Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I went strawberry picking yesterday and came home to discover half a chocolate bar in my pantry just waiting to be melted down and used for dipping berries. Yum!!!!

Dessert Tray

From left to right: brown butter shortbread, rose jellies, truffle balls, lime meltaways. For the truffles, I used the recipe for my favorite truffle cake, and I just rolled the ganache into balls and tossed them in the candied almonds instead of layering them.

Chocolate Layer Cake

My mom and I were reminiscing about some of the "special treat" foods we would eat when I was a kid and my father would travel. (When my mother travelled, my dad and I would eat all kinds of hot dog concoctions, among other things.) I specifically remembered eating macaroni and cheese, and Entenmann's chocolate cake- which my mother tells me we only had one time, in a pinch- so we decided to recreate the meal when my father left on a month long trip to Patagonia. We used this recipe from Katie Quinn Davies. We opted to make it square so it would be more reminiscent of the supermarket variety.

Truffle Cake aka The Second* Easiest Cake in the World

This is a combination of two different River Cafe "truffle cake" recipes- one had a more mousse-like filling that used egg yolks and butter with the chocolate on top of a hazelnut praline crust, and the other was simply chocolate and cream, or 100% ganache. I opted to make the praline crust with the simple ganache on top and the combination was perfect. I used Mission almonds instead of hazelnuts, which my mother doesn't like. Aside from an hour of chilling in the fridge, this cake came together in about a half hour and required almost no effort at all, and only five ingredients, all of which I had in my pantry. I served it with whipped cream and it was such a huge hit at our Passover meal that I will definitely be making it again.

2 C Mission almonds (or hazelnuts)
6 Tbs Demerara sugar (you could also use Turbinado or brown)
1/2 C butter (I used salted and I thought it was a nice compliment to the bittersweet chocolate)
450 g dark chocolate (70% is recommended)
10 oz heavy whipping cream

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Butter the bottom of a 9" springform pan, line with parchment, and butter the paper as well. Roast the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes, and then pulse in a food processor until coarsely ground.

Melt butter in a saucepan and add sugar, letting it boil until a light caramel forms (not very long). Add the nuts and stir for a couple of minutes so that everything sticks together. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and spread into an even layer while still hot. Let cool.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Heat the cream and then stir it into the chocolate until combined. Pour on top of the praline crust and refrigerate for at least an hour until you are ready to serve.

When you are ready to serve the cake, wrap a towel soaked in hot water around the sides of the pan for a few seconds to melt the ganache slightly so that the ring will come off smoothly. When serving, dip your knife in warm water between slices for super clean cutting.

* the easiest cake in the world is Icebox Cake.

15 Minute Cake

This is yet another flourless chocolate cake from River Cafe and the richest yet! No sugar, just eggs, dark chocolate (70% cacao), and butter. Yum!

Chocolate Walnut Cake

From River Cafe, like a giant, buttery brownie. Mmmmm.....

Chocolate Nemesis

I see Chocolate Nemesis on a lot of restaurant menus, but usually what you get is not much different than your average flourless chocolate cake. The original Nemesis at the River Cafe is almost mousse-like and not at all cakey, and notoriously difficult to make. But somehow Erik and I (ok, mostly Erik) managed to pull it off! The trick: following the recipe exactly, even when it seemed wrong. Of course in all our excitement we forgot to take pictures of it, so these are by our friends Megan and Jess. Thanks, guys!

Flourless Chocolate Torte

This "Chocolate Valentino" comes from Alpine Berry and has become one of our Passover favorites. It's super rich so one cake is definitely enough for a large group.

Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches!

It's almost strawberry season here and I thought I better use up the last of the berries I froze last summer. We used the basic vanilla ice cream recipe that came with my Kitchenaid attachment, and added chopped strawberries and a little strawberry puree to it as it was churning. For the cookies, we used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. YUM!

Cherry Ice Cream

Every year, my friend Jane and I go cherry picking, so I was really excited to see this recipe on Simply Recipes just days before our planned date! Unlike most ice cream recipes, this one does not call for eggs, so it's not quite as rich. If you have an ice cream maker (or an attachment for your mixer, like I do) I highly recommend it. Unfortunately we were so busy eating the ice cream that by the time I managed to take a picture, it had softened considerably... don't worry, none was wasted!


1 1/2 cups pitted ripe sweet cherries (from about 3/4 lb cherries)
3/4 cup milk
1 3/4 cups cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 Tbsp crème de cassis, kirsch, cherry liqueur, or rum (optional)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine, keep in freezer until use


Put cherries, milk, one cup of the cream, sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan. Heat on medium heat until the mixture is steamy, then lower the heat to warm and just let sit for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour mixture into a blender, or use an immersion blender, and carefully purée. (Careful because you are dealing with a hot liquid. Make sure you hold the cap down on the top of the blender while puréeing.)

Put mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of cream. Chill for several hours in the refrigerator until completely cold. (Can also place bowl over an ice bath, to speed up the cooling process.)

Before putting the mixture into your ice cream maker, stir in the lemon juice and the crème de cassis or other liqueur (or rum) if you are using. Note that you can skip the alcohol if you want, but the addition of it will help the ice cream from getting too icy, and the flavored liqueurs such as kirsch or crème de cassis can add a nice flavor boost to the ice cream. Churn the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Once the ice cream has completed churning, the ice cream should be pretty soft. Gently fold in the finely chopped chocolate. Put in an airtight container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours.

Makes about one quart.

Mid Century Supper!

