherry ice cream and brandied fresh cherries. It was decadent. They brought it out with a candle and a chocolate sign that said “Happy Anniversary” The funniest thing of it all was that 10 years ago when Krystal and I got married I wouldn’t have touched a chocolate cake like this. Now I almost drooled when it was sat in front of us. A lot has changed in 10 years.

It was certainly the most expensive dinner that I have eaten to date. But it was a great way to celebrate 10 years of wonderful, blessed marriage. I look forward to eating there again in another 10 years.

Some of you may have tried my Chocolate Souflee recipe which is one of my favorite quick desserts.  I think I’ve found a way to make it better.  Just replace the 1 tbsp of sugar you mix with the melted chocolate with 1 tbsp of raspberry preserves and substitute raspberry liquer for orange and you have one great chocolate-raspberry souflee.