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Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin 1 pork tenderloins 1/3 c ketchup 1/4 c honey 2 T soya sauce 2 tsp oil 2 cloves garlic, minced Put tenderloins in a heavy casserole dish. Mix together all the other ingredients and pour over pork. Roast, uncovered for 1- 1 1/2 hours at 300. Baste occasionally. Keywords: Main Dish, Pork ( RG448 )

Sesame Seed Pork Tenderloin 2 pork tenderloins, 1 lb each 1/2 c soy sauce 3 T olive oil 1/2 tsp ginger or 2 T fresh gingerroot, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 c brown sugar 1/3 c sesame seeds, toasted 1/2 c honey Put pork in a marinade dish or sealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce,oil, ginger and garlic. Add to tenderloins,and turn several times to coat. Marinate for several hours in refrigerator. Remove tenderloins from marinade. Put them on a greased rack in a foil lined pan. Mix together the honey and brown sugar, spread over tenderloins. Top with toasted sesame seeds. Bake uncovered in a 375 oven for 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving Keywords: Main Dish, Pork ( RG447 )

Glaze for Ham steak 1/3 c maple syrup 1 T ketchup 1 T dijon mustard Mix and marinate the steaks with a portion of the glaze at room temp for 30 minutes, or several hours in the fridge. Broil for 3 minutes on each side. Reglaze with the remaining mixture Keywords: Sauce ( RG446 )

Raisin Sauce for Ham Steaks 3/4 c raisins 1/3 c brown sugar 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (can add any other similar spices you like, nutmeg, cloves, etc.) 3 T vinegar 1 T cornstarch small saucepan bring raisins, sugar, cinnamon, vinegar and 1 1/2 C water to a boil; turn down heat and simmer 5 minutes. In small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1/4 C water until blended; stir into raisin mixture. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Simmer one minute longer, or until thickened. In skillet, lightly brown ham steaks. Pour sauce over, cover and simmer until ham is heated through. Keywords: Sauce ( RG445 )

Sticky Toffee Pudding Adapted from John Tovey and others. Do not eat when heavy activity is expected afterwards (wrong image - this belongs with the sourdough bread recipe, and ther is no way to delete it!) Pudding 6 oz Soft Brown Sugar 4 oz Butter 4 Eggs 8 oz SR Flour (I add extra baking powder) 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 2 T Coffee extract or instant coffee 8 oz chopped stoned dates ( I prefer raisins) 1/2 pt boiling water Butterscotch Sauce 1 lb Golden Syrup (Corn Syrup) 3 oz Butter 4 oz Soft Brown Sugar 1/4 pt Double (heavy) cream vanilla essence Pudding: Line a 9 inch cake tin with a couble layer of silicon baking paper. Preheat oven to medium/350F/180C/Gas 4 Cream the butter and the sugar until white, fold in the eggs and the flour. Sprinkle the bicarb over the dates (or raisins, or can be omitted, pour on the boiling water and stir. Leave for 5 mins, then mix into the flour etc to form a runny mixture. Pour into the cake tin, and bake for 1 1/2 hours until springy to the touch. Sauce: Mix all together, and gently boil for about 10 mins, stirring all the time. Pour over the pudding, and bake or grill until the top bubbles. Serve with lots of whipped cream. Keywords: Dessert, Pudding ( RG444 )

Sauternes Gelee Serves 6 as Dessert. This refreshing dessert can be made with sliced green and/or red grapes instead of champagne grapes. You'll need a 3- to 4-cup ceramic terrine mold. If you don't want to layer the fruit to the gelee, the fruit will sink to the bottom and it will turn out fine. 2 c fresh orange, juice, (or pulp free store-bought) juice of 1/2 lemon 2 packages plain gelatin powder, 1 tbsp=1/4 oz=15ml 1/2 c sauternes, ( Chateau Reine Carbonnieu ) 1/2 c sugar 2 lemons, cut into segments, halved, peeled 1 bunch Champagne grape, picked Combine orange juice and lemon juice in a bowl. Sprinkle with the gelatin. Let stand for 2 minutes to soften. Heat Sauternes and sugar in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves. Stir in gelatin mixture Stir until dissolved. To make layers of the gelatin and fruit: pour about 2/3 cup gelatin mixture in the bottom of a 3 to 4 cup ceramic terrine. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until mixture starts to firm up. Sprinkle some of the lemon segments and grapes on top. Top with 3/4 cup gelatin mixture. Refrigerate for 20 minutes longer. Repeat with the remaining gelatin mixture and fruit, ending with the gelatin mixture. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Carefully, dip bottom of terrine in a pan of warm water for 30 seconds. Unmold and slice. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Fruit, French ( RG443 )

