Truffles... The GOOD ones... from Aubrey

Truffles... The GOOD ones... from Aubrey

2 cups cream
1 pound good bittersweet chocolate, chopped pretty fine
2 tbsp liqueur
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Optional Fillings: whole hazelnuts or other nuts, crystallized ginger, etc.

Optional Dusting: cocoa, powdered sugar, finely chopped nuts, etc.

Take cream and heat gently just until very warm to the  touch. 

Take off the heat.  Add the chocolate to the warm cream and  whisk until smooth.  Add liqueur (I used Frangelica hazelnut, but go with your heart's desire),  vanilla, and salt.  Whisk until smooth again.  At this point it could be  used as a decadent dessert sauce.

Or, chill overnight and then make truffles. Scoop a teaspoon and roll quickly into a rough ball. (For  fun, shape around a whole hazelnut, or whatever matches your liqueur. Crystallized ginger is amazing...)

Coat in cocoa, or powdered sugar, or  finely chopped nuts, etc.  Place on wax paper lined cookie sheet. 

Chill again briefly to set.  For the advanced set, enrobe in more chocolate.  Store in the fridge, but remove an hour ahead of serving.

Hugs, Aubrey
(12/20/07)

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Marta's Chocolate Mousse

Marta's Chocolate Mousse

Someone mentioned cookie recipes the other day...I'm not so good at cookies but here's something truly yummy and easy:

1 pound cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 egg yolks
12 oz chocolate, sweet, melted
     (Debbie LFB knows the BEST kind of chocolate)
3 egg whites
2 cups heavy cream

Mix cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla, egg yolks and chocolate.

Beat egg whites and cream separately then fold into cheese mixture.

Pour into dessert glasses and chill.

You'll notice that the eggs are not cooked in this recipe...you are warned.

Marta
(12/5/07)

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Potato Casserole

Potato Casserole

My Grandmama made this every holiday, and I miss it SO much:

1) Slice baking potatoes to fill a large casserole when layered. I usually use about 3 pounds. This really depends on having good potatoes. The potatoes can be peeled (pretty) or unpeeled (better for you).

2) Butter the casserole dish, and heat the oven to 450° F (if you aren't already cooking something).

3) Spread 1/2 (or 1/3, if you are going to make this gooey) of the potatoes in a layer in the casserole dish. It is really pretty to overlap them in concentric circles.

4) The next step is to layer sauce. When I was really little, she made a white sauce with cream and butter, and added a jar of sliced mushrooms. As my Grandfather got diabetic, she changed the sauce to Campbell's Cream of Mushroom. At Thanksgiving,m there might be sliced mushrooms and slivers of butter in the layer as well. (Healthy Choice works fine.)

5) Spread with shredded cheddar. We liked it best when this was SHARP.

6) Repeat steps 3-5 once (or twice if company is coming).

7) Be sure to top with cheese (and if you have dried onions, add some now).

8) Bake until golden brown and the potatoes are cooked. For an 8" by 8" dish, at 450° F, I tend to need 40-50 minutes. If I am cooking at 400° F, maybe 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Shelly P.
(11/22/07)

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Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

This is sooooooooo good...

2 bags of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5 oz) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
12 oz heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar to sweeten cream

Line the bottom of a 13" by 9" by 2" dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.

Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.

In another bowl, whip heavy cream adding sugar to taste. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Christy
(11/28/06)

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Dreamsicle Fudge (two recipes)

There was Dreamsicle Fudge at a event, and I fell head over heels in love with it. It's delicious. Therefore, of prime importance today was finding the recipe. Here 'tis if anyone else has a taste for dreamsicles. don't know which recipe is best, so here are two I found on the same page:
http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m102501.htm

Dreamsicle Fudge I

3 cups sugar
1-1/2 sticks butter or margarine
2/3 cup cream
7 oz. marshmallow creme
1 pkg. (12 oz.) vanilla chips
3 tsp. orange flavoring
12 drops yellow food color
9 drops red food color

Mix sugar, cream and butter into heavy pan and boil until it reaches the soft ball stage on candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. Add marshmallow creme and chips. Mix well. Remove 1 cup of mixture and set aside. Add orange flavoring and food colors to mixture in pot. Stir well and pour into greased 11" x 13" or 9" dish. Stir in white mixture and pour on top, then swirl with knife. Chill to cool.

