I'm Back!.....with Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova

For those of you that frequent my blog and have seen that damn picture of mac-n-cheese for about two months, I apologize. I had finals, graduated, and moved. So now that it is summer and I have more time, I am back in the kitchen with more time to share delicious recipes and suggestions. I didn’t quit! So on to the dessert……

I made this meringue dessert for my mother’s 50th birthday. It is the perfect chocolaty summer treat since it is light and simple. It also served as a good replacement of the traditional birthday cake; everyone loved it!


For the Meringue Base:
6 large egg whites
2 cups superfine sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

For the Toppings:
2 cups heavy cream
4 cups raspberries
1 to 2 ounces dark chocolate

Directions
Prepare the pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Draw a 9-inch-diameter circle on the paper with a pencil, tracing a round cake tin that size.
Flip the paper over so your meringue doesn't touch the pencil marks - you'll still be able to see the circle.

Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites with a mixer until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Do not start adding the sugar until the egg whites alone form satiny peaks or your meringue will turn out soupy. Timing is everything.

Add the chocolate: Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar and then the chopped chocolate over the egg whites. Gently fold everything with a rubber spatula until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in.

Shape the meringue: Secure the parchment to the baking sheet with a dab of meringue under each corner. Mound the meringue onto the parchment within the circle, smoothing the sides and the top with a spatula. I simply lined a 9-inch-diameter round pan with parchment paper and baked it in the pan instead of on the baking sheet.


Bake the meringue: Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 300 degrees F and cook for one to one and a quarter hours. When it's ready, it should look crisp and dry on top. Let it cool: Turn off the oven and open the door slightly; let the chocolate meringue disk cool completely in the oven.

When you're ready to serve, invert onto a big flat bottomed plate and peel off the parchment.


Decorate the Pavlova: Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue. I whiked all two cups of heavy cream and ended up with extra, so use as much as you prefer. Then scatter the raspberries on top.


Grate the chocolate over the top. You want the Pavlova to look like a frosted cake.




The pavlova tastes best the day its made so eat up!

Triple-Cheese Spirals

Mac n Cheese is something I’ve always really wanted to make. Kraft is pretty good but there is something about powder cheese that seems strange. Five different mac n cheese recipes were featured in the April Food Network Magazine; it was calling my name. I chose the standard triple cheese recipe. It was very simple to make and by far one of the best mac n cheese dishes I’ve had.

The ingredients:
• Kosher salt
• 12 ounces gemelli, cavatappi or other spiral-shaped pasta
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup shredded yellow sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, chives and/or scallions

Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta (I used cavatappi) and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.


Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, mustard and cayenne and stir with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste puffs slightly, about 1 minute.


Whisk in both milks and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened and creamy, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the cheddar and jack cheeses and all but 2 tablespoons of the parmesan and whisk until melted; keep warm.


Combine the panko, herbs and/or scallions, 1 tablespoon butter and the remaining parmesan in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the butter melts, about 1 minute; toss.


Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup cooking water, and return to the pot. Toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then stir in the cheese sauce, adding the reserved cooking water if needed. Season with salt and top with the breadcrumb mixture.



If you are looking for something new to try, this mac n cheese recipe will make you never want to buy the stuff in the box again. The panko adds a little crunch and the herbs bring in some light and fresh flavors. It is cheesey and delicious!!

Low-Fat Raspberry-Corn Muffins

We hosted Easter this year, as usual, which was a brunch buffet type deal for my family and some relatives. Nothing huge. So in searching of a carb option and in light of eating healthier, (especially during a brunch buffet) I found this muffin recipe in my Food Network Magazine and was immediately interested. They actually turned out very good and only have 5g of fat. This is 12g less than the average corn muffin. And if you talk to my dad, cutting grams of fat is very important so I knew he would like these! (And he ate two.)

You will need:
• Cooking spray
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• ½ cup apricot nectar
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 4 large egg whites
• 2 cups frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 2 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners or 6-inch squares of parchment paper and mist with cooking spray. (Use parchment paper if you want a more domed muffin; the batter will cling to the paper as it rises.)

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.


In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, apricot nectar, grapeseed oil, vanilla extract and orange zest until combined.


Note: Grapeseed Oil is neutral-flavored, vitamin E-rich oil used in place of butter. It is a lot healthier than olive oil and has a very high boiling point making it good for sautéing.


Beat the egg whites and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes.

Whisk the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just moistened.


Gently fold in the egg-white mixture until almost combined, then fold in the raspberries; do not over mix.





Divide the batter among the prepared cups (an ice cream scoop works well). Bake until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a rack.


The recipe states it makes only 12 muffins but that is completely incorrect. I filled 24 cups and still had leftover batter. If you only want 12, I suggest cutting the recipe in half. Otherwise if you make the whole batch you could try pouring half the batter in a 9x9 square or perhaps a bread pan on top of the 12 muffins.


If you are looking for a healthier alternative for breakfast, these muffins are a good choice. Especially warmed up with a tiny bit of butter, the healthy kind of course!

Salad Pizza

This pizza was very good. It was a lighter, refreshing pizza. Not heavy like others, if you can believe that! When I found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine I was intrigued because normally one doesn't think to put leafy greens on a pizza, so I had to try it. It was a success and I will experiment more with leafy greens in the future.

