Loaded Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Nothing makes you friends faster in a new crowd than arriving with a giant plate of chocolate dipped strawberries! If they are loaded with alcohol, all the better! (I do however, label them and offer some unleaded ones for people who may not be imbibing.)

They are really easy to make. Not so easy to photograph. When I took the pictures we had just taken them out of the fridge so they are frosty looking, not the shiny lovely photographed ones you see advertised. They taste great. We took approx 40 giant strawberries to the party and came home with…NONE.

A word of caution: The food injector we bought had a huge needle and I thought it would make too big of a hole in the strawberries so we got one of the still sealed and sterile 18 gauge needles used for baby animals or diabetics (ironic hum?). It worked great until I stabbed myself in the finger with Gran Marnier. It HURT. It STILL HURTS.

Since then several people have told me that the big fat ones don’t stab you as easily. I think I would still use the small one for aesthetics. I just might have my husband do the injecting J.

Loaded Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Beer Braised Brauts

These are a good weeknight easy thing. We used the cheddar stuffed brauts. More cheese I say!!!

You can use any kind of beer. We used dark because it was there. I think it gives a deeper flavor to the cabbage. Being a girl, I am also kind of fond of the fruity beers and think they do well in this dish.

Polar Bear and Tess (the dogs) don’t care. They just want some. (Brauts, we never EVER give them the cabbage if we want to live through the night.)

Beer Braised Brauts

Couquilles Champignous St. Jacques (Scallops and Mushrooms)

My daughter had these and mentioned on Facebook how wonderful they were. I believe her words were "Where have you been all my life?"

Since it was payday weekend (good scallops can be fairly dear), I decided to try them right away. I found this recipes at cooks.com and I liked the ones with mushrooms so I was off and running. (or..Voila!)

After I talked to my daughter, this really had some resemblance to the ones she had but definitely different. They flambe'd theirs with cognac and had no cheese. I guess I really need to go over there and find out (oh darn).

I will say that the Couquilles St. Jacques I made following the recipe below were, if apparently non traditional, still amazing. Nothing weird happened. The scallops did not jump out of the pan and attack me. The French directions did not fade away like disappearing ink to prevent me, the rookie, from making the dish and possibly putting a slur on fine French cuisine. Everything went well. (Unlike the evil all American strawberries which you will hear about later.)

We did not happen to have bunches of bread on hand so we paired them with a little penne pasta. It worked pretty dang well but since there is a lot of fabulous sauce, I recommend getting the bread!

COQUILLES CHAMPIGNOUS ST. JACQUES

(Scallops and mushrooms St.Jacques)

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1826,151182-249202,00.html

1 lb. scallops

3/4 c. white wine

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. tarragon

1/4 c. bread crumbs

3 tbsp. butter

1/2 c. grated Swiss cheese

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 c. light cream

1 egg yolk, beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. flour

Poach scallops in combined wine, thyme and tarragon for 2 minutes.

Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Saute mushrooms in butter. Mix in flour, blend in cream, liquid, egg yolk, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Heat until thickened, add scallops.

Spoon into casserole dish. Top with swiss cheese and edge with bread crumbs.

Bake at 450 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes.

Zabaglione (Italian Marsala Mousse)

I found this recipe in a recipe book I bought in a used bookstore for fifty cents. I was drawn to the spices on the cover. Spices fascinate me. I’m always trying to learn more about them. The book was very old (almost as old as me) and it was in really good shape, just the pages yellowed.

There are a lot of great recipes, some calling for THREE 1 ½ lb lobsters upon which you commit mayhem, but this one was so simple and involved a fair amount of alcohol so I really had to try it right away!

It is as easy to do as it sounds.

At first bite I thought this might be an acquired taste unless you are Italian. I’m not used to custardy things with really strong flavor, but the first bite was enough to get me to take a second bite and then…it was all gone and since I was home I could clean the sides of the glass with my fingers.

It does have a lot of wine in it that I would assume is mostly cooked out since you blend and blend and blend until your arm is about to fall off, while it’s cooking over the boiling water. That being said, it also has a strong sweet Marsala flavor that is unique. The nutmeg on top was the perfect addition.

This would be a great holiday or wine tasting party dessert, or a last minute needed dessert, because it really whips up fast. I would think you could use other things in it but since it calls for 2/3 cup I’d think of something like a nice sweet Riesling not a hard liquor.

It is very light…….and yes, it’s like foamy eggnog, it does not solidify too much. It’s like adult dessert foam.

I found that if I put what I didn’t “eat warm” as directed, in the fridge, by morning it was a weird looking mousse.I would consider at that point mixing it with cool whip just because the visual was ......icky.

Zabaglione

An Herb and Spice Cookbook: by Craig Claiborne 1963

6 egg yolks
6 tbs fine sugar
2/3 cup Marsala wine

beat the eggs vigorously with a wire whisk or rotary beater. And gradually add while beating the eggs the sugar and wine.

Place the mixture over boiling water and continue beating vigorously until the custard foams in the pan and begins to thicken. Do not overcook.

Serve warm in sherbet glasses or as a sauce.

(I put a sprinkle of nutmeg on top and it was PERFECTO!)