Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

I have to admit I never heard of Millionaire's Shortbread before. To me, this is just a bar cookie. OK not "just" a bar cookie. Quite a good bar cookie. There's a lot of flavor packed in there (also a lot of butter). I will be definitely making this again. Millionaire's Shortbread (Adapted from Cook's Illustrated) Crust: 2 1/2 c flour 1/2 c sugar 3/4 t salt 2 sticks butter (16 T), melted 1t vanilla Filling: 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 1 c brown sugar 1/2 c heavy cream 1/2 c corn syrup 1 stick butter (8T) 1/2 t salt Topping: 8 oz bittersweet chocolate (separated 6 oz and 2 oz) Line a 13x9 pan with aluminum foil. Set aside. Combine flour sugar, salt, butter, and vanilla. Spread evenly in the foil-lined pan. Pierce the dough at 1 inch intervals with a fork. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until lightly brown. Place on cooling rack and press entire surface down firmly using a spatula (I did not find that mine had that much of a rise that ...

Old Me New Me I've come a long way with my drizzling - haven't I?? I finally figured out the secret - You need a squeeze bottle. Any old bottle will do. You can use an old squeeze bottle from mustard or ketchup - obviously cleaned out well. I, of course, had to go for the real deal chefy squeeze bottle. They really are very cool and useful. You drizzle the raspberry mixture into a circle - starting at the center (sorry no pics).  It reminds me of the old Spinart days* (yes I am old). Then take a toothpick and drag it through from the center outward and magic happens. Here's the recipe. *This is not exactly the Spinart I remember but it looks like fun.

I've made a Charlotte before. Because of the sponge - they are so light and delicious and make me think of summer. With this winter being so brutal, I decided I needed to make this ASAP. I used frozen raspberries and it was delicious. I will warn you - it is very easy to make but be prepared to wash a LOT of dishes. Without chilling time, it took two hours but all of those two hours are not hands on. And yes I know I need to work on my swirls and drizzle techniques. Raspberry Charlotte (Adapted from Cooks Illustrated ) Filling: 1 1/4 t unflavored gelatin 2 T water 3 egg yolks (save white for cake) 2 t cornstarch 1 lb raspberries (fresh or thawed) 2/3 c sugar 2 T butter 1/4 t salt 1 3/4 c heavy cream Sprinkle gelatin over water in large bowl and set aside. Whisk egg yolks with cornstarch in a bowl (I found a 2c measuring cup worked well). Combine raspberries, sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Mash lightly with whisk and stir until combined. Cook over m...