Chocolate Filled Raspberries

I saw this on Pinerest and thought it looked awesome.
I used 1 Pint Fresh Raspberries and 1/2 Cup Nestles Chips but you can use White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate or a combination.
I brought these to a tennis match one morning when I was partially responsible for snacks that day.  I assembled them in the morning and froze them before heading to the courts.  They were really tasty and easy to snack on!

White Chocolate Coconut Cake

Remember the Dacquoise I posted in December? In it, I mentioned a pastry chef from the Atlanta Hilton and Towers?  Well, the cake I can still see (and taste) was done by the same guy and was sold in the coffee shop next door to the restaurant I managed.  It was a triple layer cake with a delicious white meringue icing and covered in fluffy white coconut.
Many years ago, I adapted a few recipes to create something similar using white chocolate layers.  If ever you are looking for an honest to goodness old time favorite you need to hunt down Junior League Cookbooks.  I have a few, California Fresh (Jr League of Oakland-East Bay), Connecticut a la Carte (Jr League of Hartford) , and Celebrations of the Bayou (Jr League of Monroe,LA).  Low and behold, I found a White Chocolate Layer Cake recipe that is already written for 3 layers in my Monroe book.  I made a few adjustments such as doubling the white chocolate and increasing the cake flour to make up for the extra moisture.  I omitted the pecans because I want a strictly white cake, white icing and white coconut.

For the white chocolate layers.  Using a cooking spray or Crisco, grease (3) 9" pans. Cut rounds of parchment by tracing the bottom of the pan and cutting out the circles.  Place on greased pan and re-grease the parchment so it completely sticks to the pan.   Measure 1 Cup Buttermilk into a measuring cup and add 1 tsp Baking Soda.  Place 8 oz White Chocolate in a bowl and place it in a pot of simmering water.  Once it melts, stir and remove from the pot of water.  Let cool slightly.  Measure out 2 3/4 Cups Cake Flour.  Preheat oven to 350.  Cream together 2 Sticks Butter with 2 Cup Sugar.  Separate 4 Eggs, the Yolks go in the butter mixture and the Whites go into a clean dry bowl for beating. Add 1 tsp Vanilla to the batter.  Continue to cream until it's combined.  To the batter add, 1/4 flour, 1/3 chocolate, and 1/3 buttermilk, begining and ending with flour, until it's all in the batter.

Whip Egg Whites until they are stiff.  Fold the whites into the batter, 1/3 at a time.   Divide the batter placing 1/3 in each pan.  Spread the batter until it touches the sides and is flat.  Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Let cool for 15 minutes then loosen the sides and remove from the pan.   Place upside down and remove the parchment paper.  Let cool entirely before you assemble the cake.

For the icing, I use a Gale Gand recipe.  It is really fun to make and even more fun to spread.  I made 1 1/2 times the recipe.  This is cooked in a double boiler.  You can make one by using a bowl that fits snuggly into a pot.  Fill pot 1/2 way with water and boil over medium high heat.  To the bowl add 3 Egg Whites, 9 Tbl Cold Water, 2 1/4 Cups Sugar, and 3/4 tsp Cream of Tartar.  Place bowl over the pot of water and reduce to either medium or medium low and using a hand mixer, whip the mixture until stiff peaks.  This will take about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and mix every few minutes.  Once the mixture begins to cool, add 1 Tsp Vanilla.  Continue to beat every few minutes until it is cool.  This will take an additional 15-20 minutes.  Using a spatula, ice the cake by first icing each layer, then the top, then the sides.  The volume of icing should allow you to generously spread the icing without getting crumbs all over it.  (NOTE: I used all the of the icing) Add Coconut to the sides and top while the icing is still sticky.  Enjoy with your family!!

Frozen Chocolate Mousse with a Chocolate Cookie Crust

If you want to impress your friends, make this dessert.  It's a bit time consuming but it's all cleaned up by the time you entertain.  My inspiration came from a spring-form pan I found that is 3" tall and 6 1/2" in diameter.  I basically made my chocolate mousse recipe, with a few changes, and froze it.
For the Cookie Crust, in a food processor, add 12 Nabisco Chocolate Wafer Cookies.  Add 1 Tbl Sugar and 1 Tbl melted UnSalted Butter.  Grind until you have find crumbs.  Lay a piece of plastic wrap in the pan to ensure your mousse won't stick.  It should hang over the sides.  Add a generous layer of crumbs in the bottom of a spring-form pan and gently tap using a flat bottomed glass or a round meat tenderizer.  Place in freezer.
The mousse recipe is made in 3 basic steps.  Organize how you will use 2 pots and 3 bowls, as you need 2 double boilers.

