Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

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.

I can be such a sucker for soup. Some days you just need soup. Nothing else will warm you up. A nice cuppa tea might work for a little while, but soup has the sustaining power. Carrot & Potato Soup (Adapted from Ciao Italia ) 3 leeks, chopped olive oil 3 1/2 c vegetable stock 1 bay leaf 4 medium carrots, grated 2 potatoes, grated pinch cinnamon lemon zest lemon juice splash of white balsamic vinegar (optional) Salt/Pepper Saute leek with salt in olive oil until softened. Add stock and bay leaf. Bring stock to boil. Add the carrots and potato and cook until softened (about 7-10 minutes). Discard bay leaf. Puree soup until smooth. Stir in cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice (and balsamic if using). I added a little white balsamic vinegar. I found the lemon juice added some flavor but not enough. It needed a little more acid. This soup cooks so quickly because the potato and carrot are grated. Yes, you might have to pull that food processor out, but how else can...

Yes, we break the rules here. This technically is not a Flash Back Friday (FBF) because I've added in a few more ingredients - so does that make it Alternative Tuesday? To the Potato Kugel recipe, I added oregano, basil, garlic, and 1 pint of grape tomatoes that were quartered.  Magic happens in the oven and you get a Tomato Kugel.

At first, I was not impressed with this recipe. I thought the egg whites didn't rise whisk up that meringue-y. It didn't look that impressive. I tasted it and it was OK. The second time I tasted it, I thought hmm better. By the third taste, I was sold. What first attracted me to this recipe was that it said you could make it up to a week in advance (like chocolate would have a chance to last a week in my house -HAH!) Chocolate Mousse (Adapted from Epicurious ) 10 oz 70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped* 1/2 t salt 1 t vanilla 2 c heavy cream 3 egg whites** 1 c confectioner's sugar, sifted Place chocolate in bowl, and sprinkle with salt and add vanilla. Set aside. In a saucepan heat heavy cream to just simmering. Pour over chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts and is a smooth glossy texture.  Set aside to cool. In a large bowl whisk egg whites on highest speed until frothy. Continue until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1T at a time until stiff peaks form. It...

I had leftover egg yolks* (and you know how I hate to have leftover whites or yolks) so I was on a quest to find a use for them. I had to adapt because most of the pudding recipes I found wanted either 6 yolks (if I went with this, then I would have extra whites - it could never end!) or whole eggs. So off adapting I went... Butterscotch Pudding (Adapted from David Lebovitz ) 4T butter 1 c brown sugar 3/4 t salt 3 T cornstarch 2 1/2 c milk 3 egg yolks 2 t whiskey or bourbon 1 t vanilla Whisk together in a small bowl cornstarch with 1/4 c milk until smooth. Then whisk in egg yolks.  Set aside. Melt butter in sauce pan and add brown sugar and salt. Stir until sugar is well moistened. Remove from heat. Gradually pour in remaining milk to butter/sugar mixture - whisking non-stop. Whisk in cornstarch mixture. Return to heat and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 minute (or until the pudding thickens to the ...