Molten Lava Cakes

Lava cake is by far my favorite desert. It has actually turned into a joke between our friends. We went on a cruise with our friends and I ordered the Molten Cake for desert every single night. When we returned home I made dozens of batches trying to make a version perfect to our taste, gooey but not too runny. This version is for our good friend Ian's birthday. Hope he likes it!!  Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or bars, cut into bite-size chunks 5 large eggs 1/2 cup sugar Pinch of salt 4 teaspoons flour (or matzo meal, ground in a blender to a fine powder) 4 ramekins Garnish: 1 (6 ounce) container raspberries, barely moistened and rolled in about 1/2 cup sugar right before serving Directions Prep your ramekins. Rub the inside with butter then sift coco powder onto the butter. (I know, it's messy but worth it.)   Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; remove from heat. Beat eggs, sugar and salt with a stand mixer in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Beat egg mixture into chocolate until smooth. Beat in flour or matzo meal until just combined. (Batter can be made a day ahead; return to room temperature an hour or so before baking.) Before serving dinner, adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a standard-size muffin tin (1/2 cup capacity) with 8 extra-large muffin papers (papers should extend above cups to facilitate removal). Spray muffin papers with vegetable cooking spray. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until batter puffs but center is not set, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift cakes from tin and set on a work surface. Pull papers away from cakes and transfer cakes to dessert plates. Top each with sugared raspberries and serve immediately.

Homemade Pasta Dough

Homemade Pasta Dough

• 2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Make a mound with the flour
2. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, oil and salt
3. Whisk the eggs in the well, gradually incorporating the flour, using a bench scraper
4. knead for about ten minutes
5. If the dough is too soft add a little flour, too firm add a little water
6. shape the dough into a ball and let rest for at least 20 minutes
7. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. or use pasta machine

You can also make the dough in a food processor by pulsing all ingredients together and then kneading it by hand.