Chocolate Raspberry Tart

I can't really take credit for this deliciously decadent dessert, because my mom made it when she and my dad were here visiting. But, I have to share this recipe because it was so wonderfully perfect. The tart raspberries are a fantastic complement to the rich chocolate of the custard and crust. To make matters even better, my mom said it was pretty easy to make!

Chocolate-Raspberry Tart (Everyday Food, May 2010)

32 chocolate wafer cookies (about 8 oz.)
2 Tbs. sugar
coarse salt
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (6 oz.)

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, combine cookies, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Process until very fine crumbs form. Add butter and pulse until mixture just comes together. Press crumbs firmly into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is dry and set, 20 minutes. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine chocolate and pinch of salt. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a bare simmer over medium-high. Immediately pour cream over chocolate and let stand 1 minute. Stir gently until chocolate melts and mixture is completely smooth. Pour chocolate into cooled tart shell and refrigerate until set, 30 minutes. To serve, remove tart from pan and scatter raspberries on top.

A Hungarian Dream

My grandparents on my mother's side are both first-generation Americans. All four of their parents immigrated from Hungary. Every year while I was growing up, my mom made this dish called chicken paprikas and nokedli. Once I became vegetarian, she adapted the recipe for me by making a mushroom paprikas. This meal is one of my all time favorite comfort food meals. The sauce for the heavy flour dumplings (the nokedli) is full of paprika and sour cream. The original recipe does not have any mushrooms in the paprikas, but Adam thinks they should be added to the meat version also. I served the paprikas and nokedli with some steamed broccoli for a little bit of healthiness, and we finished off the meal with Refrigerator Cake. Refrigerator Cake is my grandmother's specialty of graham crackers layered with chocolate and topped with whipped cream. All in all, this meal was a huge hit!


Paprikas csirke

Please excuse the spelling. No one was quite sure how to spell these dishes in my family, so we did the best we could. This is the recipe for the chicken. To make the vegetarian version, simply omit the chicken and add 1 lb. mixed mushrooms, sliced.

1 onion, chopped
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
1-2 Tbs. paprika
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 Tbs. flour

1. Brown the onion in a large, deep skillet with a bit of olive oil.
2. Add the chicken and cook until browned as well. Then, add water to cover the chicken, the paprika, and the tomato sauce. Simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, approximately 30 minutes.
3. Mix together the sour cream and flour, and then slowly add the mixture to the chicken. Serve over nokedli.


Nokedli

I have always ended up doubling this recipe. I will give it as my mother has given it to me, but know that you will probably want to make at least two batches.

2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
water

1. Mix together the eggs, salt, and flour. Slowly add water to the mixture until you can stir the mixture and it is slightly wet. It will be very sticky, but you should be able to portion it with a spoon.
2. Drop small spoonfuls of the dough into salted boiling water. Cook until the nodekli rise to the surface. You may have to do this process in batches if you are making a double batch, depending on the size of you pot.


Refrigerator Cake

I know this recipe sounds really simple, and it is, but it is absolutely delicious. My friend Scott literally thought about it and asked for it again when he came over later that week. I have now promised to make it for his birthday.

3 eggs, separated
6 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
5 Tbs. prepared coffee
1 Tbs. vanilla
graham crackers, at least one package depending on size of dish

1. Separate the eggs. Whip the egg yolks until fluffy.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Temper the egg yolks by adding a bit of the hot chocolate to them, and then add the yolks to the chocolate. Add the sugar, coffee, and vanilla. Cook the mixture over low heat while stirring constantly for 15 minutes.
3. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture after adding a bit of the chocolate mixture to the egg whites, tempering them as you did the yolks.
4. Layer the graham crackers with the chocolate mixture so that you have a layer of graham crackers, chocolate, graham crackers, chocolate, and then graham crackers. Refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Another Jamie Dinner

We decided to do it up Jamie style for our Tuesday night dinner. We thought the potatoes were good, but they were just a precursor to the fantastic-ness of this meal. We made rigatoni with sweet tomatoes, eggplant, and mozzarella that let us play with our new pasta maker (it will definitely still be delicious without homemade pasta too though). We finished the meal with a chocolate-orange souffle that Adam made. I still think about this meal and we made it over a week ago.


