Chocolate Mousse Pie

This is a gorgeous pie. This is also a very rich, coats-the-back-of-your-throat pie. Dark chocolate lovers unite!

Dark Chocolate Mousse Pie

oringinally from Epicurious

Ingredients:

For Crust:
21 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

For Mousse:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar

The How-to:
For Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Finely grind cookies in processor. Add butter and process until mixture is evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan to form thin crust. Bake crust 5 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool completely.
For Mousse:Combine chocolate, vanilla and salt in processor. Bring 1 cup cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. With processor running, gradually pour hot cream through feed tube and process until chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Beat 2 cups cream and sugar in large bowl to stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour mousse into prepared crust. Chill until set, about 6 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
Beat remaining 3/4 cup cream in medium bowl to firm peaks. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe rosettes of cream around edge of cake. Garnish with chocolate chips, or if you're feeling fancy, chocolate shavings. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Mousse-Pie-2687#ixzz0z3iJ04GO

Red Velvet Cake

This is the cake Bobby Flay used in the Red Velvet Throwdown. I don't remember if he won or not, but it is fabulous. I love that it uses both butter and oil, making it rich and moist, and it's less red and more chocolaty than most Red Velvets. I was skeptical about not using the traditional cream cheese frosting, but this unique buttercream frosting is divine. It's a winner, and no matter that it has more than a pound of butter in it. Just take a bite and look the other way.

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

The How-to:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line each pan with a round of parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl
Cream the butter, sugar and oil in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla, vinegar and food coloring.
Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans. Let cool completely before frosting. Slice each cake into 2 layers and frost.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

The How-to:

Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and the sugar is totally dissolved, about 6 minutes. Add the cold paste, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.

Marscapone Ice Cream

Marscapone is an Italian cheese, a lot like cream cheese. I still prefer Buttermilk Ice Cream, but Mark loved this. It's super rich and elegant.

Marscapone Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 8-oz container mascarpone

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

The How-to:

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy and lighter in color. Set aside. Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan and just bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
While beating the egg yolk mixture, pour in a small spoonful of the hot milk mixture and continue to beat. Repeat process with a larger spoonful, while beating, then repeat. Next, scoop all the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture. Return heat to medium-low. Cook about 8-10 minutes longer, stirring frequently with a spatula to scrape all corners of the bottom of the pot. Do not let boil. The custard should be just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but have no lumps.
Whisk in the mascarpone and vanilla until smooth in texture. Chill the custard 4 hours or overnight. Follow your ice cream maker’s instructions to churn into ice cream. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 2 hours.

Marscapone Ice Cream served over roasted peaches in a white wine honey sauce.

Lettuce Wraps or Lettuce Wrap Salad

I had some leftover dressing from the Asian Noodle Salad, so I tried it in this recipe and it worked beautifully. So may I suggest you double the dressing recipe when you make the noodles one week, and use it for these the following week. Two birds with one stone and so yummy. Also, I prefer to eat this salad style because I just couldn't manage to keep the filling inside the lettuce leaf anyway.

Lettuce Wraps or Lettuce Wrap Salad

Ingredients:

1 Tbl. Olive Oil

1 lb. Ground Turkey

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 cup Carrots, grated or pre-packaged matchstick

1 can Water Chestnuts, drained and chopped

3-4 stems Green Onion, chopped

1 head Romaine Lettuce, cleaned

Asian Sauce (as used for the Asian Noodle Salad)

Combine in a blender until smooth:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 Tbl. creamy peanut butter
3 Tbl. rice vinegar
2 Tbl. sesame oil
1 tsp. ginger, freshly grated or minced*

The How-to: In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and once hot, add ground turkey and cook until browned well. Add peppers, carrots and water chestnuts. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add sauce and cook until everything begins to caramelize, 3-4 additional minutes. Take off of heat and garnish with green onions. Serve over chopped lettuce or inside and rolled up in a lettuce leaf like a burrito.

