Black & White Cookies

This recipe came from a Chocolate book my husband got me for Christmas. He keeps asking me when I was going to make something from it, so today was the day.

These cookies weren't your normal soft chewy cookies. They were thin, crisp and not overly sweet. They may have lacked the sweetness due to the recipe calling for bittersweet chocolate, which I didn't have on hand. I used semisweet chocolate. They are nice and Rustic, though. Not my type of cookie, for I like the thick, chewy, very sweet type.

Black & White Cookies

2 squares Bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1/4 cup corn oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp confectioners sugar

milk chocolate chips

white chocolate chips

Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Remove from the heat and let cool. Sift the flour and baking powder together.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, whisk the egg, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract together. Whisk in the cooled chocolate until well blended, then gradually stir in the flour. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375. Oil 2-large cookie sheets. Shape tablespoonfuls of the mixture into log shapes using your hands, each measuring about 2 inches. Roll the logs generously in the confectioners sugar, then place on the prepared cookie sheets, allowing room for the cookies to spread during cooking.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 minutes., or until firm. Remove from the oven, and place 3 chocolate chips down the center of each, alternating the colors. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool.

Giandua Souffle

This is my first attempt at a Souffle!! I've never understood what all the hype was about it......that is until now. Every now and then, I watch Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network Channel. I've seen the episode with this souffle on several occasions, so I finally decided to make it.

It has this wonderful chocolate hazelnut filling on the inside that just melts in your mouth. See the chocolate surprise....
















It wasn't as hard to make as I thought. Give it a try, it will definitely impress anyone you make it for.






















Giandua Souffle

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sugar, plus 1/4 cup
1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur (recommended: Frangelico)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped, plus 6 ounces chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Pinch salt
4 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Butter and sugar 6 (6-ounce) ramekins.

Heat the butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, hazelnut liqueur, and vanilla in a double boiler over medium heat until the butter melts. Remove the butter mixture from the heat, add the chocolate, and let sit until it melts, about 3 minutes. Place the chocolate mixture in a pie dish and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. Use a spoon to form the chilled mixture into 6 evenly-sized balls about the size of a walnut. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, place the flour in a double boiler and slowly whisk in the milk. Add the salt. Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks and continue to whisk constantly. The mixture will thicken to the consistency of mayonnaise in another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat. Stir in the 6 ounces of chocolate and set aside to let the chocolate melt.

Place the egg whites in a large bowl with the cream of tartar. Using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks. Gradually add in the 1/4 cup sugar and continue whipping until firm peaks. Fold the egg whites into the warm chocolate mixture.

Place a ball of the chilled chocolate mixture in each of the ramekins. Spoon the souffle mixture over the chocolate balls and up to the rim of the ramekins. (At this point the souffle can be covered and kept refrigerated for 2 days.)

Place the ramekins in a hot water bath and bake until golden on top and the souffle has risen, about 30 minutes (40 minutes if refrigerated). Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Secret Fall off the Bone Ribs

I guess if I post it, it's not a secret anymore!!! DH has been begging me to make these, so today it was. It's a gloomy day outside, but it felt like a great summer meal. Ribs, potato salad, and a chocolate souffle for desert. (potato salad and souffle will be posted this week!!)

I've only given this recipe out to one person......until today. What good is a secret recipe anyways!!

Living in Texas for 8 years now, we've tried every rib there is to try. This one absolutely does fall off the bone. The combination of slow cooking in the oven, with grilling makes it the most tender delicious rib.

Secret Baby Back Ribs

It starts out with a dry rub:

1 1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup ground black pepper

1/4 cup paprika

1/8 cup garlic powder

Now, it sounds like a lot of seasonings, but this is enough for 4-5 meals. So, once you mix, seal tight in an airtight container.

Go ahead and cut your baby back ribs into serving size portions, cause we're gonna give each one their own TLC. Also, tear off enough aluminum foil to be able to wrap them loosely once you've seasoned them. I use the non stick foil. If you don't, make sure to spray the inside with non stick cooking spray.

Rub both sides of your ribs generously with the dry rub.

Take your favorite BBQ sauce (in my opinion, Sweet Baby Rays Honey is the best!) and baste over your dry rub, leaving the fatty side of the rib up.

Once all your servings have been seasoned and basted, wrap each serving size loosely and put in a baking pan. Put in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.

Cook at 275 for 3 1/2 hours. Preheat your grill and oil to prevent the ribs from sticking.

Carefully take the ribs out with tongs and put fatty side down on grill. (this part will only take a few minutes)

Baste the meat side with some of the sauce from the foil packets then flip over. Remove and let set 5 minutes before serving.

Pass the paper towels and enjoy!!!!!

Pizza Pie

This is a recipe I've not tried before. It's from the Silver Palate Cookbook. It features your typical pizza ingredients - sausages, mushrooms, and tomato sauce - baked together under a pizza crust. It's very simple, and you can definitely adjust the ingredients to what you like. We almost thought of it as a pizza lasagna.

Pizza Pot Pie (adapted from the Silver Palate)

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, in 1 inch pieces

1 lb hot Italian sausage, in 1 inch pieces

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup slices portabella mushrooms

1 can tomato sauce

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 eggs

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Pizza Dough (I used the refrigerated can type)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a heavy skillet saute the sausages, mushrooms and onion until brown. Drain well and transfer to a bowl. Stir the tomato sauce into the sausages and reserve.

Mix the ricotta, Parmigiano, parsley, oregano, 1 egg and pepper.

In an ovenproof dish, (about 9x13) spread half of the sausage mixture. Dot this with half of the ricotta mixture and sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella evenly over the entire surface. Repeat.

Roll out the pizza dough until the dough is about 1 inch larger than the baking dish all the way around. Transfer to the top of the pizza and tuck in the excess all around. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tbsp water and brush some of it on top of the crust.

Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Let the pizza stand for 30 minutes befor cutting.