Celia Wakefield's Lava Cakes

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: As many of you know, our dear Celia is in treatment for cancer, which means at times she's not feeling up to writing. (I often feel that way, and I don't even have any health excuse!) We're just after Valentines Day, and Fat Tuesday will be here in just a few days, so I went back into the archives to bring up a rich, indulgent, chocolate recipe, perfect for rounding out a romantic interlude or celebrating before the start of Lent. 

I hope you'll enjoy this rerun, and be inspired to tackle these delicious Lava Cakes. I'm sure Celia will be popping into the comments if she has the energy, so feel free to leave her a message!

 

 

You may remember Celia's delicious, impressive and easy summer dinner. Her lava cakes are the same way. It's a scrumptious 'restaurant' kind of dessert, but it turns out the only special thing you need to have on hand is not that special - individual ramekins. I got a set of six for $6 at Dollar  Tree, and you can probably find deals as good at the Christmas Tree Store. (Why do they have so much stuff unrelated to Christmas? I have no idea. But I've found it's a great place for low-cost glassware and, surprisingly, lamps.)

Celia suggests doing each step all the way through, and don't try to do more than one  thing at a time. To that I can add, focus, focus, focus. The second time she made this when I was a dinner guest, I was in the kitchen "helping" (ie, we were both talking nonstop and enjoying rather stiff drinks) and the inner part of the cake didn't remain gushy. This is a recipe that demands strict attention to the measurements and mixing. Celia is British, so she even includes grams for our Canadian and continental readers.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes For Two

These Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes for Two are the perfect small batch dessert! These lava cakes are incredibly easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes. I found that the mix would fill three ramekins and still be a good size. This recipe can be doubled for 6 people.

 Prep Time10 minutes

 Cook Time  10 -14 minutes (at 10 minutes start checking)

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted butter
2 ounces semi-sweet or bitter chocolate chips

1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour - spoon out then level
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Spray two or three 6-ounce ramekins well with nonstick cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Cut the butter into pieces, and add with the chocolate to a large microwave safe bowl (Pyrex or other glass works well).

Microwave in 30 second increments, making sure to stir well after each increment, until melted and smooth. (Do not over cook, recommend taking out after 30 seconds and working the chocolate into the butter with a spatula. It’s a better result for the chocolate).

Whisk the powdered sugar  into the chocolate / butter mixture until well combined.  Mix the eggs and vanilla together, then fold gently into the chocolate mixture until  combined.

Fold in the flour and espresso powder gently; do NOT over mix the batter. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared ramekins.

Bake at 425° for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are firm and the center is slightly soft (the center should look soft and won’t rise). 

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a minute. Cover the ramekin with a small plate or bowl and invert. Careful, the ramekin is very hot. Add whipped cream or ice cream, serve, and enjoy!

So Taxing

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Happy Valentines Day to all who celebrate, but I’m not here to talk about that. If you want to read our thoughts on the holiday (and see examples of the delightful cartoons Hallie’s dear Jerry gave her every year) just follow the links. No, I’m here to talk about something that outlasts infatuation, obsession, love and even death - yes, I’m here to talk about taxes. (And if you’re thinking, surely, not death, than you haven’t ever handled an estate.)

 

Why taxes on the day devoted to romantic love? Because February 15th isn’t just the day for snatching up half-priced Russell Stover chocolate boxes. It’s also the date by which you should have your tax information in to your accountant if you want a guarantee they’ll be able to file your 1040 by April 15th. (By the way, many years Maine and Massachusetts file on April 17th or 18th, because we observe Patriots Day on the third Monday of the month. And what’s more patriotic that waiting til the last minute to file your taxes? Thanks, Paul Revere!)

 

I’ve become a little obsessive about this, because for YEARS I didn’t get my act together soon enough and had to file an extension. Embarrassingly, there were a few times when I didn’t make it in time for the extension! I know, it makes me groan and shake my head as well. Happily, I’ve been living into my goals to become more organized, and this is the third year I’ve gotten all my materials to my long-suffering accountant before February 15th!

 

 

How about you, Reds? Are you ahead of the curve when it comes to taxes, or are you begging your accountant to somehow fit you in on April 14th?