---

Dreamsicle Fudge II

1-1/2 tsp plus 3/4 cup butter (no substitutes), divided
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 pkg (10-12 oz) vanilla or white chips
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme
3 tsp orange extract
12 drops yellow food coloring
5 drops red food coloring

Grease 13" x 9" x 2" pan with 1-1/2 tsp butter.

In heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cream and remaining butter. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 4 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in chips and marshmallow creme until smooth. Remove 1 cup and set aside.

Add orange extract and food coloring to remaining mixture; stir until blended. Pour into prepared pan. Drop the reserved marshmallow mixture by tablespoonfuls over top; cut through mixture with a knife to swirl. Cover and refrigerate until set. Cut into squares. About 2-1/2 lbs.

Enjoy!
Jola Gayle
(9/13/04)

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Chocolate Flourless Hazelnut Cake

Chocolate Flourless Hazelnut Cake

12 oz. hazelnuts
2 tsp baking powder
6 egg yolks
5/8 cup white sugar
6 egg whites
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/8 cup chopped hazelnuts, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F (165° C). Grease and flour a 9" springform pan. Grind hazelnuts until very fine. Add baking powder and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow in color. Beat in the ground hazelnut mixture.
3. In a separate CLEAN bowl, with a CLEAN whisk, whip the egg whites until stiff. Quickly fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture, then add the remaining whites and fold in until no streaks remain.
4. Pour into a 9" springform. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until top of cake springs back when lightly tapped. Cool on wire rack.
5. When cake is cool, slice horizontally into 3 layers. Whip the cream until stiff, and spread generously between layers, on top and on the sides of the cake. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top for decoration.

Makes 12 servings
(I love the little joke at the end.)

Bright Blessings,

Spiral Choloholicwithhazelnutfetishes
(6/4/04)

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Dave in Oz's Sauteed Chicken in a Mustardy Cream Sauce

Dave in Oz's Sauteed Chicken in a Mustardy Cream Sauce

It's a fairly basic honey mustard sauce and goes like this:
You'll need:

• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 large brown onion
• some butter (real salted butter, nothing else will suffice)
• a couple of cloves of garlic
• 2 chicken breast fillets (no skin)
• your favourite seeded mustard
• salt and pepper
• sherry or white wine
• cream, about 300ml
• rice

What you need to do:
Cook the rice (2 cups of rice to 3 cups of water in the microwave for 14 minutes on 70% usually does it - or use the rice setting if you've got it)

Dice the carrots, celery and onion into cubes of about equal size (about 3/16ths of an inch).

Chop the garlic as finely as possible (I tend to slice it lengthwise in slivers, then rotate it 90 degrees along the axis of the cut, repeat the slivering process, then rotate it 90 degrees around the axis of the cuts and repeat again, thus ending up with really really really small cubes).

Add a generous chunk of butter to an electric frypan set at about 300° F. Add the diced vegetables. Stir around and reduce heat to simmer until the vegetables are softened (sometimes helps to put the lid on). Splash some sherry in every now and then to keep it all moist.

Dice the chicken into 1/2 inch cubes.

Set the vegetables aside in a bowl, increase the heat to 350°-400° F, put a little butter in to grease the pan, add the chicken (do not stir for 30 secs or so). Stir around and brown each side. Add about a tablespoon of mustard, and a splash of sherry. Reduce heat a little to avoid burning. Add cracked pepper to taste.

Once the chicken is fairly cooked through, add the vegetables and a little more sherry. When the sherry reduces off, add the cream and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The sauce should be a rich yellow colour (add more sherry if it looks to be reducing too much). Taste, if needed add some salt.

Voila! You're done, serve over a bed of rice.
Dave
(11/17/03)

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"Bailey's" Irish Creme

"Bailey's" Irish Creme

1-3/4 cups favorite Liquor (ie. rum, brandy, bourbon, scotch, Irish whiskey)
1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 cup  heavy cream  (I have used half and half instead and it's ok, tho not as thick and creamy)
4 eggs
2 tbsp chocolate flavored syrup (Hershey's)
2 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Blend together all the ingredients.  Store in refrigerator.

