Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

I thought I had posted this recipe because I've made it numerous times before. Good thing I searched because I never posted it. This is one of my go to recipes for Easter brunch. However, this time I was eyeing it up for Christmas. I won a ham (long story there) at a raffle. This was rather interesting that I actually won something because I never win anything. I usually look at it as just a donation when I participate in a raffle. Secondly, I'm not so keen on ham.  So there was a lot of irony going on. This was a honey baked sprial ham. I had no idea how to make it (apparently, there's nothing to do - you just heat it up). While I was pondering what to serve with it, the Sous Chef was extremely helpful - he suggested, pigs in a blanket as an appetizer, Brussel Sprouts with bacon, and something else with pork. (We were to have a very piggy Christmas). Then I remembered this Potato Galette and thought it would go well with the ham. It did. Leek & Potato Galette ...

I had this recipe from Smitten Kitchen open in a tab on my browser for quite some time. I was just itching to make it. And then I finally found the excuse.  Once again I followed the recipe (what has gotten into me??) and only added 1t of vanilla to the cake batter. This recipe is pretty impressive because it mostly contains items that you probably already have in your house and no eggs??! As I was making the glaze I was wondering if I really liked the idea of olive oil in the glaze too. You get that sort of fruity flavor from the olive oil. It actually worked quite well with the cake. The cake was quite moist and had a pretty chocolate rich flavor.

Might not be much of a looker but certainly tasty I'm a sucker for parsnips. I don't ever remember eating them as a kid - unless maybe they were snuck into some soup without my knowledge. There is something so delicious about parsnips. They go so well with carrots. You can always talk me into just roasting these babies in the oven but this recipe caught my eye and it was a nice change. Braised Carrots & Parsnips w/Dried Cranberries (Adapted from Milk Street) 3 T butter 1 shallot, minced 1 1/2 c chicken stock 1/2 c AppleJack* 1 t dried thyme 2 bay leaves salt/pepper 1lb carrots, sliced on the bias** 1lb parsnips, sliced on the bias 1/2 c dried cranberries 1T Dijon mustard Melt 1T of butter in a dutch oven. Add shallot and cook until translucent. Add stock and Apple Jack, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Add salt/pepper, carrots, and parsnips. Return to simmer and reduce heat. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. St...

I had bought some tamarind for a Thai recipe. It has a very interesting flavor - sweet but sour. When I saw this recipe in the NY Times for ribs and it was in the pressure cooker, I knew I had to give it a try. Tamarind Sticky Ribs (Adapted from the NYT ) 3-4lbs of St. Louis cut ribs (or baby back*) Salt 1/4 c tamarind 1/4 c fresh OJ 1/4 c honey 2T soy sauce 1/4 t lime zest 1T lime juice 1 star anise pod 2T olive oil 4 small shallots, diced 1 1/2 t fresh ginger, grated 2 clove garlic, minced Peel the silverskin off the back of the ribs (grabbing it with a paper towel is helpful). Cut the ribs into 3 rib chunks. Toss with salt. Set aside. Mix together tarmaind, OJ, honey, soy sauce, zest, lime juice, and ansie pod in a small bowl. Set aside. In the pressure cooker heat oil with shallots and a pinch of salt. Heat until softened.  Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add sauce and heat until bubbly. Dip the ribs in the sauce and then stand the ribs on en...

I know I've been neglectful again. I haven't been posting, but I have been cooking. I saw this recipe made on the new Milk Street PBS show by Jose Andres. He said there was really no recipe, you just sort of put the ingredients together. Milk Street, of course, made a recipe loosely based on this.  Christopher's sidekick said paprika very strangely- he's a bit annoying. I followed Jose's non-recipe and the soup came out delicious. I've put some measurements  here just to give you a rough idea about how it should come out. Spanish Garlic Soup (Adapted from Jose Andres ) 1 head garlic, chopped olive oil salt 2 t Smokey Paprika about 3 slices day old bread, sliced thinly 3 c chicken stock (or water) 2 eggs In a dutch oven, place garlic, olive oil, and salt. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant - do not overcook. Stir in paprika (the Sous Chef said it could have used a little more paprika so feel free to add additional paprika).  Add stock/water. You sh...

