W H AT ' S C O O K I N G ?
Shrimp cocktail is a popular appetizer at Azool Grill.
Handlebar J’s in Scottsdale. “She was a wonderful woman,” she says. “I took a lot of my knowledge from watching her run her business. She single-handedly ran the place. Well into her seventies, she was still out there on the floor running the business herself and just entertaining and being face to face with all the customers.” She learned about the importance of customer service. “I learned from the old-school people,” she says. “It’s not the same business it used to be. Customer service is key and knowing people’s names. I learned a lot of the back-office stuff, too. It’s a pennies business. You don’t make tons of money at one time. You just make little attempts. “I don’t ever want to not be behind the bar. I’ll take kitchen shifts, too. I think if my staff sees me doing exactly what I would ask them to do it makes a huge difference.” Live music fills the room on Fridays and Saturdays, same with the sound of successful off-track betters. When football is out of season, Azool Grill hosts a Sunday fun day from 4 to 8 p.m. with a beach vibe. Brett Favre autographs and other Vikings memorabilia line the walls. “The neighborhood is obviously growing very rapidly, and we’re trying to grow with it,” she says. “But it’s family owned and a friendly place. The staff and the customers are what makes it important.”
Azool Grill
Tramonto Marketplace 3134 W. Carefree Highway, Suite 3, Phoenix 623-582-5177, azools.com
Flourless Chocolate Cake By Jan D’Atri It has always been a favorite dessert in fine dining establishments. Flourless Chocolate Cake is that elegant finishing touch that makes a gourmet meal satisfying, sweet and complete. But can you really create a delicious chocolate cake with just three ingredients? Yes, you can, and that’s what makes this cake so delightful. You really don’t believe it until it comes out of the oven, cooled and ready to be cut. Before making this particular three-ingredient chocolate, I spent hours viewing flourless chocolate cake recipes and techniques online. Do you use eggs straight from the fridge or should they be room temperature? Do you melt the chocolate and butter over the stove in a double boiler or in the microwave? Do you bake the cake in a water bath or not? Does it take 20 minutes in a high-temperature oven or one hour at a lower temperature? So many questions! Finally, why would you put garbanzo beans, black beans or quinoa in the batter when all you really need to create chocolate decadence are three simple ingredients: chocolate, eggs and butter. (I did take liberties, however, and added a pinch of salt to sharpen up the flavors, but it’s still basically three ingredients.) Most of the videos had decent results, but I was set on keeping it simple so this cake could possibly be declared one of your new go-to treats. I think it will be because it’s decadently delicious and as easy as one, two, three!
3-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake Ingredients: - 8 eggs - 16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1 cup butter - Pinch of salt, optional - For garnish, add powdered sugar, whipped cream or fresh berries Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch cake pan or springform pan. Select a baking sheet or roasting pan in which the cake pan will set. (You will add water to the bottom of the sheet or roasting pan.) In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips with the butter. Melt at 45-second intervals, and stir until the chocolate and butter are fully
melted and combined. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs for 6 to 8 minutes or until double in size. The eggs should be foamy and light colored. Pour the melted chocolate into a large bowl. Spoon 1/3 of the whipped eggs into the chocolate and gently fold until combined. Add the remainder of the eggs into the chocolate and fold until completely combined. Pour mixture into a prepared cake pan. If using springform pan, seal the outside and bottom with aluminum foil and place on a sheet or roasting pan. Place in oven. Pour 1 to 2 inches of hot water into the roasting pan. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes up clean. Do not overbake. When done, let cool. (The cake will deflate.) Serve in wedges and garnish with powdered sugar, whipped cream or berries.
Watch my how-to video for flourless chocolate cake here: jandatri.com/recipe/flourless-chocolate-cake FEBRUARY 2020 |
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