Welcome to the Chef Bill website!
I'm Bill Collins, a professionally trained chef in Massachusetts with over 15 years experience in professional and private kitchens. Perhaps you are looking to hire a personal chef to cook in your own home on a weekly basis, to stock your fridge and freezer with healthy and great tasting foods. Or possibly you want to host a fun cooking lesson party for your friends at your home. Or maybe you have a special dinner party coming up or are planning a romantic dinner for two with that special someone. Let me help!
You really can be a guest in your own home. Whichever service you choose, you'll love the great taste and convenience of all of my freshly prepared foods.
Bon appetit!
Valentine's Day!
This year, Valentine's Day, February 14, is on a Sunday. As many people know, I am booked into forever for Valentine's Day with Lauren and Malcolm, of Salem, MA. This year will be our eighth Valentine's Day evening together.
However, just because the big day is booked, that doesn't mean you have to miss out on a fun and memorable Romantic Dinner for Two. Other dates are still available for Valentine’s Weekend. Send me an email to reserve one of the other nights to make sure that you don’t miss out on a great evening.
Remember, Valentine's Day (and weekend!) happens just once each year. Don't miss out on your chance to make this year's memorable.
Chef Bill's Blog
Newest Recipes
Chocolate Soufflé
This all started from a picture on my Facebook page of me and my first souffle since, well, a long time...
Chocolate soufflé? Really? Isn’t that the dish that makes professional chefs annoyed, and amateur chefs insane? Well, no, not really. All of those rumors (if you’re English, that would be “rumours”) were started by the French to make the world think that only they could make a soufflé. But it’s really one of those dishes that has three steps. If you follow them, then you’ll have a perfect soufflé. Here are the steps:
1. Melt the chocolates first. This will give them time to cool down while you prepare the rest of the recipe. Melt them in a double boiler or in a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Sure, you can do it in a microwave. I don’t like the microwave, though, because there’s usually a chocolate explosion that follows the words, “just put it on for 20 more seconds.”
2. Beat together the egg yolks and sugar. This will turn light colored in just a few minutes.
3. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. This won’t take long. Depending on your mixer, 2-5 minutes.
The are the main steps. Other steps include combining these parts together. The only place you can run into trouble is when you combine the final 2/3 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. The whites need to be folded into the chocolate. Folding is a very deliberate and careful method of combining something whipped (like egg whites or cream) with something else. Use a large rubber spatula, and steadily keep turning the spatula over to combine everything. Don’t give in to temptation by using a whisk or a big spoon to beat and whip everything together. If you do this, you’ll beat out all of the air you just put into the whites. That will result in a flat soufflé. Actually, you’ll end up with a chocolate Frisbee. Try to avoid this.
If you follow these steps (and do a practice run before you make this for your guests), you’ll knock everyone’s culinary socks right off. And just in time for Valentine’s Day, too.
News & Events
Thank you for making 2009 such a great year for my classes and public appearances. From Harbor Sweets, to Different Drummer's Kitchen to What's Cooking Kids to the Great Chefs for Jimmy, for the Jimmy Fund, to the Boston Wine Expo, to the Rays of Hope, and much more.
2010 is looking even better! Starting in January, I'll be doing classes at the famous cooking school at Stonewall Kitchen in York, ME. And I'll be back with the Great Chefs for Jimmy, the Boston Wine Expo, and more. So make sure you check back for details soon. It'll be a fun year!
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