So I thought I was going to do a FBF (Flashback Friday) on this one, but I couldn't find the recipe for mushroom bourguignon (GASP!). This is a recipe I make all the time. I couldn't believe that I never posted it. Well that needed to be put right immediately. I basically follow this recipe from SmittenKitchen .  I don't always have the pearl onions on hand so I often leave that out and it is just fine. I also often use a mix of mushrooms (portobello, white, cremini etc). This time around I made it with Spaetzle (Hey that was adapted from SmittenKitchen too - I'm noticing a pattern here) instead of egg noodles.

Whenever I cook shrimp, I think why don't I cook shrimp more often. They cook up so quickly and they always come out tasting so good. Honey Shrimp 1c carrots julienne (3-4) 1.5 c zucchini julienne (1 medium) olive oil 1lb shrimp (16/20), shells removed and cleaned, tails on 2 clove garlic, minced scant 1/4 c soy sauce 3 T honey Cooked rice for serving Saute carrots and zucchini in a large hot skillet about 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl. Add shrimp and cook about 2 minutes and then turn. When the shrimp resembles a "C" remove from pan. When last shrimp or two are in the pan and almost done add garlic. Combine soy sauce and honey. Add to pan. Return vegetables and shrimp to skillet and heat through. Serve over rice. Simple, quick, and delicious dinner. The prep takes a little bit of time, julienne-ing all those vege. I always underestimate how much time it takes to shell and clean the shrimp too. Even with all that said, it probab...

I got this fabulous really fresh maple syrup (long story that I won't bore you with). I thought that it might work nicely with some Brussels Sprouts. I don't see why you couldn't subsitute some honey here. Maple Brussels Sprouts Brussels Sprouts, cut in half 1T olive oil 3T maple syrup salt/pepper Mix Brussels sprouts with olive oil, maple syrup, and salt/peper togther. (I generally do this right on the sheet pan.) Place on baking sheet. Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes until nicely charred and tender.

I haven't mentioned lately how much I love my pressure cooker, so I thought I would just mention that again. Thankfully,  I bought the 4qt and 8qt  Fagor set (same lid, different bottoms). The 4qt is ideal for making risotto. Pressure Cooker Risotto (No stirring!) 1T olive oil 1 onion, minced 2 clove garlic, minced 1 c aborrio rice 1 c white wine 1 c butternut squash, grated 2 c chicken stock 6 oz spinach 2T lemon juice salt/pepper Parmesan cheese Saute onion and salt in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add rice and stir until slightly toasted. Add wine. Cook until wine is almost gone, stirring. Add squash and chicken stock and close pressure cooker. Cook under pressure 10 minutes. Quick release the pressure cooker. Stir in spinach and lemon juice until spinach wilts. Top with Parmesan cheese. Once you make pressure cooker risotto you will wonder why you ever thought stirring it was a good idea. It comes out just as cream...

No it's not 1970 but I know that is what most people associate with fondue. Well you don't need to break out those bell bottoms and lava lamps to enjoy fondue. I think it get a really bad rap (look at me with the 70s lingo). Once you've tasted the real deal in Switzerland, you know that fondue is something that can be really delicious and not necessarily be a spit-sharing device. Cheese Fondue 1 clove garlic 1 1/4 c white wine, 2 T reserved 8oz gruyere  cheese, grated 8oz emmenthaler swiss cheese, grated 8oz Fontina, grated 2T cornstarch white pepper 1/4 t nutmeg Bread, cooked potatoes, broccoli, stringbeans and various other vegetables for dipping Rub the inside of a saucepan with the garlic. Discard garlic. Heat wine in saucepan until bubbly. Add handfuls of cheese while stirring. Mix cornstarch into reserved wine until dissolved. Add to cheeses. Season with pepper and nutmeg. Heat through. Transfer to a fondue pot and serve with assorted dippers. This...