Extra-chocolatey brownies 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped 4 oz butter 1-1/2 c sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt 1 c all-purpose flour chopped or broken nuts (optional) chocolate chips (optional) Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave at 50%. Stir in the sugar, then the eggs, the vanilla, the salt and the flour. Add as much nuts and chocolate chips as you like. Scrape into an 8x8 to 9x13 (depending on how thin and crusty you want them) baking dish lined with a piece of parchment that overhangs. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until firm around the edges and beginning to congeal in the center, but still soft. (Begin checking at 25 minutes.) When completely cold, lift by the paper from the dish onto a cutting board, and cut with a French knife. Variation I have always been a person who favors the 'filet' over the crusty exterior pieces. I discovered when I had no working oven for an extended period of time that you can steam brownies (works best with no nuts or chips). When they are cold, they can be cut into small pieces (they are very rich, rivalling the best flourless chocolate cake) and plated with ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, raspberry coulis, etc Keywords: Dessert, Brownies/Bars ( RG442 )

Grilled Duck Breast With Black Currant Jelly And Herbs De Provence Marinade Serves 6 as Main Dish. Duck Breasts 2 1 lb. Muscovy duck, breasts, or other variety of duck Marinade 2 T soy sauce 1 T herbs, de Provence or mixed dried herbs 1 tsp freshly grated ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 T black jelly, current 1 lime, grated, zest, and, juice of freshly cracked black pepper Duck Breasts Add duck breasts to pan and distribute the marinade evenly over all sides of duck. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours. Preheat grill to high. Cutting only through the skin and fat, score the duck breasts with five diagonal lines. Grill duck, skin side down, for 1 to 2 minutes just to caramelize skin side. Use a water sprayer to reduce flare up from the duck fat. Duck will colour very quickly. Remove promptly from grill and transfer duck, skin side down to a small roasting pan. Place on upper rack of BBQ. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until breast is still very rare. Drain off duck fat and turn breasts over. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes until duck breast is medium rare. Cover with foil and let rest for five minutes before slicing. Reserve pan drippings as sauce. Marinade Combine ingredients for marinade in a medium shallow pan until blended. See the duck for further cooking instructions. Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Duck, Dinner, French ( RG441 )

Choucroute Serves 6 as Main Dish. 3 lb canned raw choucroute (sauerkraut) 2 T duck, fat 2 onion, finely, sliced 2 cloves garlic, peeled 10 juniper berries 16 coriander seeds 4 cloves 2 bay leaf 1 lb double or triple smoked bacon 1-1/2 lb smoked pork, loin 1 lb pork, hock 4 c Riesling wine 2 Yukon Gold potato, peeled, and, turned 8 sausage, (European Wieners/Bratwurst Wash choucroute 6 to 7 times under cold water, squeezing well, changing water in between. In a large saucepan over medium heat sweat onions in duck fat. Add half of the choucroute and spices. Add bacon, pork loin, pork hock and garlic. Cover the meat with remaining choucroute and spices. Add Riesling and a little coarse salt. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and continue to cook on stovetop for two-hours, stirring occasionally. Boil or steam the potatoes until fork-tender. Keep warm. Bring a pot of water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Prick European wieners with a knife or fork and place in simmering water to heat thoroughly. Do not boil or sausages may burst. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit. In an ovenproof fry pan over medium-high heat, add pricked Bratwurst. Sear all sides and place in oven for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked. To serve: Remove meat and thinly slice. On a large serving platter or on individual plates spread choucroute. Place sliced meat and sausages on top. Add potatoes and accompany with Dijon or grainy mustard. Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Dinner, French, Pork ( RG440 )