Here are the pics from Jenn and my dinner experiment... The diptychs show the photo from the original cookbook on the left, with our version on the right. I was especially excited to finally make the "Meatloaf Train," which has always been one of my most prized recipes. I should note that the cake was decorated by a very capable 10-year old. We also served cheese fondue with the canapes, but I didn't get a good pic. I'm not posting recipes, but if anyone wants them, please let me know.

Homemade Hot Cocoa (and Marshmallows!)

This hot cocoa mix is based on an Alton Brown recipe, but I spiced it up to be more like a Mexican chocolate. The marshmallows are from ReadyMade, but I added some cute color. You can see a video of the marshmallow recipe here.


Hot Cocoa

2 C powdered sugar
1 C cocoa
2 1/2 C powdered milk
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Tbs cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Marshmallows

1/4 C plus 6 Tbs water
1 1/3 C sugar
1/2 C light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 packets powdered gelatin (half an ounce)
Red food coloring
Cornstarch
Powdered sugar

In the bowl of a mixer with the whisk attached, combine the gelatin with 6 Tbs water. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the sugar, corn syrup, and remaining water. Cook over high heat until it reaches 240 degrees (use a candy thermometer). Immediately remove from heat. With the mixer running on low speed, pour the sugar mixture down the side of the bowl. Add the vanilla and salt and increase speed to medium-high. Whisk until the mixture becomes opaque and thick, like Fluff. Decrease the mixer speed to low and add the food coloring. Barely mix to swirl the color into the marshmallow before removing the bowl.

Pour the marshmallow into the prepared pan and spray the top with more vegetable oil. Cover with another piece of parchment and using a rolling pin or your hands, spread out to an even thickness. Let sit overnight, and then use a pair of clean scissors to cut into squares. Toss in a bowl of equal parts cornstarch and powdered sugar to prevent sticking.

Chocolate Amaretto Semifreddo

A semifreddo is a sort of quick ice cream- it has a softer consistancy but is no less of a treat! This recipe was inspired by a dessert I had at a restaurant a while ago, and based on Jamie Oliver's basic semifreddo recipe.


2 C heavy cream, plus 2 Tbs
4 eggs, separated
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C good, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 C amaretto
1 vanilla bean
Italian Amaretto cookies

You will need three bowls to start. In one bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and the inside of the vanilla bean. In the second bowl, wisk the cream with the cocoa powder and amaretto until soft peaks form. In the third bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold the cream and the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Transfer to a shallow container, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 6-8 hours, or overnight. Serve with the cookies on top.

Dr. Pepper Cupcakes

This recipe comes from a 1965 Dr. Pepper cookbook I have in my collection (Pineapple-Roquefort Cheese Sandwich Filling, anyone?). The frosting is James Beard's basic buttercream, to which I added ginger, cherry syrup, and cocoa powder. We were disappointed that the cake didn't taste very Dr. Pepper-y, but the texture was good, and the frosting was a winner!


1/2 C butter
2 1/2 C brown sugar
3 eggs
3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1/2 C buttermilk
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 C cake flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 C boiling Dr. Pepper

Cream the butter and add the brown sugar. When well blended, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add the chocolate, slightly cooled.

In a small bowl, add one teaspoon of baking soda to the buttermilk. Mix your remaining dry ingredients in another bowl. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture alternately. Add the vanilla, and finally mix in the Dr. Pepper.

Pour into cupcake molds and bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.


For the frosting:
1/3 C soft butter
3 C confectioner's sugar
1/2 C dark cocoa
4 Tbs heavy cream
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 can cherries in syrup (or in liqueur)

Cream the butter, cocoa and sugar together and stir in the cream. Add the ginger and enough cherry syrup to create the desired consistency. Refrigerate if necessary, and spread over the cupcakes when they have cooled. Top each cupcake with half a cherry.

Guinness Cupcakes

Last night my friends Amanda, Jenn, and Kara, and I convened to attempt another cupcake tasting. This time we had a beverage theme: Guinness cupcakes and Dr. Pepper cupcakes (recipe to follow). Jenn had found this recipe through another friend, who found it on the Food Network. The results were surprisingly good- the Guinness cake was light and moist, and you can actually taste the beer! The cream cheese frosting was a nice touch, because it creates the appearance of a foamy head on a glass of Guinness, but we weren't completely sold on the flavor combination. I wonder if a white chocolate frosting would be better.


3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting finished cupcakes
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purposeflour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch fine salt
1 bottle stout beer (recommended: Guinness)
1 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

Lightly grease 24 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.

To make the icing:
In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream. On low speed, slowly mix in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Icing can be made several hours ahead and kept covered and chilled.

Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and dust with cocoa.

"Frango" Mint Brownies

Frango Mints are a Chicago specialty, sold exclusively at Marshall Field's. My mother brought this recipe to California, and we make it with Andes Mints (any after-dinner style chocolate mint would do), for lack of Frangos. These are very rich, dense brownies, so don't be surprised if they don't rise very much in the oven.

2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 C butter
2 eggs
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 C chopped mints (one package of Andes will do)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the baking chocolate and butter, and allow to cool slightly. Beat the eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate and butter mixture. Add the vanilla, flour and salt. Fold in the mints. Pour the batter into an 8" greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a shiny crust has formed on top. Be careful not to overbake!! Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Icebox Cake

This is one of the easiest desserts I know how to make, and it is so yummy! A classic recipe that is pretty to serve and takes only a half hour to prepare.

2 boxes of Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers
1 quart heavy whipping cream
1 Tbs sugar
vanilla

Whip the cream with a little vanilla and sugar.

Arrange a few cookies in a round shape on a plate or cake stand. Spread whipped cream on top. Repeat until you have formed a cake. Use the fine crumbs at the bottom of the cookie boxes to sprinkle over the top of the cake. Serve in slices, with fresh strawberries.