Recycled picture - this year's are still in dough format So it was a rather productive weekend and Monday...I prepped my dough for the sweet potato rolls . Those little beauties are waiting in the freezer for Thanksgiving day. I'll pop them out, let them defrost and do their second rise (about 5 hours), and then in the oven they will go. I made my turkey stock for basting and gravy.  I still believe in basting. I know some say it's not worth it but I believe it still is. Here's some other things I do to the turkey . I know, I know some people are anti-stuffing. I'm pro - what can I say?? Next up was the cranberry sauce. There's no worry about making this ahead. The cranberries are fairly acidic and there's a whole bunch of sugar in there too to help perserve it. This year I used only brown sugar (3/4 c) instead of using white and brown. So I'm feeling pretty prepared. I'm not quite sure what dessert I'll be making. Hmmm...Bourbon Pec...

I needed a quick easy meal fast. I browsed a few recipes. I took a little from some, a little from another, and then still another. Here's what I came up with... Pasta & Beans 6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 15 oz can chick peas, drained 5 oz tuna, drained juice and zest of 1 lemon reserved water from pasta Salt/Pepper Parsley, chopped Parmesan cheese 1lb pasta (orecchiette, shells etc) While the pasta cooks, heat the bacon in a skillet until done. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add chick peas and cook for about 5 minutes or until heated through. Add tuna, lemon, and zest. Cook until tuna is heated through. Add salt/pepper (be sure to taste because the bacon might have contributed enough salt). Add pasta and some of the pasta water until you reach the desired consistency. Top with parsley and Parmesan This dish basically came together in the time that it takes to cook the pasta. It can be adapted pretty easily. If you don...

 I love nutella (even though it pulled out a temporary crown on me recently) and love brownies. This was 3 ingredients - what's not to like? Well there was a little bit. Was it horrible? NO! Was it great - MEH. Epicurious has this recipe for 3-Ingredient Brownies .  I had some free time on my hands and the big 3 ingredients - so why not try it. At first they looked like they were going to be a little too cakey - they were not. (See here for my opinion on cakey brownies). They were actually moister than they looked. They just did not have a super Nutella flavor. I get that they were trying to use a few ingredients, but I'm not sure this was the best recipe. I think I would make these in an emergency but prefer brownies with additional ingredients.

In N Out Burger  I know this is a huge debate about who is the best - In N Out, Fatburger, Shake Shack. I thought I would weigh in on this since I recently made two trips out to LA and was able to taste them. Fatburger In N Out wins for me hands down. Fatburger was good and their fries were tops. In N Out is a little weak on the fries but their burger is excellent and their chocolate shake is perfect. Shake Shack, which I only recently went to because I'm sorry I'm not waiting in a huge line for a burger, was good, but I think their burger was slightly tougher and not as juicy. I didn't sample the fries there but they did look good. Their chocolate shake was nice but was a little shy on the chocolate flavor. So now my dilemma is how do I get In N Out burger when that is a West Cost thing and I live on the East Coast? I guess I will have to settle for Shack Shake and try to go when the line is short - which I did luck out with this time.

Now if you are going to name your cake this, you had better make sure all you i's are dotted and your t's are crossed (well maybe not the i's since there are none in the title). I'm not sure that I would call this the world's best. It was tasty but I would have liked if the cake was a tad bit moister. The recipe said that the chocolate ganache was optional. In my mind that excludes you right away from being the world's best. Come on when is chocolate ganache optional?? It also suggested espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream. That would have been nice but I didn't have any mascarpone so I went without the cream. I don't think that would have changed my opinion anyway. World's Best Chocolate Cake ( NY Times ) I followed the recipe straight up (shocking I know!) I did not have self-rising flour so I used the 1 3/4 c +1T flour and 2 3/4 t baking powder). I don't think that made the cake any drier because it looks exactly like the picture on the web...

I gave this sourdough bread another whirl. This time I made it in my dutch oven. I baked it with the lid on and then pulled the lid off for about 15 minutes or so at the end. It had great flavor. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of it cut. Look at those beautiful bubbles. I let it rise overnight about 10 hours. I really must get a better razor to slash the top! I think it worked much better in the dutch oven.