ENJOY!!  Tastes as good as the expensive stuff!

Source unknown
Resubmitted by jp
(9/31/03)

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White Sauce for Pasta

White Sauce for Pasta
(good for Alfredo Sauce, too)

(Question: Tell me how to do a nice white sauce on pasta. I have butter and cream but can't get it to come out like the restaurants. Do I make an actual roux?) Well, I'm not the curly one, nor am I tall enough to play her on (or off) TV, but I do know white sauce.

Are you going for alfredo? The classic recipe is equal parts pasta, butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese (not the powdery stuff in the green can, unless you're cooking for people you hate). Toss it all into hot (drained) pasta, pass more cheese at the table. You will not be able to move for hours afterward, but it is worth it. You can make an acceptable substitute by scaling down the sauce/pasta ratio, but everyone should try the original at least once.

For more conservative eaters, go right ahead and make a roux (2 tbsp. butter to 2 tbsp. flour), add 1 cup milk, half and half, or cream, whisk merrily till smooth and thick enough, season to taste (gran only used white pepper), add cheese if you like, pour over pasta and toss at the table. Up proportions as needed for your quantity of pasta. More flour makes it thicker.

(rereading this, the editors will have a field day. So be it.)

Debbie Ladyfingers
(12/27/02)

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Baked Banana Bliss

Baked Banana Bliss
Yield: 9 Servings

This showed up in my inbox, thought I would pass it along

4 tbsp butter
6 firm bananas
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
Whipped cream for garnish (optional)

Melt butter. Slice bananas lengthwise. Sauté quickly over high heat. Place 1/2 of bananas in buttered 8" x 8" dish. Beat cream cheese with sugar and cinnamon. Spread 1/2 of mixture over banana. Top with remaining bananas and spread with remaining cheese mix.

Pour cream over top; bake in 375° degrees oven for 20 minutes.

Serve cool garnished with whipped cream or warm over vanilla ice cream.

Ellen
(8/8/02)

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Pasta Perfecto

Pasta Perfecto

We invented this tonight. It is out of this world! I think it would be great with shrimp added, but Steve is allergic to them. It was awesome just as it is.

3 tsp (?) butter
1 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked chopped bacon
1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes in oil
1 cup cream
1 tsp+ fresh oregano
1 tsp salt
pepper
3/4 cup grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmgiano Regiano cheese
fresh parsley
1 lb. pasta of any type

In large skillet melt butter, add wine. Bring to a boil, cook till win eis almost evaporated. Add bacon, garlic and tomatoes. When wine is reduced, stir in 1 cup cream, salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook till medium thick. Place in serving bowl. Top with 1 lb of cooked pasta, any type. Mix well, adding some pasta cooking water if sauce is too thick. Top with grated cheese and fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Katie H.
(7/8/02)

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High Calorie Yogurt

High Calorie Yogurt

A member asked:
Yogurt makers, does any one have a recipe for a high calorie yogurt?? I am a PCA for a guy with Muscular dystrophy. He is having difficulty eating. He likes yogurt but most of what you buy is low calorie. If I could find a HIGH calorie yogurt We would be so grateful!


I did this for a friend with AIDS once. You make the yogurt with half and half or add a pint of whipping cream to each quart of *whole* milk.

Makes scrumptious yogurt that I wish I dared to eat more often! Any yogurt recipe will work for this. is best if you use a mellow, not too tart starter yogurt. My friends who live in India say that if you can use water buffalo milk it's even richer and more high-calorie. (grin) I haven't tried this, there's a shortage of water buffalo in my area!

Joy
(3/1/02)

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Ellen's Chocolate Truffles

Ellen's Chocolate Truffles
 Makes over 2 pounds

2 pounds of good quality chocolate

1 (one) quart of heavy cream
1/4 lb. unsalted butter
1/3 cup liqueur of choice
Cocoa powder

Melt chocolate and cream over a double boiler. Whisk in butter and liqueur. Continue to whisk as the mixture cools and thickens. Pour into quart containers and refrigerate. To serve, scoop out with melon baller, roll in powdered cocoa.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Ellen
(2/18/02)

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Fattigman

Fattigman

Oh! these are like Norwegian Fattigman, only with more ingredients!

