aking than I was used to doing in such a short time as I ended up doing everything that morning as I had just turned in my last final the day before and was pretty tired. Anyway, one of my bosses loaned me her french press to use as a strainer/tea pot which was really great as I'd never used loose leaf tea before and she also gave me this great loose leaf fruit tea that had a really nice woodsy flavor to it.image courtesy of target.com
So, I thought it would be nice to post some of the recipes here as they were more or less simple to make, don't require speciality cookware (apart from an electric mixer)and make a good presentation.
Here's the menu:
1. flourless chocolate cupcakes.2. victoria sandwiches.
3. Marinated shrimp with smoked gouda and proscuitto.4. chocolate mousse filled chocolate dessert cups.
5. crostini bread with herb goat cheese.
1. Flourless chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache topping
I found the recipe for this cake just searching the internet several months ago and have used it 4 or 5 times since then. It ta
kes delicious but doesn't take a lot of work.4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch round cake pan, and dust with cocoa powder.
In the top of a double boiler over lightly simmering water, melt chocolate and butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Slices can also be reheated for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave before serving.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Flourless-Chocolate-Cake-II/Detail.aspx
+I personally don't use a double boiler for this recipe as melting the chocolate in the bowl in the microwave means less time/dishware as I can just use that same bowl to mix the rest of the ingredients in.
+This is great served with vanilla icecream or with raspberry sauce in addition to or instead of the icecream. The raspberry sauce makes a great ice cream topping.
Raspberry sauce:
2 pints raspberry
1/4 sugar
(optional) 1 tsp. lemon juice
-Allow the raspberries and sugar to boil in a small sauce pan on the stove until the raspberries have broken down (10-15 minutes).
-Strain the sauce into a bowl or other container to remove the seeds (use may use a sifter for this as well but the seeds will most likely get stuff to the sifter and you may just ahve to use it only for your fruit saucues, buying a second one for flour,etc.)
And that's it! It's super simple yet super good.
+I tend to leave off the lemon juice in this recipe which is why I marked it optional. The raspberry sauce is tart enough without it and seems to maintain its color well.
This cake will have an inclination to stick to the bottom of the pan so dusting the bottom with cocoa and spraying not stick spray is very important. The liners for the cupcakes make this easier. For the topping
Chocolate ganache:
8 oz. semi sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup heavy cream
melt chocolate into the heavy whipping cream in a small sauce pan on a low-medium heat.
If you want it to set, it will take around 2 or so hours. Refrigeration will cause it to lose its shine so make close to time of use so that refrigeration is not necessary. For the cake form, it is not really necessary to allow it to set as it can be poured out onto the cake. However, it is necessary for the cupcakes.
The image is a photo from someone else, but if I did actually take a photo of my cupcakes/when I have a personal computer, I will post mine.
+(optional) top cupcakes with edible flours. If you live in the midwest, you can find these at a Martin's Supermarket. I have also seen them as Whole Foods. They had a very nice touch.
I'll add the rest of the recipes later. hope you enjoy this one!