To a bowl that will fit into a pot to create a double boiler, add 6 oz Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate, 6 oz UnSalted Butter and 1/4 Cup Water.  Fill pot with 2" water and heat over medium heat.  Place the bowl in the pot.   Melt the mixture while stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and allow to return to room temperature.

Separate 4 Large Eggs, the whites into a mixing bowl and the yolks into a bowl that will fit over a pot of water.  In the second bowl, over 2 " simmering water, use a hand mixer to beat 4 Egg Yolks with 1/3 Cup + 2 Tbl Sugar and 4 Tbl Frangelico.  This will take about 15 minutes.  It should be fairly thick, almost like runny mayonnaise.  Remove from the heat and place the yolk mixture bowl in an ice bath in order to cool the bowl and therefore yolk mixture.  Continue beating the mixture until is is cool to the touch.  This may take about 15 minutes.

Fold the Chocolate Mixture into the Yolk Mixture.

Beat Egg Whites until frothy.  Continue beating until they begin to hold their shape. Add 1 Tbl Sugar and beat until shiny and add 1 tsp Vanilla.

Fold 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate mixture.  Do this 2 more times.  Add this on top of the cookie crust.  It should fill the pan to the top.  Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.  To serve, whip 1 Cup Heavy Cream with 1 Tbl Sugar until the peaks hold.
Remove the ring from the frozen dessert and discard the plastic wrap.  Cut the frozen dessert with a sharp knife and place on a plate.  Add a dollop of whipped cream.  Either sprinkle with leftover cookie crumbs or chocolate shavings and serve at once.

Wonderful Sabayon Recipe

I am not sure where this recipe came from but it is in my kitchen book and I have made it a half a dozen times over the years.  It traditionally uses Champagne but my sparking beverage hails from California so I'm going to call it Sabayon rather than Champagne Sabayon.  It is rich and filled with all of the worst things for you, however, it is incredibly delicious.  When serving, use the Sabayon sparingly and balance it with fresh fruit.  Here is the Sabayon recipe.
Create a double boiler fitting a thick bottomed pot and a bowl that when placed in the pot, doesn't allow for the steam to escape.  Remove bowl and heat the pot with 2" of water over medium heat.  To the bowl, add 1/3 Cup Sugar and 4 Egg Yolks.  Beat with a hand mixer until the mixture is thick, pale, and ribbons.  Place the bowl in the pot with the hot water and add to the mixture 1 1/2 Tbl Kirsch, 3 Tbl Sparkling Wine, 1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice, 1 tsp Grated Lemon Zest.  (If you don't have Kirsch add 4 1/2 Tbl Sparkling Wine.)  Beat on high until the mixture is thick and fluffy.  Add the bowl to an even larger bowl filled with ice water.  Continue beating until the mixture is cool.  Transfer to a clean bowl.  This can be made in the morning and refrigerated until dessert time.  Cover with plastic wrap making sure the wrap actually touches the sabayon so a skin doesn't form.
When ready to serve, in a separate bowl, beat 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream until soft peaks and fold into the egg mixture.  Layer the Sabayon and Fresh Berries in a tall fluted glass.  Serve with the open bottle of Sparkling Wine!  Serves 6.

Chocolate Ganache Cake

This is a fun cake to make and is very impressive to serve.  The only thing better than those 2 things is its taste!  I made this 2 times in May this year because my son's second grade teacher is a chocolate fan.  We made one for her and my son and husband were disappointed to see it go out the door, so we made another one the following weekend.  Having helped on the first one, my son did most of the work of the second one!

This comes from a 1997 Gourmet magazine.  I changed the order in which I make the steps.  There are 3 basic steps, ganache, genoise cake, and glaze. 