Rigatoni with Sweet Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Mozzarella (Jamie's Dinners, Jamie Oliver)

This sauce is creamy and succulent enough to make even those who don't love eggplant to lick their plates clean.

1 firm ripe pink, black, or white eggplant
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 14oz cans of good-quality plum tomatoes
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
optional: 1-2 fresh or dried chillies, chopped or crumbled
a bunch of fresh basil, leaves ripped and stalks sliced
4 Tbs. heavy cream
1 lb rigatoni or penne
7 oz cow's milk mozzarella
1 piece of Parmesan cheese, for grating

1. both ends of the eggplant and slice it into 1/2 inch slices, then slice these across and finely dice into 1/2 inch cubes. Some people prefer to season their eggplant with salt and let it sit for a while in a colander to draw out the bitterness, but I don't really do this unless I'm dealing with a seedy, bitter eggplant. This dish is really best made using a firm silky one.
2. Now put a large saucepan on the heat and drizzle in 4 to 5 Tbs. of extra virgin olive oil. When it's hot, add the cubes of eggplant, and as soon as they hit the pan stir them around with a spoon so they are delicately coated with the oil and not soaked on one side only. Cook for about 7 or 8 minutes on a medium heat. Then add the garlic and onion. When they have a little color, add the canned tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Stir around and season carefully with salt and pepper. At this point, if you wanted to give the dish a little heat you could add some chopped fresh or crumbled dried chilli, but that's up to you. Add the basil stalks, and simmer the sauce nice and gently for around 15 minutes, then add the cream.
3. While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the package instructions until it is soft but still holding its shape, then drain it, saving a little of the cooking water. I like to put the pasta back into the pot it was cooked in with a tiny bit of the cooking water and a drizzle of olive oil and move it around so it becomes almost dressed with the water and oil.
4. At this point add the lovely tomato sauce to the pasta. By now the eggplant will have cooked into a creamy tomatoey pulp, which is just yum yum yum! Season carefully to taste with salt and pepper. When all my guests are sitting round the table, I take the pan to the table, tear up the mozzarella and the fresh basil, and fold these in nicely for 30 seconds. Then very quickly serve into bowls. By the time your guests start to eat, the mozzarella will have started to melt and will be stringy and gorgeous and really milky-tasting. Just lovely with the tomatoes and eggplant. Serve at the table with a block of Parmesan cheese and a grater so that everyone can help themselves.


Chocolate Clafoutis with Caramelized Oranges (Jamie's Dinners, Jamie Oliver)

5 oranges
3 3/4 oz best-quality bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
5 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup sugar
a pinch of salt
2 large eggs
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 oz best-quality white chocolate, broken up
1 pint of creme fraiche

1. Preheat your oven to 400. Firstly zest 3 of your oranges, then carefully remove the outer peel and slice them across into wheel-shaped pieces just under 1/2 inch thick. Break the bittersweet chocolate up, place in a small bowl and slowly melt it over some simmering water, giving it a stir once in a while with a spatula.
2. You will need a deep 8 inch metal tin or earthenware dish to cook the clafoutis in. Rub the inside of it with a little of the butter. To make the clafoutis, sift the flour into a separate bowl, add the almonds, half the sugar, the salt, eggs, yolks, orange zest and milk. Whisk up until sooth and then add the rest of the butter to the melting chocolate. Scrape all the melted chocolate and butter into the batter mix and pour into your pan. Poke little pieces of white chocolate into the batter, then place the pan in the oven and bake for around 16 to 20 minutes. It will rise and should be firm around the edges but sticky and gooey in the middle. This doesn't mean it's undercooked...it means it's perfect! So be careful not to overcook it or it will just be like a boring sponge.
3. While it's cooking, bring the other half of your sugar to the boil with about 6 Tbs. of water on a medium heat until you have a golden caramel. Remove from the heat, add the juice from your remaining oranges and stir it in to loosen the caramel syrup slightly. Arrange your oranges nicely on a plate, pour over the caramel and serve with your chocolate clafoutis and a bowl of creme fraiche.