Bouillabaisse Serves 6 as Main Dish. This fish used in this recipe includes halibut, cod, roballo, clams, and mussels. You may also substitute other favourite firm-fleshed fish such as sea bass, red snapper, monkfish, etc. Bouillabaisse 3 T olive oil 1 onion, thinly, sliced 1 bulb fennel, thinly, sliced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tomato, chopped 1 orange, peel, only thyme 1 bay leaf 1 pinch saffron 6 c fish, Fumet, (recipe follows) 2 Yukon Gold potato, cut in medium dice 1 lb halibut, cut into large pieces 1 lb cod, cut into large pieces 1/2 lb roballo, cut into large pieces 20 clam, rinsed 20 mussel, rinsed, beards removed pernod Fish Fumet 2 lb bones of raw white fish, (Halibut and Cod) 2 T vegetable oil 1 medium onion, peeled, and, thinly, sliced 1/4 bulb fennel, thinly, sliced 1 leek, (white part only), thinly, sliced 8 white peppercorns 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 1 sprig flat-leaf parsley 1 bay leaf 1 c dry white wine 8 c water Bouillabaisse In a large saucepot over medium high heat add olive oil. Add onions, fennel and garlic. Cook until onion starts to caramelize. Add tomatoes and orange peel and sweat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add thyme, bay leaf, saffron and fish fumet. Simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pushing vegetables with the back of a ladle to extract flavour. Place broth into a large saucepot and reduce by one-third. Add potatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add fish and shellfish, cover and cook until shellfish are opened. To serve: Remove fish, shellfish and potatoes and place on a large serving platter. Spoon a little broth over to keep moist. In small soup bowls add a small amount of Pernod into each bowl and ladle hot broth over. Serve immediately. Serve garlic croutons and aioli (garlic mayonnaise) for garnish. Fish Fumet Under slow-running cold water, rinse the bones until the water is clear. Pat dry and cut into 4-inch pieces. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, leek, peppercorns, salt, parsley and bay leaf. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the vegetables until soft. Add the bones and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil for ten minutes only, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Remove from heat and let rest for ten minutes. Strain the fish fumet through a fine-mesh sieve and press the solids to extract as much flavour as possible. This stock will keep in your fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Keywords: Main Dish, Expert, Fish, French ( RG439 )

Alsatian Tarte Flambe Serves 4 as Appetizer. 1 package of frozen puff pastry 2/3 c Quark cheese 3 T heavy cream nutmeg 3 strips bacon, double or triple smoked, cut into thin strips 1/4 onion, thinly sliced On a lightly floured flat surface, role the pastry to 1/8” thickness. Cut into disks about 3-1/4 to 4 inches in diameter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in freezer until dough is frozen. Mix together quark, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Remove puff pastry rounds from freezer. Poke pastry with a fork. Spread a small portion of cheese mixture on each pastry disk. Scatter with onion and bacon. Bake on bottom rack of oven for ten minutes, or until the underside of the puff pastry is a dark, golden brown. Serve warm. Keywords: Appetizer, Easy, Snack, French ( RG438 )

Seared Carpaccio of Beef Serves 6 as Appetizer. 1 T heaping whole coriander, seeds, smashed 1 handful rosemary, finely chopped freshly ground black pepper and salt light sprinkling dried oregano 3-1/2 lb fillet of beef 1 handful ginger, peeled, and, finely sliced 3 red or green chili, seeded, and, finely sliced 1 handful radish, finely sliced 1 small handful coriander, leaves, picked, stalks, finely sliced sesame oil soy sauce to taste 2 limes juiced Pound the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar, then mix the chopped rosemary, salt, pepper and oregano and sprinkle on a board or work surface. Roll and press the fillet of beef over this, making sure the meat is completely covered with the coating. In a very hot, ridged pan, or on a barbecue, sear off the meat for around 5 minutes until brown and slightly crisp on all sides. Remove from the pan. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing as thinly as possible and lay the sliced beef on a large plate. Gather the ginger slices and slice finely across into little delicate matchsticks. Flick these randomly over the beef with the chiles, radishes and coriander. Drizzle with a very small amount of sesame oil, some soy sauce and freshly squeezed lime juice. Keywords: Appetizer, Easy, Beef ( RG437 )