Drowned Eggs or Uova in Brodetto or Eggs in Tomato Sauce

One of the greatest discoveries of my adulthood is the runny egg, over toast, in a sandwich, whatever which way, it's amazing. Well, this dish showcases the runny egg, and even better, it is easy and quick to prepare, and you probably have everything in your cupboard. So, what are you waiting for? For extra speedy, warm up a jar of my favorite Archer Farm's Pomodora Sauce and proceed with the egg cracking from there.

Drowned Eggs

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 shallots or 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 16-oz can tomatoes and their juice, crushed by hand
3 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
8 large eggs

The How-to:
In a 10 to 12-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot or onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and allow it to evaporate completely.
Add the tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. rd.
Add the basil to the sauce and stir in. Gently break the eggs into the sauce, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately with crusty bread, a shaving of Parmesan and if you have them, fresh tomatoes and more basil.

Homemade Frozen Burritos and Cilantro-Lime Rice

These are healthy, easy, meat-free, grab-n-go deliciousness. Throw in your husband's briefcase, bring them to your child's soccer game, or pour some enchilada sauce and cheese over them, bake in the oven until bubbly, and you have dinner.

Homemade Frozen Burritos with Rice and Beans

makes 10

Ingredients:

10 whole wheat Tortillas, burrito size

8 oz. tub Sour Cream

2 Tbl. Olive Oil

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 - 1 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 can Black Beans, drained

1 recipe Cilantro-Lime Rice (recipe follows)

The How-to:

1. Make rice according to instructions. Set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and jalapeno, and saute until al dente, just tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add beans and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Warm tortillas, covered in a wet paper towel until warm and pliable, about 1 minute. Or, do it my way, set over a boiling pot of water and a baking wrack, about 30 seconds until pliable.

4. To assemble burritos, apply a small spoonful of sour cream on the surface of the tortilla, about 1 1/2 Tbl. Spoon a large spoonful of rice, followed by the pepper mixture. Fold tightly into a burrito, sides in and then roll. Wrap in aluminum foil and freeze to use later or refrigerate for the immediate future.

Cilantro Lime Brown Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice, uncooked
2 Tbl. olive oil or canola oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 1/2 cups cilantro

1 lime, zest and juice

2 cups water

1 small yellow onion, minced

1 teaspoon salt

The How-to:
In a heavy sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and, when it shimmers, add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
Add another 1/2 Tablespoon of oil and let it heat thoroughly. Then add the rice and salt and stir to coat. Cook until the rice becomes opaque, about 3-4 minutes.
Pour the water into the sauce pan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to low so rice is at a simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender and all the water is absorbed, about 45-55 minutes, or however long indicated on the package. Combine cilantro, garlic and lime zest and lime juice in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside. When rice is ready, turn off the heat and let rest covered for 5 minutes.

Add cilantro-lime mixture and fold together. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Hummus Pita Sandwich

The only thing that is mandatory in this pita sandwich is the hummus; it is a hummus pita sandwich after all. (Recipe for hummus follows.) So after spooning a generous amount of hummus in the bottom of your pita, fill with any of the following: bell peppers, matchstick carrots, cucumber, spinach, lettuce, tomato. And there, my friends, is a healthy, easy lunch. Use leftover hummus to dip raw veggies or crackers in for a snack.

Perfect Hummus

adapted from David Lebovitz's Cabbagetown Hummus

Ingredients:

2-3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped (depending on how much you like your garlic)

1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

2 cans canned chickpeas, drained

1 cup flat-leaf parsley

1/8 teaspoon chile powder or a few dashes of hot sauce, optional

1/2 cup (or more) water or reserved chickpea liquid

The How-to:
1. In a blender or food processor, whiz together the garlic, salt, tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice until the garlic is finely-chopped.
2. Add the chick peas, parsley leaves, chile powder, and the water or chick pea liquid, and pulse until smooth. Stop the machine a couple of times during blending to scrape down the sides to make sure everything gets well-incorporated.
3. Taste, and add more lemon juice or salt if desired, and more liquid until it reaches a thick, but spreadable consistency. You can make it as smooth, or as coarse, as you want.

*Hummus will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can also freeze hummus, well-wrapped, for up to two months.