Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

So I told you I got a blow torch for Christmas (when I mentioned this to my friend, she thought I was taking up a new hobby). Well I decided it was time to break it out and give it a test run. I had this recipe for ages. I don't know where I got it from - ripped from some magazine. Ain't she a beauty? Creme Brulee (I can't figure out how to do the fancy accent marks but you get the idea) 1 vanilla bean 1 c milk 1 c heavy cream 2 eggs 2 egg yolks 1/3 c sugar Raw sugar  Slit open the vanilla bean and place it in a saucepan. Add milk and heavy cream. Heat until little bubbles appear at the edge of the pan. Remove from heat. In a bowl whisk the eggs and egg yolks together. Add some of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk this mixture back into the saucepan. Over low heat, heat about 7-10 minutes until the mixture coats the back of the spoon (about 165 degrees).   Divide evenly among ramekins. Place ramekins in a 13x9 pan or roasting pan. Pour ...

I've had this recipe kicking around for quite some time (2010 to be exact). I thought it would make a nice little side appetizer. Of course, I had to play around with the original recipe - more on that later. Here's the recipe: Vanilla Spice Nuts (Adapted from Cooking Light ) 1 T vanilla 1 egg white 1 c almonds 1 c walnuts or pecans 1/4 c sugar 1 t salt 1 t cinnamon 3/4 t ground allspice 1/4 t cardamom I used fresh ground the allspice & cardamon Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a bowl whisk together vanilla and the egg white until frothy. Stir in nuts. In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients. Stir into the nuts. Toss to coat. Spread out on parchment. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn oven off.  Toss nuts; breaking up any large pieces. Return to oven and let rest in oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool. Now I had to be a wise ass and thought that 1 egg white looked a little skimpy. I happened to have an extra egg white on han...

This was one of those recipes I got out of the books my mother's friend gave me . I found it so interesting that it used whipped cream. There is really no leavening other than the eggs (and whipped cream). Whipped Cream Pound Cake (adapted from Family Cookbook-Central Baptist Oakridge Tennesee - circa 1981) 1 c heavy cream 2 sticks butter 3 c sugar 2 t vanilla zest & juice of one lemon (optional) 3 c flour 1/2 t salt 6 eggs Grease and flour a tube pan. Whip cream in mixer until peaks form. Set aside.  Cream butter and sugar together.  Add vanilla and lemon. In a small bowl mix flour and salt together.  Add flour and eggs by alternating. Mixing well after each addition. Bake at 325 for 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes and then turn out of pan. Dust with confectioners sugar and serve. I put my whipped cream in the refrigerator while I prepared the rest of the cake as it was a rather wa...