Cornish Game Hens Serves 2 as Main Dish. 2 1 lb Cornish Hens salt and pepper Rice Stuffing 2 T finely chopped onion 2 T slivered almonds 1/3 c uncooked, long grain rice 3 T butter 1 c water 1 chicken boullion cube 1 T lemon juice Rub Game Hens inside and out with salt and pepper. In small saucepan, cook almonds, onion and rice in butter for 10 minutes, stirring. Add water, chicken cube, lemon juice and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 25 minutes or until rice is fluffy. (Now is the time to add any other ingredients such as chopped mushrooms if you like) Stuff birds lightly with rice mixture. Place breast up on rack in a shallow baking pan. Brush Hens with melted butter. Roast, covered in a hot oven, 400 degrees for 30 minutes.. Remove lid and roast 1 hour longer until done. Brush Hens with melted butter occassionally. Keywords: Main Dish, Chicken ( RG436 )

Apple Dumplings Serves 6 as Dessert. This is a recipe I got from my Mom for apple dumplings she used to make when I was little. It's a very unusual recipe in that she used diced rather than whole apples, the crust has quite a bit of baking powder and milk so it's halfway between a biscuit and a pie dough, and the whole thing is baked in a spiced syrup making it almost like a cobbler or pudding. Mom made a few changes to the original recipe and I made some as well (and will probably make more changes next time I make it). Syrup: 1-1/2 c sugar 1-1/2 c water 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg 3 T butter Apples: 4 granny smiths, cored, peeled and chopped into 3/4" dice 1/2 c sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg Pastry: 2 c flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2/3 c shortening (I used butter, Mom used Crisco) 1/2 c milk Make syrup: combine first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. remove from heat and stir in butter. Let cool to room temp For pastry: Combine flour, baking powder and salt. cut in butter using pastry blender or food processor until it forms coarse crumbs. Add milk all at once and stir quickly with a fork just until all the flour is moistened. don't over mix - treat it like a biscuit dough. Push the dough together and roll out a little larger than a 18x12 rectangle (do not chill first). Cut into squares a little larger than 6x6. For apples: stir together sugar and spices and toss with apple chunks. Mound in center of pastry squares. moisten edges of pastry, bring corners together over apples and seal seams. don't worry about being neat and tidy or making sure the apples are completely sealed in - this is a very rustic, homey dessert. Put the dumplings in a 9x13 baking dish and pour the cooled syrup over them making sure to moisten all of the top surfaces. Sprinkle with a little bit of sugar and bake at 375 F for 35 minutes until the apples are tender. server warm (these also reheat in the microwave quite well). I think this recipe might be even better using 4-5 cups of rhubarb instead of apples, and the the spicing could be played with. Also it's quite sweet, so some tinkering with the amount of sugar might be in order. Keywords: Dessert, American, Vegetarian, Easy, Fruit ( RG435 )

Triple layer carrot cake with citrus cream cheese frosting This is my scrumptious recipe for a wonderful, very moist carrot cake. It is laced with a bit of citrus zest and frosted with a dreamy citrusy cream cheese frosting. This seems to be everyone's favorite cake that I make! CAKE 1 c sugar 1 c brown sugar 1-1/4 c vegetable oil 4 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 T finely grated orange zest 1 T finely grated lemon zest 2 c all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg 3 c finely grated peeled carrots (about 1 pound) FROSTING 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 3 c powdered sugar 2 tsp grated orange peel 1 or 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel 1 tsp vanilla extract milk or cream for consistency toasted/candied pecans or walnuts (optional) Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Lightly grease waxed paper. Using electric mixer, beat sugars and vegetable oil in bowl until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and zests. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into sugar and oil mixture. Stir in carrots. Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 45 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.) Frosting: beat slightly softened cream cheese and softened butter til creamy. Gradually add the 3 cups sugar, zests and vanilla to taste. Add last cup of sugar if sweeter is desired. Add small spoonfuls of cream or milk if necessary. Refrigerate if it needs to stiffen up a bit. **I always add candied chopped pecans to the side of the cake. Simply coat the pecans/walnuts in a little bit of corn syrup and toast in the oven until fragrant. Chop them coarsely and press against side of cake, if desired.** Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cake ( RG434 )