 

HALLIE EPHRON: Heavens no! But this is a timely reminder to get on the stick. It takes me about a half a day to pull everything together. And the magnificent fellow who files my taxes has been doing it for quite a few years. So it’s not a big deal… but it hangs over me. I’m much happier when it’s done.

 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I applaud your industry, Julia! My accountant pretty much automatically files an extension for me, and I do my taxes in August, as my corporate return is due September 15th. Maybe one day I will emulate you!

 

JENN McKINLAY: I am either way ahead of the curve or way behind. This year looks to be behind…ah well. I did see a hilarious meme of someone turning in their tax forms to the IRS completely blacked out as in redacted. LOL. This year, I would like an accounting from the government telling me exactly where my money is going…ahem.

 

RHYS BOWEN:  one thing I am meticulous about is taxes. I have a spread sheet going all year so it’s only a question of the sum of each column plus the various investments, properties etc. I have spoken with various tax attorneys about ways to pay less or whether incorporating works but nobody has come up with brilliant ways to prevent me from buying a new stealth bomber every year! I also feel if the federal programs are being curtailed I’d like to know where my money is going !

 

 

 

LUCY BURDETTE: I wish I was more like you, Rhys. Right now I just have a big folder with everything crammed into it. John has been nagging me to get my part done, but we’ve had so much company (and more to come) that it’s hard to tackle. It’s never as bad as I think it will be…

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yeah, I am relentlessly careful and on time about this, and every year I end up stomping around the house saying “what is this FOR?? What is this FOR??” and “WHY IS THIS SO MUCH!!” and “I bet fill-in-the-blank person doesn't pay this much. AHHHHHHH SO UNFAIR!”  I am happy to pitch in to pay for infrastructure and schools and school lunch and breakfast and medicine and education and a whole bunch of other stuff, sure, I am eager to help, but I cannot help but think about where this particular money is going.  We ought to be able to earmark it. Yeah, mine all goes to LIBRARIES and school lunches, okay? Check.

 

Okay, back to the question. Yes, I’ll have my stuff in on time to our lovely person who will add it all up.

 

 JULIA: How about you, Dear Readers? Are you Johnny-on-the-spot with your spreadsheets, or do you start thinking about your 1040 at noon on April 15? And Canadian readers: when are your taxes due to the CRA?

On The Move!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's moving day! No, not for me, thank God, but for my daughter and her family. My part is to be at their current house at 7:15 am (keep in mind it's an hour and twenty minute drive...) and watch my grandson "Paulie" while his mothers travel to Lewiston, Maine to sign the documents. Then, when they return, I'm taking their dogs - yes, again, but only for overnight this time. With their cat safely, if unhappily, locked in a room in the new place, this will clear the way for the local moving company to shift them 33 miles west.

 

 My last move, in 1994, was also with a baby - six weeks instead of four months. Also? I had a seventeen-month old (that's the person who qualifies for a mortgage now. Sure didn't imagine that back then!)

 

Ross and I also hired a moving company, and, like Victoria and her wife, tried to pack up as much as possible to make the process quicker (we were only going 16 miles west!) However, Ross was a lawyer working something like 14 hours a day, and what little management/organizational ability I had was utterly scrambled by motherhood. It didn't help that we didn't actually start the process until a week before the moving truck arrived, unlike my daughter-in-law, who bought dozens of boxes and began packing as soon as their offer was accepted.

 

 I recall the process only in glimpses, similar to the way people in a car only remember flashes of the terrible accident. There was the moment we were both up at 3am, trying to clean the kitchen while passing the fussy baby back and forth. At one point, I was nursing my son in the cab of the mover's truck, sobbing. For some reason, I have a clear memory of having no box in which to put the under-sink cleaning products, and deciding, "&#$% it, it'll just transfer with possession." Then nothing until Ross and I were standing in the main 40X20 foot room, saying to one another, "How are we ever going to fill all this space?" (Spoiler: we did.)

 

I've been in the same house since then, and friends and my children ask me if I consider getting someplace smaller, on one floor, say, and with MUCH less yard to maintain.  And that would be nice! But honestly? I'm not sure I've recovered from the last move yet.

 

Dear readers, what are your moving stories?