Brandied Apricot Beignets with Chocolate Sauce

Chocolate Sauce

Bring just to a boil:

¾ C heavy cream
1T honey
1 T brandy

Remove from heat and add 10 ounces of chocolate (semi or bitter sweet). Wait 30 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Cover and chill.

Beignets

Bring to a boil:

½ C dried apricots, chopped
3 T water
3T brandy
3 T sugar

Cover and steep for 30 minutes. Drain and reserve both apricots and syrup.

Bring to a boil:

½ C water
½ C whole milk
6 T butter, diced
½ tsp salt.

Remove from heat and add 1 cup of flour and stir until ball forms. Return to medium heat and cook until a film forms on the bottom,about 2 minutes. Remove from heat again and using electric mixer add 4 eggs, one at a time and then add apricots.

Bring 1 ½ inches of oil to 350 degrees and drop batter by teaspoonfuls into oil. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Rewarm chocolate sauce by adding apricot syrup and heating over low. Either pour sauce over or use as a dip.

From Bon Appetit March 2008

Worst dinner, old dinner, OMG have to eat that pronto!, and also a really big weiner.

Couple of interesting foodie items today:

From Chez Pim, a great new food blog discovery for me, a tale of possibly the worst dinner ever, though still a feast for the eyes. Make sure to scroll through the full gallery of pictures.

The chef, a brain surgeon by day, and obviously an anal retentive by night, has developed an edible microfilm that looks somewhat like saran wrap and apparently does not taste too much better, and has contrived to wrap absolutely everything in it.

And from kottke.org I was referred to this page of foods that were not available in Europe in the Middle Ages. Like potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, vanilla and more. Its was meant to be a guide for those trying for a historically authentic meal but just to think about it is amusing enough.

And then there is SmittenMitten:

It is a Caramel Walnut Upside Down Banana Cake, and there is now purpose to my life.

Olive Oil Cake

1 C orange juice
1 tsp fine salt
3 large eggs, room temp
1 ¼ C whole milk
2 C sugar
¼ C Dark Rum
1 ½ C extra virgin Olive Oil
1 T lemon zest
2 tsp Anise seed
2 tsp finely chopped fresh Rosemary leaves
2 C all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
6 T orange marmalade
3 T Dark Rum
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, oil 2 (9 inch) round cake pans

In a nonreactive saucepan, reduce orange juice over medium heat to ¼ cup. Add salt and let cool.

Lightly beat eggs until frothy.

Add milk, sugar, rum, olive oil, reduced orange juice, lemon zest, anise seed and 1 tsp rosemary. Mix for 1 minute until well blended.
Mix flour, baking soda and baking powder until well blended and smooth.

Pour half the mixture into each oiled (I oiled and put down parchment paper) cake pan.

Bake for 1 hour.

Place on rack to cool. Turn cake out onto plate, remove paper.

Mix the 3 tbsp Rum with the Marmalade.

While the cake is still warm, smooth half the marmalade mixture onto the top of each cake. Sprinkle remaining 1 tsp rosemary evenly over both cakes. Garnish with Rosemary sprig.

I served this with Rum flavoured, whipped cream. Make your whipped cream as usual and add 2tbsp dark rum.

Printed from the “Food Network” website

Chocolate Profieroles with Chocolate Sauce

For Profiteroles

¾ C unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¾ C water
¼ tsp salt
¾ C all-purpose flour
¼ C cocoa
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425.

Bring butter, water and salt to boil in small saucepan.
Reduce heat to medium then add flour and cocoa all at once and cook, beating with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and cool for 3 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well with electric mixer after each addition.

Pour into 18 mounds onto baking sheet and bake 20 to 25 minutes until puffy & golden.
Cool on rack.

Split profiteroles open and place a small scoop of vanilla ice cream inside.
Plate 3 per dish and cover with a fine quality chocolate sauce.

Source: Gourmet, March 2008

Mocha Sambuca Shooters

Loved the presentation of this dessert. Had to try it and it turned out beautifully.
See below for two day method of preparation if you do not want to do this all at once.

Cocoa Sambuca Mini-Cakes

1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 C black sambuca

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Line each miniature muffin cup with mini size (15/8″) foil bake cups.

Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder onto large piece of parchment paper and set aside.
Place sugar, egg, and egg yolk in an electric mixer bowl fitted with a paddle.
Beat on high for 2 minutes until mixture is thickened and light in color.
Operate mixer on low and add butter slowly in a steady stream. Mix until incorporated, about 1 minute.
Continue to operate on low and add the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides with a spatula.
Continue on low while adding the black sambuca in a slow steady stream, mix until incorporated about 30 seconds. Now beat on medium for 30 seconds.
Remove bowl from mixer and use rubber spatula to finish mixing.

Position 1 tablespoon of the cake batter in each bake cup.
Place muffin tins in top and centre of oven, rotating halfway through baking time.
Bake 10-13 minutes until toothpick comes clean from the centre of muffin.
Remove from oven and cool at room temperature in the tins for 10 minutes.
Remove the muffins from the tins at set aside at room temperature.