10 egg yolks
1 pint cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
Flour to make soft dough (about 4 cups)

Mix and roll very thin. (Mom's recipe doesn't go into detail - sorry!)

Cut into diamond shapes, about 2" x 2", with fluted pastry wheel. make a small slit lengthwise in center of diamond and loop one end through it.

Fry in deep hot fat. Drain on paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool.

kate
(12/5/01)

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Philip's Hot Chocolate Recipe

Philip's Hot Chocolate Recipe

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup regular whipping cream
splash milk

While they're cold, mix in some Ghirardelli chocolate (the dark chocolate cocoa). Heat up slowly, stirring & mixing in chocolate until you have "enough" chocolate in it (he goes by color). Make sure that the chocolate doesn't clump at the bottom. When it's hot enough (he goes by instinct), taste it. if you want it sweeter, add a touch of sugar.

He pours mine into a cup & froths it up with a little tiny whisk. No whipping cream, no marshmallows. Occasionally, a splash of peppermint schnapps -- we call those snuggle bunnies.

Use small cups -- this stuff is *rich*. We accept no responsibility for elevated cholesterol counts....

yaz pistachio
(lea bob)
(10/28/01)

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Honey-Saffron Quiche

Honey-Saffron Quiche
Serves 8

From "Seven Centuries of English Cooking", originally served at Richard II's coronation banquet. This is a great quiche, really good with fresh whole strawberries. It's got an unusual, rich flavor and a little slice is plenty enough.

3/4 pt (2 cups) thick cream
1/8 tsp saffron
1/4 pt (1/2 cup) milk
3 eggs plus 2 extra yolks
1/4 pt (1/2 cup) honey
a 9" pastry shell, baked blind (unfilled)

Heat the cream, saffron and milk together in a saucepan until cooked. Beat the eggs and yolks with honey in a bowl. Slowly add the hot liquid, beating constantly with a wire whisk. Pour into the cooled shell. Bake at 350° F for 25-30 minutes until set.

lea bob
(9/25/01)

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Anchovy Ravioli

Anchovy Ravioli

Dough -- I made pasta dough following the basic Marcella Hazan recipe, using 6 eggs and 3 cups of flour. To this dough I added the zest of one lemon. Mix, and knead thoroughly, cover well, and chill overnight. Bring to room temp before making the pasta.

Filling:

• 1.25 lbs chicken breast, well trimmed, cut into cubes
• 2 jars (2 oz each) anchovy fillets in olive oil, chopped
• handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped,
• a lot of garlic, chopped
• zest of one lemon, and juice of same
• pinch cayenne
• freshly ground black pepper
• a handful of dry breadcrumbs
• some light cream to bind (probably a few tablespoons)

Sauté chicken in olive oil with garlic and anchovies. When chicken looks cooked, remove from heat, add lemon juice and zest, parsley, breadcrumbs, cayenne, and pepper. Put into work bowl of food processor and chop, but do not over-process. The chicken should still be fairly chunky, not pureed. Add cream to bind. Refrigerate until cool. (I made this the day before).

Assemble ravioli (look to any good Italian cookbook for specifics on rolling pasta, etc.)

Sauce
(this is like a puttanesca, except that I can't abide capers. By all means put them in, if you like them). Also, since the anchovy is in the filling, I saw no need to add more to the sauce.

• Two large cans imported Italian tomatoes,
• several onions, diced,
• about 1 cup (after pitting) Greek olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• garlic, chopped,
• parsley and basil, fresh, a handful each
• one can unmarinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced.
• salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, in moderation
• olive oil for sauteing

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil, in large deep skillet. When onions are golden, add tomatoes (which you have broken up with your hands), and their juice. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add olives, artichoke hearts, parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt to taste. Simmer another half hour.
Serve with ravioli!

Carolyn, who has moved on to the brisket, which is marinating in cumin, red wine vinegar, chipotle, jalapeno, and garlic, garlic, garlic. I have not yet decided on a sauce.
(6/9/01)

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Chocolate Mousse and White Mousse (2 Recipes)

Chocolate Mousse and White Mousse (2 Recipes)

Pretty Easy Chocolate Mousse

1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (unsweetened)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup heavy cream

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water, stir, let stand 1 minute. Add boiling water, stir until clear.