Truth be told (like I'm going to lie?? What is with that saying? Other times I'm lying?) I'm not sure about that this one. It was good, refreshing but a little too thick. I think it needs to be thinned a little. Chilled Coconut Corn Soup (Adapted from Epicurious ) 2T coconut oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 1/2 t chopped ginger 1/4 t tumeric 6 ears corn, kernals removed,  cobs reserved 1 potato, cubed 14 oz coconut milk 1t lime zest 1 1/2 c water  2 T lime juice salt/pepper Cilantro or parsley garnish In a large pot heat oil, onion, ginger, tumeric and salt until onion is translucent (10 minutes - at least). Break corn cobs (if necessary) and add to pot with corn, potato, coconut milk, lime zest, and water. Bring to boil and lower to simmer. Cook about 20-25 minutes or until potato is tender. Discard corn cobs. Puree soup until smooth. Add salt/pepper. Let cool and chill for 2 hours. Serve with lime juice and garnish with parsley or cilantro. (Take the ch...

I know I've been a bit MIA lately. It's not that I haven't been eating or cooking.  I've been busy. I went to California twice for work related things. I have to report on that too. I had some fantastic meals there. But until I get to that (if ever)... I thought I might be able to get a little smokey-ness into the clams if I used the grill to cook my clam sauce. I'm not sure that it really worked but it did come out delicious. 1 T butter 1 shallot, minced 4 clove garlic, whole 2 dozen small clams* 1 - 1/2 c white wine salt/pepper 1lb linguine 2 T parsley, chopped Parmesan cheese Start to cook pasta in boiing salted water. Place cast iron dutch oven on grill (or on stove top). Let it heat up a little and then add the butter. When it's almost melted add shallots, garlic, and a good pinch of salt.  Cook until fragrant. Add clams and pour enough wine so that the clams are almost covered. Close lid of grill or cover with pot lid. Let cook about 3-4 ...

I was a little hesitant with this one but O' Ye of Little Faith was this so fresh tasting. It was the perfect summery fresh dinner (except for the boiling the hot water and heating up the whole kitchen part). Fresh Corn Carbonara (Adapted from Epicurious ) 1 lb pasta (something long and stringy) 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces 4 ears of corn removed from cobs - cobs reserved 1/2 c heavy cream 1/2 c Parmesan cheese 1/2 c basil pepper Cook pasta. Meanwhile fry the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Scrape the corn milk from the cobs by scraping them with the back of a knife into a food processor (or blender). Add half of the corn and the cream. Process until very smooth. Reduce skillet to low. You might need to drain the bacon before doing this - you want about 2T of bacon fat in the pan.Pour corn mixture into skillet with bacon.  Add Parmesan, pepper, and basil. Add cooked pasta. Heat slightly. You might want to add some of the pasta ...

And yes it's the same picture. I had to dive into the ice cream - I couldn't be fussing with pics Why is this the best? Because it makes a whole 2 cups and you can always have hot fudge sauce at the ready - that's why it's the best! Hot Fudge Sauce (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen ) 2 T butter 2/3 c heavy cream 1/4 c brown sugar 1/4 c cocoa powder 1/4 t sea salt 6 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped 1 t vanilla Combine butter, crea, brown sugar, cocoa, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3-5 minutes on low. Sitr in chocolate until smooth. Add vanilla. Serve over ice cream. Store remainder in a jar in the refrigerator. Once it's set all you have to do is spoon out a bit and pop it into the microwave for a few seconds and you're ready to go  (Or just take a nice spoonful when no ones looking - insert directly into mouth. I won't tell)

I could not wait to eat this ice cream. It sounded so good and guess what it turned out so good too. Salted Honey Ice Cream (Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen ) 1/2 c honey (I used wildflower) 1t salt 1 c milk 2 T sugar 4 egg yolks 1 c heavy cream Heat honey over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. Stir in salt until dissolved. Set aside. In a saucepan heat milk and sugar until it reaches a simmer. Remove from heat. While milk is heating whisk yolks in a small bowl. Add 1/4 c of hot milk into yolks whisking constantly. Pour yolk/milk mixture back into saucepan and heat constantly stirring until mixture reaches 170-175 degrees. Sieve mixture into a bowl and place bowl in ice bath. Stir in honey mixture and then add heavy cream. Stir until cooled. Place in container and chill for several hours - ideally overnight. Give a quick whisk before churning in your ice cream maker according to directions. If you want to see how to make absolutely the BEST chocolate sauce - check back so...