Peach Sangria A particularly prudent choice of Sangria to serve when entertaining guests upon one's brand new light-colored carpeting. 2 ripe peaches, peeled & sliced (in winter, I use frozen) 1 lemon, sliced thinly, seeds removed 1 orange, sliced thinly, seeds removed 3 T sugar (or to taste, depending on size of lemon) 1/4 c Peach Schnaaps 750 ml dry white wine (about the size of one standard bottle) Combine all and chill well, at least one hour. Serves two very jovial people at two generous glasses each. As is immediately apparent, there is no brandy, so this is a pleasant, light, fresh-tasting summertime drink. And on occasion I have, at the end of the evening, fished out any remaining peaches (now wonderfully marinated) and served them over pound cake and ice cream for dessert. ( RG433 )

Guacamole Guacamole 1 large avocado, just soft to the touch, not mushy 1 large, ripe, flavorful tomato, water removed, chopped 1 small yellow onion, chopped (or half a large one) 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste 1 T salsa de jalapeno (see below), or to taste juice of half a lime Salsa de Jalapeño 6 whole pickled jalapeños (buy them in cans - Herdez sells them - among other brands - the label should say something like "Jalepeños en Escabeche" or something similar) 1/2 c tomatoes (I usually just use canned for this) 1/4 tsp garlic salt Selecting the avocado: many people much prefer Hass. Obviously that depends entirely on where you live and what varieties are available to you. Just be sure you select a flavorful variety that you like. If they're hard when you buy them, close them up in a paper bag for a day or so. Slice the avocado in half, lengthwise. Hold the half with the pit in one palm and with the other hand, whack a sharp knife into the pit. You should now be able to easily lift and twist out the pit. Give the knife with the pit stuck to it another whack on the side of the sink, and the pit will drop. No muss no fuss. Now slice your avocado halves lengthwise once again. This will give you four long wedges. Starting with the narrow end, you will most likely be able to peel them just as though you were peeling a banana. Place the peeled quarters on a dinner plate and with a fork or potato masher, mash the pulp until it is "smoothly chunky." If you have a molcajete, obviously you're using that and you already know all about this and don't need any more directions from me. For the rest of us, add the remainder of the ingredients onto your mashed avocados and stir to combine well. Taste for seasonings: salt, "heat," lime, and adjust where needed. Many people put cilantro in guacamole, but I don't. For me, cilantro has a very strong flavor and I think it overpowers the avocado. Also, I invariably serve my own homemade cooked, red "table salsa" alongside, and it has lots of cilantro in it. People can (and do) add some of that to the guacamole if they want cilantro flavor. A few more thoughts: Some people add a pinch of sugar; they claim it brings out the flavor of the avocados and smooths the bite of the chiles. If it's going to be awhile before you serve it, here are some tricks to keep the top from going brown. Remember that it is contact with the air that darkens the avocados, so anything you do to reduce that will reduce the darkening. After the whole thing is ready and in the serving bowl, spread a very thin layer of mayo over the top, and then right before serving, stir it in. Or do the same thing with the lime juice. Don't add it until the end, squeeze it over, rotating the bowl until all the dip is covered with the juice. Stir it in just before serving. But what I usually do is to take some Saran/Glad/Whatever Wrap and place it directly on top of the guacamole, pressing and smoothing until there are no air bubbles. This also works with cut avocado halves. (To me, the "pit" thing is just silly. It's never worked for me and it looks dumb and makes me feel as though if people see it there they'll consider me to be the sort of person that'll believe anything and is probably still looking for Madam Cleo to give me romance tips. So I eschew it.) ~~~~~~ Salsa de Jalapeño Remove stems from peppers. Put whole peppers, tomatoes and garlic salt into your food processor or blender and process until ingredients are thoroughly blended, but do not pulvarize seeds. It'll make it bitter. Note: This is not a "salsa" like you're accustomed to - it's more like nothing but ground up pickled jalapenos. It's really hot - much too hot for most folks to use for dips, etc., but it's great for flavoring foods. You won't use anywhere near all of it for the guacamole, so store the rest in a jar, tightly covered, in the fridge. Use it when preparing other foods like roasts, soups, eggs, etc. And please don't try making my guacamole without it. It only takes a minute and it's just not as good and you'll be upset with me. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Mexican, Salad, Snack, Dip ( RG432 )