Mocha Sambuca Ganache

4 oz semi sweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 C heavy cream
3 T whole expresso beans
1/2 oz unsalted butter
1 T black sambuca
2 tsp granulated sugar
Garnish
24 chocolate covered espresso beans
Makes 24 shooters

Place the semi sweet chocolate in a medium bowl.
Heat the heavy cream, espresso beans, butter, black sambuca and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. When hot stir to dissolve the sugar and butter. Bring to a boil.
Pour the boiling cream mixture through a strainer held over the chopped chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth.
Transfer the ganache to a baking sheet with sides and spread evenly. Refrigerate 45-60 minutes until firm to the touch.
Remove the firm ganache from refrigerator and transfer to the bowl of the electric mixer, fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium for 30 seconds until slightly lighter in color. Remove from mixer and finish mixing with rubber spatula.
Transfer ganache to pastry bag fitted with a medium straight tip.
Pipe approximately 1 heaping teaspoon of ganache onto each cake.
Place a whole chocolate coated espresso bean onto the ganache of each mini cake and serve immediately.

Shooters

The shooters may be prepared over 2 days.

Day 1: Bake the individual cocoa sambuca mini cakes. Once they are cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Day 2: Remove the mini cakes from the refrigerator. Make the Mocha Sambuca Ganache. Pipe the ganache onto the mini cakes. Garnish with chocolate covered espresso bean.
Assemble Shooters: A long stemmed shooter glass works best. Pour white Sambuca in bottom bottom third of shooter glass. Using a spoon, angled in the glass, slide the black sambuca onto the white sambuca in the second third of the glass (layered look).

Place the finished Cocoa Sambuca Mini Cake on the top and serve. (Mini Cake should be suspended on the top of the glass over the Sambucas)

Taken from Celebrate With Chocolate by Marcel Desauliniers.

Mexican Chocolate Souffle Cake

Another one of Paul’s favorite dishes is a molten chocolate cake and as Laurie loves to make dessert, his frequent request is for that, no matter what the cuisine. The cinnamon, espresso and vanilla gives this version a Mexican accent.

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
½ C butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 ½ tsp instant espresso powder (or the real thing but a bit more)

6 large egg yolks
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

2 large egg whites

½ C chilled whipping cream

1 C fresh rasberries

Butter 4 ramekins , 4 ½ inches diameter and about 1 inch high sides.

Stir chocolate and butter over low heat until smooth.
Remove from heat and add espresso and salt.
Let cool, stirring occasionally.

Beat egg yolks, all but 1 T sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in large bowl until mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 5 minutes.
Fold ¼ of the chocolate mixture into the chocolate then fold it all together gently.

Beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form.
Add remaining 1 T sugar and beat until firm peaks form.
Fold into chocolate mixture.
Cover and chill 1 to 4 hours.

Bake at 400 degrees until edges are set and centers are still soft, about 11 minutes.
Cool on racks. Run knife around edges to release and serve with fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream.

(from Bon Appetit, January 1998)

Maple Sugar Pie

So sweet, but always a hit. Make sure you serve this with a dollop of whipped cream to cut the sweetness.

1 ½ c packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
½ C heavy cream
1/3 C maple syrup (good, dark stuff)
2 tsp unsalted melted butter
8 inch pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the brown sugar and eggs until creamy.
Add cream, syrup and butter and whisk until smooth and pour into pie crust.

Bake pie in lower third of oven until pastry is golden brown and the filling is puffed and looks dry but still “trembles” – 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool on a rack to room temperature, the filling will settle as the pie cools.

Cardamom and Pistachio Shortbread

1 C butter
½ C icing sugar
1 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
2 C flour
¼ C ground pistachios

Cream the butter, cardamom & sugar together.
Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture.
When it holds together in a ball, form it into a log, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (until solid).
Cut into ¼ inch slices and bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes & finish on a rack.

Serve with Oranges and Cream

Oranges and cream

Deceptively simple, this simple and refreshing dessert is one I make over and over.

8 blood* or navel oranges
2T rose water
4T honey
4 T orange juice
1 C whipping cream
4 T Gur, or Indian raw sugar

Segment the oranges and arrange nicely in a dish. Mix the rose water, honey and juice together and pour over oranges. Refrigerate at least one hour. Whip the cream and cover the oranges with it. Sprinkle the gur over the top and serve. (In a pinch I use dark brown sugar bur gur is delicious!)

(Best of Lord Krishna’s Cuisine)

The Greatest Cookies Ever

(Neiman Marcus)

Okay, I have never made these for dinner club, but they are killer and have a great story behind them.

Whether urban legend or not (the friend who sent me the recipe swears it’s true), a lady and her daughter stopped for a break at the café in a Neiman Marcus store. Her daughter loved the cookies so she asked for the recipe and the server replied it would cost her two-fifty (the price of the cookie). On her next bill from the store they had charged her $250 and when she complained they refused to refund or her money or discuss it, after all, she already had their “secret” recipe. So she promptly sent it to about a thousand people asking they send it along. It makes a lot of cookies but the recipe can probably be halved.

2 C butter
4 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 C sugar
5 C blended oatmeal
24 oz, chocolate chips
2 C brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 8 oz Hershey bar, grated (I use the Callebaut chocolate flakes…)
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
3 C chopped nuts (your choice, I like pecans)

Measure oatmeal into blender & blend into fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking soda & powder. Add chocolates and nuts.
Roll into balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Sooooo goooood….

-Laurie