Are they still hard boiled eggs if the water isn't boiled? Or would you call them Sous Vide hard eggs? Well I guess this is really just a philosphical question. The end result is that you get an egg with a nice firm, but fluffly and perfect yolk center and a lovely white. It was simple enough. Sous Vide Eggs Eggs Heat water to 195. Gently add eggs. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove eggs and place in ice water.  Crack shells and place back in water for a few seconds to easily remove shells. Easy peasy. Yes you can have hard boiled eggs in less time by cooking them the traditional way, but will they be cooked perfectly - maybe yes, maybe no. I 'd rather go with the sure thing and use the Sous Vide. And yes I know I've been slacking. It's the summer and I've been crazy busy. I've been cooking, just not posting.

OK don't get me wrong this cake was moist, chocolately, but the ganache was definitely not as represented in the original recipe. It did not get creamy and look like frosting. Quite frankly I'm not sure how it would ever look like that given the ingredients. Chocolate Macaroon Cake (Adapted from Bon Appetit ) 1 c coconut oil 1/4 c cocoa powder, plus extra for pan 5 oz ground almonds (almond meal) 8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 t kosher salt 1/2 c coconut (I used sweetened) 6 eggs 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c brown sugar 2 t vanilla Ganache 4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate 1 T agave pinch Kosher salt 1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk Line a 10" springform pan with parchment and grease sides.  Dust with cocoa powder. Heat chocolate, coconut oil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and let cool. In a bowl mix together almond meal, cocoa powder, coconut, and salt together; set aside. Beat eggs with whisk attachment until well combi...

I'm on the constant quest for delicious hand pies, cornish pasty, or whatever you want to call them. Chicken Hand Pies (Adapted from Cooking Light ) 14 oz white whole-wheat flour + 2T salt/pepper 1 t baking powder 10 T ice cold water 2/3 c olive oil + 2T 1 1/2 lb ground chicken or turkey 4oz haricot verts, cut into 1/4" pieces 3/4 c carrot, finely chopped 1 T thyme 1T minced garlic 1 1/2 c chicken stock 1/2 c thawed peas salt/pepper 1 egg, beaten with 1t water Place flour,  1t salt, and baking powder in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Stir together ice water and flour. With food processor running, slowly pour oil/water mixture down the chute. Mix until combined. Turn dough out onto board, knead 1 minute. Place in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat 1T oil in skillet add chicken, breaking up and cook until no longer pink. Remove from skillet. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel. Heat oil add, haricot verts, carrot and thyme. Saute unti...

This recipe was quite interesting to me because as much as I try with crust, either they come out really good or really bad. The taste is fine; it's usually shrinkage or the fluting that I struggle with. This appealed to me because it's seemed like it would be rather healthy. With all that said did it taste good - yes. Was it a quiche - I would say no. It reminded me more of a frittata. Is this a bad thing - no not necessarily, unless you were expecting a quiche. I did change up some of the recipe - they wanted you to use 4 eggs and 2 whites. I wasn't making ice cream so I didn't have a use for the extra yolks. I decided to just add them into the mix. Sweet Potato Crust Quiche Frittata(Adapted from Cooking Light ) 2 medium sweet potatoes* spray oil 1t olive oil 1 clove garlic minced 1 5-oz baby spinach 1/2 t nutmeg 1/2 cup milk salt/pepper 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 6  eggs 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled Peel and slice the sweet potato. Using a ...