Elizabeth's Extreme Chocolate Lover's Cake Mmmmm rich, dense, chocolatey goodness. Not for the faint of heart! CAKE: 2-1/4 c all-purpose flour, sifted 2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 6 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1/2 c unsalted butter 2-1/2 c dark brown sugar 3 eggs 1-1/2 T vanilla extract 1 c sour cream 1 c water FROSTING: 6 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1/4 c unsalted butter 1 egg yolk 4 c confectioners' sugar 2 T vanilla extract 2 T heavy cream 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened GANACHE: 2 c bittersweet chocolate chips 1 c heavy cream Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 (9 inch) pans. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the top of a double boiler, heat 6 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm. 2 In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the melted chocolate. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. 3 Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. 4 Make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: In the top of a double boiler, heat 6 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, whip the butter for about 10 minutes until it is super fluffy, beat in egg yolk. Gradually blend in the confectioners' sugar, alternating with 2 tablespoons vanilla and 2 tablespoons cream, then blend in the melted chocolate. Beat in the softened cream cheese. 5 Make the Ganache: In a large saucepan, combine chocolate chips and 1 cup heavy cream. Heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. 6 Assemble the cake: When cake is completely cooled, cover the bottom cake layer with as much ganache as desired. Refrigerate for 5 minutes, or until ganache has set. Spread frosting over the ganache. Cover with top layer of cake. Frost top and sides with buttercream, and garnish with more ganache and fresh raspberries if you like! Keywords: Dessert, American, Intermediate, Chocolate, Cake ( RG431 )

Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies! Serves 15 as Dessert. These are my all-time favorite chocolate chip cookies! They're big, fat, and chewy--and finally you can eat just one, they are just that big and satisfying! This recipe is adapted from the Cook's Illustrated version, only with some minor adjustments to my taste. Enjoy! 2 c all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 c unsalted butter, melted 1 c packed brown sugar 1/2 c white sugar 1 T vanilla extract 1 egg 1 egg yolk 2 c semisweet chocolate chips 1. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 2. Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla. Add egg, then the yolk. Stir in dry ingredients, then fold in chocolate chips until incorporated. Refrigerate dough until firm (at least 30 minutes). 3. Drop 1/4 cup sized "puck-shaped" mounds of dough onto baking sheet. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for approximately10-12 minutes or ONLY until the edges begin to turn golden. (They'll look underdone, but trust me, they're perfect)! Cool and enjoy! Yields about 12-15 BIG cookies! Keywords: Dessert, American, Easy, Chocolate, Cookie ( RG430 )