Holiday Cookies!

You can't go through a holiday season without baking some sort of treat. This year I made Adam's favorite, Kiss cookies, which I had to call his mom for recipe. I also made these hazlenut chocolate cookies which were a big hit as well. I think it was a draw as to which was the better, more delicious cookie. I'll let you be the judge.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Thumbprints (Cooking Light, December 2009)

4.5 oz. all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. instant espresso (optional)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup finely chopped hazlenuts, toasted
1/3 cup hazlenut-chocolate spread (such as Nutella)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt; stir with a whisk. Place butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stir egg yolks with a whisk, adding espresso, if desired. Add the yolk mixture and vanilla to butter; beat well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined.
3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of wax paper; knead 6 times or until smooth and shiny. Shape dough into 28 (1-inch) balls. Roll sides of balls in nuts, pressing gently. Arrange balls 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Press thumb into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake, 1 batch at a time, at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Spoon a scant 1/2 tsp. hazlenut-chocolate spread into center of each cookie.

Kiss Cookies (June Magruder, from Adam's Grandmother)

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 package Hershey's kisses (I used dark chocolate kisses)

1. Beat sugar, vanilla, and butter until fluffy. Add flour and nuts, beating until combined.
2. Chill dough about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375.
4. Shape dough around kisses. Bake for 12 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets, or until slightly golden.
5. Cool briefly and then roll in confectioner's sugar. For maximum sugar, re-roll in the confectioner's sugar after a little cooler.

Game Night Munchies

We invited two couples from Adam's soccer team over for a competitive game night of Trivial Pursuit and darts. To get the party started and keep it going, we had to make some amazing little munchies. We needed brain power, right?! We started the night off with a butternut squash dip, meatball (and not-so-meatball) dippers, and baked brie. Then, after some amazing game playing, we finished the night off with chocolate pudding. A pretty good game night (especially in the darts division), if I may say so myself!


Butternut Squash Spread with Pepitas (Cooking Light, September 2007)

This spread isn't my favorite in the world, but it definitely grew on me as I kept eating it, and eating it, and eating it....We served the spread with cucumber spears, red pepper slices, and bread.

1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 lbs.)
1 tsp. olive oil
cooking spray
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh sage (we used dried)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
dash of crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
2 Tbs. unsalted pumpkinseed kernels, toasted

1. Place squash in a medium saucepan; cover with water 2 inches above squash. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add sage and next 4 ingredients; saute 2 minutes. Cool.
3. Place squash, onion mixture, and tomatoes in a food processor; process until smooth. Spoon into a medium bowl; sprinkle with pumpkinseed kernels.

Mini Meatballs with Creamy Dill Dip (Cooking Light, March 2005)

Adam made this recipe exactly, but we adapted it to me by simply making me the dip and using vegan meatballs from Trader Joes. Adam LOVED his meatballs, and I have to say that mine were not too shabby. Yet another item of the night I couldn't stop eating.

Meatballs
1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. dill seeds
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lbs. ground round
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
cooking spray

Dip
2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1. To prepare meatballs, combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl; shape mixture into 32 (1-inch) meatballs. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add half of meatballs to pan; cook 8 minutes or until done, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; drain well on paper towels. Repeat procedure with remaining meatballs. Cover and chill.
2. To prepare dip, combine sour cream and remaining 3 ingredients; stir with a whisk. Cover and chill. Serve meatballs with dip.


Baked Brie

This is such an easy and decadent appetizer; it's pretty much our go-to whenever we want something delicious yet simple.

1 sheet puff pastry
1 wheel brie
2-3 Tbs. raspberry jelly or preserves
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Roll out the puff pastry as much as possible, making sure that it doesn't get too thin. Place the wheel of brie in the middle. Top with the raspberry jelly. Fold the puff pastry over the brie and jelly, making sure that all edges are sealed. Place the puff pastry on a baking sheet, seal side down. Brush the egg on the puff pastry.
2. Bake at 400 for 15-20, or until golden brown.
3. Allow your guests to cut the wheel into wedges. Eat alone or spread on bread.


Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding with Raspberries (Cooking Light, January-February 2006)

This pudding had a slightly odd texture, but that didn't stop me from gobbling it up. Maybe I was really hungry at this party.... Anyway, this pudding is definitely worth trying!

1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla extract
dash of salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup raspberries
4 tsp. shaved white chocolate

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl; stirring well with a whisk.
2. Combine milks in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; add bittersweet chocolate to pan; stirring until chocolate melts. Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot chocolate mixture into egg mixture; add egg mixture to remaining chocolate mixture in pan, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and creamy, stirring constantly. Pour into a bowl; cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap. Chill. Top with raspberries and white chocolate.

Desserts Galore!

We have been making quite a few desserts lately, so I am going to group a few of them together. In particular, we have been making a lot of ice cream. My sister gave us an ice cream maker for Christmas, and it works so well that we can't help but use it all the time. While my parents were here, we made coffee ice cream and paired it with a perfectly gooey Hot Chocolate Cupcakes. And, while Adam's parents were here, we made a wonderfully chocolate ice cream that we topped with freshly sliced strawberries.


Coffee Ice Cream (Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker Recipe Booklet)

1 cup whole milk, well chilled [we actually used the skim milk we had in the fridge; use whatever milk you have]
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2-3 Tbs. instant espresso or coffee, to taste
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk, granulated sugar, and espresso powder until the sugar and espresso are dissolved, about 1-2 minutes on low speed. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Turn the machine ON, pour the mixture into freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes. [We always put the ice cream in the freezer for a few hours before eating.]


Hot Chocolate Cupcakes (Cupcakes!, Elinor Kilvans)

These didn't really end up in cupcake form, but they sure were delicious!

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 1/3 cups (8 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. chocolate fudge sauce, cold

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350. Line 6 extra-large muffin tin cups with large paper liners. Spray the paper liners with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Put the butter and chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler). Stir until the butter and chocolate chips are melted and smooth. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla until thickened and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix in the melted chocolate mixture. Mix in the flour until it is incorporated.
4. Fill each paper liner with slightly more than 1/3 cup of batter, to about 1/2 inch below top of the liner. Put 1 tsp. of the cold chocolate sauce in the center of each cupcake and use a small metal spatula or clean finger to spread the batter over the chocolate sauce, covering it completely.
5. Bake just until the to9ps are firm and a toothpick inserted near the edge comes out with a little sticky, but not wet, batter clinging to it, about 20 minutes. (If you test the center, you will hit the melted filling.) Cool the cupcakes for 10 to 20 minutes in the pan on a wire rack.
6. Carefully lift the cupcakes by their papers from the pan. Carefully remove the papers, and use a wide metal spatula to slide the cupcakes onto serving plates. Place a scoop of ice cream beside each cupcake and serve immediately.
Note: The cupcakes can be left in their paper liners, covered, and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Rewarm them for about 10 minutes in a preheated 225 oven.


Ben's Chocolate Ice Cream (Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Dessert Book, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield with Nancy J. Stevens)

We didn't use a double boiler to melt the chocolate, and the ice cream came out a little grainy, but the flavor was absolutely delicious.

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

1. Melt the unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Gradually whisk in the milk and heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool.
2. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Add the cream, vanilla, and salt and whisk to blend.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 to 3 hours, depending on your refrigerator.
4. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

That's in My Cookie?

We had a serious need to use up some zucchini that was at the end of its life. I decided to use it in a bit of an untraditional manner-cookies! I remembered reading the recipe while devouring Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Her daughter Camille inserted stories about growing up surrounded by food and recipes that accompanied the theme of each chapter. This is one of her recipes that will now be part of my cookie repertoire. They are healthier than your average chocolate chip cookie with the whole wheat flour and zucchini additions, yet still wonderfully delicious. The best part is that this cookie makes you think outside the box about what can be considered a dessert ingredient.


Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara and Camille Kingsolver)

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon [I doubled this]
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
12 oz. chocolate chips

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients, the egg through the vanilla, in a large bowl.
2. Combine the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices in a separate, small bowl and blend into the liquid mixture.
3. Stir zucchini and chocolate chips into other ingredients, mix well. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350, 10 to 15 minutes.