The ginger in this cake is no joke. When I saw 4 oz I thought that was an awful lot of fresh ginger. Boy am I glad I went with my instincts and cut this in half. I used 2 oz and that was more than plenty. Fresh ginger can really pack a wallop and this one did. The cake was very moist and stayed fresh. That's a LOT of ginger (2 oz) Ginger Molasses Cake (Adapted from Ready for Desserts ) 2 oz fresh ginger, peeled and minced 1 c molasses 1 c sugar 1 c canola oil 2 1/2 c flour 1 t cinnamon 1/2 t ground cloves 1/2 t ground black pepper 1 c boiling water 2t baking soda 2 eggs Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" pan and fit with a round of parchment on the bottom. In a large bowl, mix molasses, sugar, and oil. In a separate bowl whisk flour, cinnamon, cloves and pepper together. Add baking soda to boiling water. Add to the molasses mixture and then stir in ginger. Sift in the flour mixture. Whisking to combine. Add eggs until blended. Pour into pan. Bake 350 fo...

I found some nifty ways to store fresh herbs. It is so simple but really keeps store-bought herbs fresh longer. For basil: fold a paper towel in half and dampen with water. Put it on top of the basil and seal the container. Store at room temperature. Do not refrigerate. For Cilantro and Parsley the best thing to do is to treat them like flowers in a vase then refrigerate. Who's hiding under there?

I'm not a peanut butter fan at all. I just don't get it. Maybe it was all those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a I child? However, I do understand that that people are crazy for the combination of peanut butter and chocolate (I believe there are these things called Reece's peanut butter cups that people go nuts over?? I don't know). However, I must admit I was intrigued by using Tahini with brownies. Luckily, I had just enough Tahini in the house to give this a try for a last minute invite to a party. Tahini Brownies (Adapted from Milk Street *) 4T butter 4oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped 3T cocoa powder 3 eggs 1c sugar 1T vanilla 1t salt 3/4 c Tahini 1/2 c flour Line an 8-inch square pan with foil. In a saucepan melt butter. Remove from heat and add chocolate and cocoa and stir until melted. Set aside. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in Tahini. Gently fold in flour. Measure out 1/2 c of the mixture and set as...

I know you are supposed to use heirloom tomatoes in this recipe, but sometimes you just need to use some grape tomatoes because the season hasn't really started and you are just waiting for some nice tomatoes but have to make due. Corn, Tomato and Basil Salad (Adapted from Cooking Light ) 2 large heirloom tomatoes, diced or 1 pt grape tomatoes quartered salt/pepper 1/3 c olive oil 1 T soy sauce 1 T white miso 3T white balsamic vinegar 1 shallot 2 c fresh corn basil leaves, torn parsley, chopped 1/4 c shaved Parmesan Sprinkle tomatoes with salt/pepper set aside. Whisk soy sauce, miso, vinegar, and shallot. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until emulsified. In a bowl combine corn, basil, and parsley. Toss in tomatoes and gently toss in dressing. Top with Parmesan. I know, I know the Parmesan is missing in the picture. I made this ahead for a barbecue and took the photo. I forgot to snap a pic when before I served it with the Parmesan (So I'm politely saying - you...

Yeah, I know I'm a little late to the party on this one. I thought it was just another one of those fad things (I'm talking to you #putaneggonit). However, I found that I do actually like this - such is the way of avocado toast. So here goes my compilation of overnight oats recipes: Overnight Oats (Adapted from everywhere - where haven't I been?) 2/3 c milk (soy, cow, almond - your choice) 1T maple syrup 1/4 t vanilla 1/4 t cinnamon 1/2 c rolled oats 1/4 c raisins, cranberries, or other dried fruit 1t chia seeds 1t flaxseed pinch of salt Mix milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon in your hipster jar*. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Screw lid on and refrigerate overnight. I thought I was not going to like the oats cold but they were actually rather nice and I think they would be great on a hot summer morning. Although in the cold winter, I do think there might be a slight heating to take the chill off happening. So yes I guess I see more overni...