King Ranch Chicken My recipe calls for garlic salt which is what I have put here. But, want to point out that the soups and the cheese have a great deal of salt already in them and, as our family is trying to cut back on our salt intake, I use garlic powder instead. So, use your own judgment. IMPORTANT NOTE: Most people chop the chicken. Don't do that. With your hands, tear it into large bite-sized chunks; in other words, so that as many pieces as possible are big enough to get a good taste of chicken, and lots of them are big enough that you have to cut them once with your fork to handle them gracefully. When you just take your knife and chop up the chicken, it all blends into a big gloppy morass with no interesting interplay of textures. Think about it: when you're eating a chicken casserole, don't YOU poke around for the nice big pieces??? So - make your chicken good and tender and flavorful, and then give everyone nice big pieces of it to enjoy. Sometimes, just before serving, I garnish with sliced black olives and fresh chopped green onions, and maybe even a dollop of sour cream. Stewing Chicken 1 fryer - 3-4 lbs 1 bay leaf 1 onion coarsely chopped 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped 1 clove garlic seasoned salt & pepper to taste Assembly 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can cream of chicken soup 8 oz Cheddar cheese (depending on how much you like cheese) grated 12 corn tortillas 1 onion, chopped 1 large green bell pepper, chopped chile powder to taste garlic salt 1 can RoTel Original Tomatoes w/chiles Stew fryer in seasoned water just to cover. Cool and remove meat from chicken, leaving it in large bite-sized chunks, reserving stock. Combine soups and grated cheese. Soak tortillas in reserved chicken stock until soft, but not falling apart. Arrange half of the tortillas in the bottom of a greased 9x12 glass baking dish. Arrange half of chicken over. Sprinkle with half of chopped onion and bell pepper. Dust with chile powder and garlic salt. Spread with half of soup/cheese mixture. Layer second half of tortillas, then remaining chicken, onion, peppers, chile powder, garlic salt, ending with the remaining half of the soup/cheese mixture. Pour a can of Rotel over all. The juices should come about halfway up the side of the casserole. If not, add a little more stock. Bake uncovered at 375º for 30 minutes or til casserole is bubbly and heated throughout. This is better made a day ahead of time, then refrigerated and reheated before serving. That allows the flavors to meld. Keywords: Main Dish, Chicken ( RG429 )

Harvey Wallbanger Cake For a while there, I couldn't go to a single party that someone hadn't brought this. And it was pretty good, as I recall - all citrusy and boozy. 1 box orange cake mix 1 box (3 1/4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix 1/2 c vegetable oil 4 eggs 4 oz Galliano Liqueur 1 shot Vodka 1/2 c OJ 1 tsp orange zest Glaze: 1 c confectioners powdered white sugar 1 T Liqueur Galliano 1 T orange juice concentrate 1 tsp orange zest 1 tsp vodka Beat together the cake ingredients. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 350 for Preheat the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan 10 minutes. Then remove cake from pan and place in center of serving platter. Glaze: Combine all glaze ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour over well-cooled cake. There are other recipes - including for sheet cake, where you poke holes in the warm cake and pour glaze over it while warm, also layer cakes, that kind of thing. Keywords: Dessert, Cake ( RG428 )

Chocolate Fudge Frosting This sweet frosting is a favorite with children and anyone who likes condensed milk. It's perfect for Brownstone Front Cake. 1/2 pt sweetened condensed milk (normal size can) 3 oz unsweetened chocolate 2 oz unsalted butter 1 egg yolk 1. Melt chocolate, add condensed milk. Stir until blended. 2. Add butter, cut into small pieces. Stir until thickened slightly. 3. Add egg yolk , Stir until blended. Allow frosting to cool. It will thicken upon standing. If it gets too thick, add a little coffee or water to thin it to spreading consistency. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Chocolate ( RG427 )

Brownstone Front Cake 4 oz unsalted butter 4 oz unsweetened chocolate 2 c cake flour 1 tsp baking soda 3 eggs 2 c brown sugar 1 c sour cream 1/2 tsp salt 1. Melt butter and chocolate together. Let cool. 2. Sift flour, soda and salt togehter. 3. Beat eggs with sugar until light. 4. Add sour cream and flour mixture alternatively to the beaten eggs. Beat until thoroughly combined. 5. Stir in the chocolate/butter mixture. 6. Bake at 375 F. for 25 minutes in 2 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Chocolate, Cake ( RG426 )

