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!)

Chicken in Vodka Sauce

If you’ve not had Vodka Sauce, it’s pretty amazing. Don’t let the pink-ish color turn you off. It’s not totally a chick sauce. It has VODKA in it….(In our case BAKON Vodka, because BAKON VODKA rocks, but any decent vodka will do). I’m going to make some with Nude Vodka for the Italian Benedicts (coming up next week) because I like the vodka, the bottle, the idea of nudity (We're old and cook with butter so we won't bore you with pictures) on a Sunday morning along with some great food... and they are some of our local Oregon peeps!
I had a really hard time explaining to Jerry that it is it’s own thing. Not some other Italian sauce with vodka in it. Finally I said “Go to the store and look at the bottles. You will see Marinara, Alfredo, Pomodoro and VODKA sauce. It’s the pink one honey”. Then he got it!

He did most of the making and it was wonderful! We poached eggs in the morning in the leftover sauce.

Chicken in Vodka Sauce

4 chicken breasts

Salt

Pepper

½ c Flour

1 tbs olive oil

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce or tomato puree

1 stick of butter

1 onion, diced

1/2 pt. heavy cream

1/2 c. vodka (I used BAKON VODKA for this but if you prefer traditional vodka we won’t hold it against you. I think Lemon Vodka would be pretty spiffy.)

First, get yourself a chicken. (Okay, sorry I couldn't resist. This is the way they sell chickens in the Saturday Market in La Rochelle, France. I thought it was cool in a weird sort of way and felt compelled to take a picture.)

Pound the chicken until it is approx 1/2 “ thick all the way around. (I think the head on this one is just tucked the wing so I would set it aside) Lightly salt and pepper both sides. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Heat the olive oil on medium and fry the chicken lightly on both sides until golden. Remove chicken and set aside.


Easy Vodka Sauce


1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce or tomato puree

1 stick of butter

1 onion, diced

1/2 pt. heavy cream

1/2 c. vodka


Melt the butter in a large (12” skillet/sauté pan) Saute onion in butter until translucent (clear-ish).

Add vodka and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes.

Add tomato sauce and cook a couple more minutes.

Slowly add the cream and heat through but do not let it get to a boil.

Turn the heat down and return the chicken to the pan with the vodka sauce. Let simmer for 10 minutes

We served this with pene pasta, a salad and a Savignon Blanc.

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake

One of my favorite events of the year is the pageantry of the Kentucky Derby. I love to watch the guy make the $1000 Mint Julep. Mint from Morocco, ice from the Arctic Circle and sugar from the South Pacific in a 24k gold cup with a sterling silver straw. The money goes to the New Jersey-based Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides homes for the former race horses.

When my daughter was young she loved The Derby and could name in order all the horses that had won The Triple Crown. She is 23 this year and has yet to see it happen, as the last horse to win it, Affirmed, won in it 1978. She did however, get to spend 5 hours one day chasing a grandson of Affirmed around a field after he got loose.

I got this recipe from http://homecooking.about.com/od/cakerecipes/r/blc140.htm

The only changes I made was to triple the amount of bourbon and cut the sugar in the cake in half.

What I am giving you here is the original recipe without my changes.

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

Cake:

3 cups cake flour

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

Bourbon Butter Sauce:

1/2 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar

1/3 cup butter

3 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons Bourbon whiskey

.

Mint Frosting:

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1 teaspoon white creme de menthe liqueur or 1/2 tsp mint extract (see Note)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.

Cake:

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine buttermilk, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs.

Add wet ingredients to flour mixture. Beat at low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for 3 more minutes. Pour into prepared pan and smooth evenly around bundt center.

Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Ten minutes before cake is done, prepare Bourbon Butter Sauce.

Bourbon Butter Sauce:

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup butter, and 3 tablespoons water. Stir until melted and combined. Do not boil. Remove from heat, continuing to stir for 2 minutes. Then stir in Bourbon.

When cake is done and still warm from the oven, use a skewer to poke holes around the top of the cake. Pour Bourbon butter sauce evenly over the top of the cake. Let cake cool to room temperature in the pan before removing.

Mint Frosting:

Melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until chips are melted. Remove from heat and stir in creme de menthe liqueur (or mint extract). Let cool for 10 minutes, then spread evenly over the cooled cake. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Chill to set chocolate ganache. Take cake out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cutting to serve.

Yield: 12 to 18 servings, depending on slice cut

Note: You may substitute green creme de menthe for the white, however the color may not be appealing. Just add a drop or two of green food coloring.

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

If you have not been to Ireland, it is as magical as it's made out to be. I've always gone in the Spring or Autumn and the weather is kind to me. It always seems that on days when I want to go take pictures, it is bright and sunny, or at least gives me spectacular clouds. On days when I am going to be stuck on a bus or train all day it rains and at the end of every day there's always a pub nearby.

Ross Castle, Killarney, Ireland

Kerry Bog Pony, Kerry, Ireland

Red Deer, Killarney National Forest, Killarney, Ireland

A couple of things you need to know when travelling in Ireland

1. Any Guidebook telling you where your accommodations are was given this information by the host. "Less than a kilometer from the bus/train" actually means "less than a kilometer from the pub and after that who cares." If they offer to come get you, say YES.
2. Crossing lights are just a suggestion. Go when you can. (same advice for bathrooms. If you find one, go when you can.)
3. Any information you need can be gathered at the pub; and if not who cares, you're at the pub.
4. Don't suggest to the barkeep that he mix Guinness and anything. (I do, but have been close to evicted several times.)

Nancy Murphy's Pub, Enniskerry, Ireland

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

2 tbsp olive oil


2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1"-ish bits

1 large onion, peeled and rough cut


2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped


1 tsp dried or fresh thyme

1 tsp dried or fresh rosemary


2-3 tbsp flour


3/4 cup beef stock
(I used bouillon)

1/2 cup Guinness


1 tbsp chopped parsley


1/2 lb carrots, sliced


1/2 lb potatoes cubed

1/2 lb mushrooms cleaned and chunked. (Or in my case rehydrated and chunked)

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste


Directions:

In a large pot (I use my FAGOR 6qt pressure cooker pot, just not pressurizing it, for this), heat the oil and add the meat.

Brown the meat on both sides on high heat. In the same pot cook the onions for a few minutes until they are translucent.

Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley (which I took off my plate at the restaurant and brought home) and flour, and stir well until nice and mixed.

While I realize Guinness does not travel as it should and should always be gotten at the source, if possible, sometimes a compromise has to be made. Open the beer, take a sip to make sure it's not gone bad or anything like that...(I suppose if you are making this for the crock pot before heading to work you should omit the sipping step).

Add the beef stock and beer. Simmer and stir until the stew begins to get thick. Add the remaining ingredients and cover.


If at any point it looks like there is not enough liquid add the rest of the Guinness if you didn't already drink it.

Turn the heat to low and leave on the stove for a couple of hours stirring occasionally.

You did good...Drink one of the other leftover beers.

You can also do all the prep (brown the meat, cook the onions and herbs etc) stick it all in a crock pot set it on medium and leave it all day while you are at work!

Serve with nice warm Very Easy Beer Bread