I needed dinner and I needed it fast. I had some lovely pancetta and some grape tomatoes and magic happened. Quick Pasta with Tomatoes 3-4 oz pancetta, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 pt grape tomatoes, quartered handful of basil salt/pepper 1lb pasta water from pasta While pasta is cooking, place pancetta in a large skillet and heat until slightly browned. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes and basil. Cook until tomatoes start to soften. Drain pasta and reserve some of the pasta water. Add pasta and about 1c of water to pancetta/tomato mixture. Add pepper and salt to taste (be sure to taste the pancetta might be salty). Add additional water until reaches desired consistency. I wouldn't even call this a recipe. It's more like throwing together a few ingredients that you probably have on hand into a skillet and serving. Feel free to add some Parmesan Cheese.  I had to skimp a bit on the basil as I didn't have that much, but it was still del...

I recently bought David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert and have been itching to make something from it for a while. He explains that he needed to create cake to an idiot proof cake but used a nicer name and decided to called it Chocolate Orbit Cake. I much prefer the former than the latter since I was feeling rather stupid today due to a head cold. Chocolate Idiot Cake (Adapted from David Lebovitz ) 12 oz chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet) chopped 1 c butter (2 sticks) 6 eggs 1 c sugar 1t vanilla Grease a 9" springform pan and cover the outside with foil. Set aside. Heat chocolate and butter in 10-second bursts in the microwave or over a double boiler. Set aside. Whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Whisk in chocolate. Pour into springform pan. Cover with foil. Place in a roasting pan. Pour warm water into roasting pan until it reaches half-way up the springform pan. Bake at 350 1hr 15 min or until just set. (When you touch the center, your finger sh...

Sink, Sank, Sunk As you can see I still haven't given up on this recipe . It still tastes good but still sinks. I tried to use buttermilk instead of sour cream. Remember, I did try it in the mini-pans and they worked better. I forgot to try it this time using chilled egg and butter. Oh well, chocolate cake again it is.

Thank you, Mr. Boston , for yet another inspirational cocktail. Vodka Grasshopper (adapted from Mr. Boston) 1oz creme de menthe 1oz creme de cocoa 1oz vodka 2T heavy cream dash of mint bitters (optional) Shake well over ice and strain. This appears in both the old and newer versions of Mr. Boston. It is such an old-timey drink. The dash of mint bitters gives it the slight green color. The bitters are purely optional. The Sous Chef is a bit bitters mad so we have many different flavors hanging around and thought this might be a nice addition to this drink. This was tasty but I think I prefer a mudslide with a splash of creme de menthe (recipe forthcoming). But then again chocolate is my thing! I do like mint so this does make a refreshing change.

Maybe it's not a boy? Either way my knife has a great new addition. A paring knife. I did not think that I needed a new paring knife but then Misen sent a survey about how I liked the chef's knife. They gave me 20% off any purchase just for answering a few questions about a knife I love. So why not? This baby is sharp, efficient, and comfortable to use. FYI: I still have not made any decisions about sharpening. I've just been honing the chef's knife and so far so good.

Sorry there are no pictures for this recipe. I was very delinquent. They're really easy to make. They actually don't look so impressive anyway but they have that savory/sweet thing going on - yum! Date & Walnut in Bacon 24 dates, pitted 24 walnuts 24 slices of bacon toothpicks Insert walnut into date. Wrap with slice of bacon and secure with toothpicks. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until bacon is crisp. You might need to pour off some of the fat. Serve warm or at room temperature. Note: that these are very loose quantities. I usually go by how many dates come in the package and go from there (or until the bacon is used up). You might be tempted to go with less than a full slice of bacon. DO NOT! The bacon shrinks and it will be skimpy - trust me. These are great made ahead and reheated.

OK - so I'm a bit late with this post. House guests and all that... Now that I have your attention, here's what was on the menu this year: Kielbasi & Sauerkraut * Oatmeal Clafoutis French Toast ** Potato Kugel Irish Oatmeal Salad Roasted Vegetable Galette Savory Bread Pudding Leek & Ricotta Frittata Date & Walnuts in bacon*** Chocolate Mousse Cake By the way I have received 3 Michelin Stars for Easter Dinner. I'm not quite sure that this is official but... *This time juniper berries and caraway seeds were included in the ferment **I was daring and used Brioche instead of potato bread - it was excellent ***No pics and no postings. I will have to post the recipe without the pics.