Begin with the ganache because it has to be refrigerated.  Add to an empty pot, 1 1/4 C Heavy Cream, 2 Tbl UnSalted Butter, 2 Tbl light Corn Syrup.  Over medium high heat, bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add 1 Lb Semi Sweet or Bitter Sweet Chocolate.  I like to use Ghiradelli or Lindt.

For the genoise, preheat oven to 350.  Prepare a 9" cake pan with 2" sides, by buttering the pan, adding a circle of parchement and buttering the parchment.  In a small bowl, add 1/3 C sifted (do this before measuring) Droste Cocoa Powder, 1/3 Cup Flour, 1/3 C Cornstarch, and a pinch of Baking Soda.  Using a wire whip, mix these ingredients together. 

Place 2-3" of water in a pot and simmer over medium high heat.  In a metal bowl that will fit tightly over the  pot of water creating a double boiler, whisk together 3 Eggs, 3 Egg Yolks, 2/3 C Sugar, and 1/4 tsp Salt.  Place bowl over simmering water and whisk until just lukewarm.  Remove bowl from heat and using a hand mixer, beat until mixture has cooled and doubled in volume.  Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the eggs and fold together.  Repeat 2 more times until batter is mixed together.  Pour batter in pan and place on the middle shelf of the oven.  Bake for 30 minutes until cake is firm to the touch and pulls away from pan slightly.  Once done invert onto a rack and invert a 2nd time onto a rack and let cake cool with the top upward.

Make Syrup, in a pan, add 1/3 C Water and 1/3 C Sugar and place over medium heat to disolve sugar.  Remove from heat and let cool and add 1/3 C Chambord.  Note, I usually forego the syrup and use only the 1/2 C Raspberry Jam beween layers. 

Let ganache stand at room temperature til it is cool but pliable.  Beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. 

Remove parchment from cooled cake and using a long serrated bread knife, cut the cake into 3rds using a sawing motion, cutting straight across keeping the knife level.  This part is tricky, just stay calm and take your time.  Take top layer and place it upside down on a flat base or a cake plate.  Brush with 1/3 of the syrup, spread with 1/2 of the jam and spread with 1/3 of the ganache.  Add the next layer and repeat.  Add the bottom, bottom (flat side up) and top with syrup and ganache.  Chill cake for 30 minutes, while you do some clean up.

Make glaze.  To a saucepan, bring 1 Cup Heavy Cream and rmove from heat.  Add 8 oz coarsley chopped Semi Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate.  Swirl until the chocolate is covered in cream.  Let sit for 2 minutes.  Whisk until combined and strain over the cake to top.  You will have to use an offset cake spatula as you go to glaze the top and sides of the cake.  The cake will set up in about 5 minutes.  Garnish with Fresh Raspberries.  This cake is rich and can be cut into small slices so if feeds 10-12 people easily.  It's a lot of work but it is truly a gourmet delight!  When you say "look what I made", your own arm won't be long enough to pat yourself on the back!!

Valentine's Day Cookie Bouquet

Don't these look fun?  I love recipes my son can help me with and he loves to play with the extra dough!  I began making these cookies back in Dec 2001 when I did a cookie decorating day with my all of my friends little girls.  A few years ago at Easter, my sister-in-law, A, arrived at her mother's house with a bouquet of cookies she and her girls made.  I loved it and have copied her idea of adding sticks.  Thanks A! 

These heart cookies on a stick were made yesterday for a belated Valentine's Day exchange at my son's school.  I wrapped them individually in bags.

This is a Gale Gand's cookie dough recipe.  On medium speed, cream 1 Stick Cool UnSalted Butter.  Add 1 Cup Sugar and mix well.  Add 1 Egg, 1/4 Cup Milk and 1/4 tsp Vanilla.  Sift 2 tsp Baking Powder with 1 Cup Flour.  Add to batter.  Sift an additional 2 Cups Flour and add as needed til you have a nice dough, not sticky and not too dry.  Place on plastic wrap and form a disk.  Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 375.  Roll out dough 1/4" thick and cut out your desired shapes.  Insert a long lollipop stick to each cookie.  No matter what holiday, I always include the mini hearts for additional cookies.  Once you can cut no longer, quickly ball up dough to roll and cut 1 more time.  I don't go any further than that because overhandling the dough makes the cookies too tough.
I let my son play with the rest.  It keeps him busy while the cookies bake.  Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Let them cool all the way before icing. 

