Happy Independence Day from Fireislandchef! It is a beautiful day in Greenville, Maine and everybody is out celebrating the 4th of July. We got the kids up this morning and drove into town for the annual parade.

This is the first summer I have been able to go so I enjoyed it as much, maybe even more than the kids!

It seemed like the whole town showed up, decked out head to toe in red, white and blue!

There were classic cars, fire trucks, lots of local flavor and candy for the kids.

Everybody had a wonderful time celebrating the 4th of July. Parades like this are a reminder of what truly makes this country great. I love to see people coming together to celebrate our differences and the values that unite us all, freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

Independence Day wouldn’t be complete without a cookout and, of course, a patriotic dessert! Here is my recipe for individual flourless chocolate cakes with whipped cream, blueberries and strawberries.

This is a great dessert to make for a crowd because you can make it up to a week ahead of time and just garnish and serve when everybody is ready for dessert!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Makes: 8 individual servings

Ingredients:

4 Eggs

½ Cup Sugar

1½ Sticks Butter

14 oz. Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Whisk together eggs and sugar vigorously by hand or in a stand mixer until sugar completely dissolves.

Melt butter and then add chocolate. Melt the chocolate in the butter and stir until smooth.

Slowly pour the melted butter and chocolate (I used Ghiradelli semi-sweet chips but you can use whatever your favorite chocolate is. The better the chocolate, the better the cake!) into the eggs and sugar while whisking continuously. When completely combined, pour mixture into 8 six ounce ramekins.

Put ramekins in an oven safe pan. Place the pan in the oven and carefully pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 25 minutes or until mixture is just set but still jiggles. Remove from oven and carefully take ramekins out of the water bath. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Cakes will keep in the refrigerator at least one week.

When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and berries (kids love to help with this) and enjoy!