Baked Sea Bass with Prosciutto, Apples and a Honey Wine Glaze Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is something i came up with when i went in to work one afternoon. I needed to make a special up really fast and there were some left over apples that needed using. I guess u could call this my take of the classic dish monkfish with proscuttio. One thing i would like you to remember with this recipe is that food is an art and recipies are only guidlines do not be afraid to break their barriers. This recipe plays off the opposing flavors of the proscuttio against the sweetness of the apple.Do not be afraid to substitute ingredients or change methods to make a dish that is truely yours. I am a new chef or should say trying hard to become a chef and would greatly appreciate if u would be critic of this recipe. 4 oz seabass or halibut 4 oz prosciutto sliced paper thin 1 sweet apple,sliced into thin wedges ie.mcintosh, gala, cortland 1/4 c fruity red wine- ie. 1/8 c honey salt and pepper 2 T fine herb mixture optional 3 T oil for cooking ie. canola or olive oil mixture PREP FISH- -butcher fish into 9 oz portions ( I would recomend removing skin and using the non-skin side as your presentation side) -season fish with salt and pepper( in the restaurant i also like to season my fish with a fresh herb mixture of, which gives the fish a little extra flavor and some color. fine herb recipe - parsley 2 tbsp - tarragon 1 tbsp - dill 1 tbsp - chives 1 tbsp - chop all herbs very fine and mix together PREP APPLE -slice the flesh of the apple off the core and slice in to 1/8-1/4 in. wedges ( you want to end up with apple slices that you can stack into a fan shape on top of the fish so keep them thin( -place apples in acidic water-this will keep them from browning untill further use ( acidic water- 1 c. water 1 tbsp lemon juice) PREP PROSCUTTIO -slice four slices of proscuttio paper thin -cut slices in half length wise( in general proscuttio comes about 2-3 inches wide and what Im looking in this recipe is a strip about 6 in. long and 1 in. wide so it will look like a bow around the fish and apples PREP GLAZE -mix honey and wine together untill honey is all incorparated- pinot noir or merlot are good wines to use( the reason I added the glaze to this recipe was that i was afraid the apples and proscuttio would dry out to much in the high heat of the oven, and it seemed to work. I did not cook the glaze down in this recipe, because i started a half an hour before service and was restrained on the time i could put into it. So i will definately be experimenting with cooking the glaze or not COOKING METHOD -heat oven to 400 degrees -heat large saute pan with 3 tbsp of oil till almost smoking -pan sear off presentation side until golden brown -remove from pan and place on baking sheet presentation side up -place apples on top of fish in a fanned pattern -wrap fish and apples with slice of proscuttio - proscuttio should be narrow enogh so that apples show -baste fish and bake for 5-7 minutes ( basting a couple of times in oven) Keywords: Main Dish, Fish, Seafood, Easy ( RG425 )

Burnt Sugar Cake I make this cake about once a month; the kids love it. I still have the original recipe card, written by my great grandmother, so it is an oldie, but goodie. Comfort food. Cake 2/3 c White sugar 1/4 c Boiling water 1/2 c Butter 1-1/2 c White sugar 3 Eggs, separated 2-1/2 c All purpose flour (divided) 1 c Cold water 2 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Salt 2 tsp Vanilla Frosting 1 c White Sugar 1 c Whipping (heavy) cream Preheat oven to 350. In small skillet, burn 2/3 c. sugar until dark amber; remove from heat. Add boiling water carefully (it will steam and sputter. You may have to add a bit more water. Set aside to cool. Cream butter. Add sugar, beat well. Add egg yolks, vanilla and cold water, again beat well. Add two cups of flour. Add burnt sugar, being careful to NOT scrape out the pan -- just pour and leave some of the burnt sugar in the skillet. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold beaten whites into batter with 1/2 cup flour and baking powder . Pour into prepared pan(s) -- three 9" round layers, one 9 x 13, or a bunch of cupcakes, depending on how full you fill them. My kids really like the cupcakes filled to the point that the batter sort of overflows, leaving nice crisp little "collars" around them. My grandmother always said that the tradition was to first eat the collars, making a wish with every bite. Bake until barely done -- cake springs back and a toothpick comes out almost clean. When the cake is cool, make frosting. DO NOT WASH SKILLET WITH BURNT SUGAR WHILE YOU ARE WAITING FOR CAKE TO COOL. For the frosting, in the skillet, add the cream and sugar. Cook until the burnt sugar mixes in with the cream and sugar and pour into a saucepan. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the frosting reaches the soft ball stage. Remove from heat, and beat (with a wooden spoon) until just before spreadable -- if you beat it too long, the frosting may become a little to hard to spread, especially if you are doing layers or cupcakes. I usually burn a bit more sugar and double the frosting recipe -- particularly if I am doing layers. One must make sure that there is enough frosting left in the saucepan for licking. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Cake ( RG424 )