Mix together sugar and cocoa; add cream and vanilla. Beat until peaks are stiff. Fold into gelatin, adding a small amount first and then adding the rest. Chill.

White Velvet Mousse

Now for the yum, white velvet, my favorite topping is fresh raspberrries, but any fresh berry is good.

1 pkg. unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sour cream

Dissolve gelatin in water in saucepan. Add cream and sugar, heat until gelatin has blended and sugar dissolved.

Cool a bit; add vanilla and sour cream. Chill until firm.

Top with fruit. I've also heard this called Russian Cream. A great summer treat!

gail
(6/7/01)

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Anchovy Ravioli (base recipe)

Note: Before Carolyn submitted an tweaked version of Anchovy Ravioli, she had posted the recipe below after writing her thoughts and views below.

Tweaked version:
http://sheepthrillsrecipes.blogspot.com/2013/02/anchovy-ravioli.html

A certain male shepherd in the vicinity has requested anchovy ravioli. I have only been able to find one recipe thus far, and I think it needs tweaking. I won't have the time to make a batch for tasting beforehand; these are going to be made early Sat. morning to bring to the True North potluck on Saturday eve.

The recipe follows below.

I have an aversion to mixing a cream based sauce with an anchovy filling. The cream/parmesan sauce to my mind, just does not go with anchovies. Also, I would not put cream and nutmeg (eew!) in the ravioli filling. It seems as though they are mixing their genres.

Anyone have any ideas???? Perhaps a chicken/anchovy filling with a bit of garlic, parsley, and lemon zest (maybe even some minced black olives) and served with a light tomato sauce (like puttanesca, with many of the ingredients inside the ravioli, rather than the sauce). A ravioli stuffed with just anchovies would be too strong.
Help!
Carolyn
(6/6/01)

Anchovy Ravioli (base recipe)

2 tsp Olive oil
250 g Minced chicken
4 Anchovy fillets, chopped
2 tbsp Grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Cream
1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
1 tsp Grated lemon rind
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1/4 cup Chopped fresh parsley

1 Quantity plain pasta dough, (2 cups flour, 3 eggs)
60 g Fresh parmesan cheese, thinly sliced (optional)

Creamy Cheese Sauce:
30 g Butter
2 tbsp Plain flour
1 cup Water
1 small Chicken stock cube, crumbled
300 ml Carton cream
2 tbsp Grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in pan, add chicken, cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in anchovies, cheese, cream, nutmeg, rind, juice and parsley. Blend or process mixture until smooth.

Divide pasta dough in half, roll each piece until 2 mm thick. Place 1/4 level tsp of filling 3 cm apart over 1 sheet of pasta. Lightly brush remaining pasta sheet with water, place over filling; press firmly between filling. Cut into square ravioli shapes. Lightly sprinkle ravioli with a little flour.

Just before serving, add ravioli to large pan of boiling water, boil,uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until just tender; drain. Combine ravioli with hot sauce; serve topped with extra cheese.

Creamy Cheese Sauce: Melt butter in pan, add flour; stir over heat until bubbling. Remove from heat, gradually stir in combined water and stock cube, stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Simmer,uncovered, until reduced by half. Just before serving, stir in cream and cheese.

Serves 4.
Source: Australian Woman's Weekly, Pasta Cookbook posted by Linda Davis

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Atholl Brose (an alcohol-based dessert)

Before I'd left last year (at just about this time) I'd promised someone my recipe for Atholl Brose. I always felt bad for never having posted it. Here's my corrupted version:

Atholl Brose (an alcohol-based dessert)

2 to 4 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp single malt
2 tbsp steel cut oats (I used chopped pecans)
1-1/4 cups heavy cream

Gently heat the syrup with the scotch until it dissolves, cool slightly.

Toast the oats/nuts until they release a nutty fragrance (I use a small dry cast iron pan).

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in 2/3 of the oats/nuts, scotch and syrup, then spoon into 4 small glasses. Sprinkle with remaining oats/nuts and chill. Serve with a pint of oatmeal stout.

mmm - luckily I only have 1/2 of the ingredients on hand, or else I'd be scarfing some.

QQQ
(4/30/01)

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