I made this Cream Cheese Butter Cream recipe up.  Make the icing using a hand held mixer.  I like to blend 3 Tbl Softened Butter and 3 Tbl softened Cream Cheese in a bowl.  Add a Tbl or 2 of 1/2&1/2.  Add enough Confectioners Sugar to get a stiff icing that won't run.  This recipe is very forgiving, so you can make adjustments til you get it just so.  Always have enough sugar on hand because it you make it too runny, the only correction is more sugar.  Divide into separate bowls and color each bowl.  Ice cookies and decorate with sprinkles right away.
For a bouquet, get a peice on floral foam and add to the bottom of a clean pot.  Use 1 of your lollipop sticks to start holes.  Add cookies and deliver your bouquet in person!

Valentines Day Breakfast

Show a little love with these yummy Manhole Eggs! I have been making these since I was a kid. I used either a a biscuit cutter or a glass to cut the hole. Many years ago, I began using a heart shaped mold and in one of Martha's recent issues, she used a heart shaped mold as well. Great minds think a like, lol!

Preheat skillet over medium heat. Butter both sides of 1 Slice of Bread. On a clean flat surface, cut out the shape of you choice. Butter the lower inside and outside edge of the cookie cutter and set aside. Brown the bread shape on both sides, turning once. Break open 1 Egg into a small dish and have it ready, the rest goes fast. Place bread in skillet and brown the first side. Turn over the bread so the brown side is up. Add your cookie cutter back into the hole. Add a 1/2 tsp Butter to hole and when melted, add the egg. When the egg appears firm enough to turn, remove mold and turn entire piece of bread in one careful motion. Cook for another minute or so. Serve at once!

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Wow, was this good! I took a recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook and made alterations to it. The one thing I kept the same though was the butter. I had better get this in, this is a good dessert for a Super Bowl party or a tail gate at a Mardi Gras parade.
I went hunting for a Brioche or Challah Bread cause I think they make the best bread pudding. If you can't find either, look for a bread that has been made with egg. In you want a traditional New Orleans Bread Pudding, use day old Italian Bread. Please note that this recipe uses (3) 4oz White Chocolate Bars. I like to use Ghirardelli
Pictured is a 9" x 13" Lasagne dish. I like it cause it's deep and has straight sides. Butter it well. Melt 6 TBL UnSalted Butter. Cube 6 Cups Bread to 3/4" cubes. Place in bowl, pour melted butter over top and stir to coat bread. Set aside. Break (2) 4 oz White Chocolate into small pieces and place in a separate bowl. In a heavy sauce pan, bring 3 Cups Whole Milk and 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream to a SIMMER. Do not boil. Pour over White Chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 3 Large Eggs, 1 1/2 Cups Sugar, 2 tsp Vanilla, and 1/4 tsp Salt. Whisk until combined. Pour custard over bread. Once this mixture has cooled slightly, add the last White Chocolate Bar broken up into small pieces. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place a plate on the wrap to keeping the bread in the custard. If needed, add a can to weight down plate. Let this stand for an hour. Give a stir and place in caserole dish. Dust generously with Sanding Sugar. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 40-50 minutes on the center rack, rotating half way through the baking process. The center should still tremble slightly when dish is moved as it will continue to bake once it is removed from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with whipped cream and Chocolate Curls.
Please note, I used a water bath for baking cause my dish is deeper than the original recipe and I didn't want it to burn before it was done in the middle. For serving, I warmed it in the oven set at 350 without the bath for 15 minutes.

Fudge Pudding Pie

This recipe has been in my family for over 50 years. It is baked in a pie dish, perfect for ala mode, with just about any flavor ice cream you have on hand. It has a wafer thin crispy top crust and is slightly chewy due to the sugar to flour ratio.

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a pie dish.
Melt 1 oz Unsweetened Chocolate in All Clad sauce pan. Remove from heat and using a portable mixer beat in 1 stick Butter, 1 C. Sugar, 2 Eggs. Gradually add 1/2 C Flour. Stir in 1/2 C. Nuts and 1 tsp. Vanilla.
Bake for 20-25 minutes til top slightly cracks. Serve warm or at room temperature.