For this pizza, you will need:
• Pizza Dough, about 1 Pound
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Thyme
• Oregano
• ¾ - 1 Cup Feta
• 6-8 Ounces Ricotta
• 4-6 Ounces Bocconcini
• 1-2 Cups Arugula
• 2 Tomatoes
• Pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly coat the pizza pan with cornmeal to prevent the dough from cooking to the pan. Press the dough into the pan until about 10-12 inches in diameter.

Top pizza dough with the olive oil, salt, thyme, oregano and the feta.


Bake until crisp and remove from the oven, about 7-9 minutes.


Spread with ricotta and top with slices of bocconcini, olive oil and salt. Bake until the cheese melts, about another 5-8 minutes. You’ll have to watch it.


Bocconcini is a fresh mozzarella that is packaged like this:


Meanwhile, toss arugula and sprinkle tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.


Pile on top of pizza after baking. I stuck it into the oven again for another 2-3 minutes to warm the tomatoes, but that is simply what I prefer- it’s not necessary.


If you are looking for an alternative to the usual pepperoni or sausage pizzas, I encourage you to try this one. It is very easy to make and I am sure you will love it!

Note: The measurements and cooking times will vary depending on how big you decide to make your pizza.

Classic Salsa

The other day I made a great salsa that is very simple. It contains five ingredients so it is very fresh and you can taste each individual ingredient perfectly. After making this salsa, I don't know that I will ever buy one at the grocery store. I love making things that are fresh and especially natural. No preservatives.

Here is what you'll need:

• 4 Tomatoes
• 1 Red Onion
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 1-2 Jalapeños
• 1 Handful Cilantro

Chop all ingredients and combine in a medium mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate 20-30 minutes before serving. This will allow the flavors to combine more but it is not necessary to do. Serve with some good yellow or blue corn tortilla chips!

Sautéed Shrimp in a Lemon Butter with Tagliatelle

The recent Spring weather inspired me to make a dinner that is light and fresh. Shrimp in a lemon butter with pasta. This quick and delicious meal is the perfect spring dish.


The hardest part of cooking shrimp is deciding how much to buy. I was making dinner for four adults. The man helping me at Byerly’s said “well that depends on how much shrimp you want in your pasta.” I prefer about equal pasta to shrimp; so with each bite of pasta there is a piece of shrimp. The shrimp that I purchased was a 41-50 count, meaning there are roughly 41-50 shrimp per pound. They were little guys. I ordered 1¼ pounds and I could tell my brother was still hungry. If you are feeding any big guys I would suggest getting 1½ pounds for four people. That comes out to 15-18 small shrimp per person assuming you buy the 41-50 count.

You will need:
• 1 Box Pasta of your choice (a long noodle is best; spaghetti, linguini, etc.)
• 1½ Pounds Shrimp; raw, peeled and deveined
• 1½ Lemon
• Olive Oil
• 4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• ½ Cup Butter, 1 stick
• ¼ Cup White Cooking Wine
• Salt & Pepper
• Basil, sliced
• Parmesan, grated

Bring 1 gallon of lightly salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente. For the pasta, I used tagliatelle nests (photo below) which worked really well. When the pasta is done, strain and rinse with cool water to immediately cease the cooking.

While the pasta is cooking, you can start the shrimp. If frozen, rinse the shrimp in cold water until thawed. Microwave a whole lemon for 15-20 seconds; this makes squeezing the juice easy. Squeeze ½ of the lemon over the raw shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan at medium heat. Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the entire pan. Add the garlic and sauté 30-60 seconds, and then add the shrimp. Once the outside of the shrimp has cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes (depending on the size), begin adding the butter tablespoon by tablespoon. Once the butter is all melted, add the white cooking wine and squeeze the rest of the lemon halves over the pan. Let simmer allowing the shrimp to finish cooking, another 1-2 minutes.

Toss the cooked pasta into the sauté pan with the shrimp. This allows the pasta to warm while being coated with the lemon butter. Sprinkle the slices of basil and grated parmesan over the shrimp and pasta mixing everything thoroughly.


Serve in a bowl or on a plate. Garnish each dish with more basil and parmesan if desired. Finally, Enjoy!

Again this serves 4-5 people and takes about 20 minutes.

Chicken Quesadillas

I found a recipe for quesadillas made with Pillsbury Grands biscuits on the Food Network website and they looked really good. I took the idea and made my own recipe. These are super easy to make and are a great appetizer for a group of people.

• 1 container (8 oz) sour cream
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced (4 tablespoons)
• 1 cup chunky-style salsa
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ lb sliced roasted chicken (from deli), chopped
• ¾ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend or crumbled queso blanco cheese
• 1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury Grands Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Heat closed medium-size contact grill for 5 minutes (I used a Panini maker and that worked pretty well); spray grill plates with no-stick cooking spray.


In a medium bowl, mix sour cream, green onions, salsa, cilantro, chicken and cheese. (I used a rotisserie chicken and pulled about ¼ lb of meat off of it.)




Separate dough into 8 biscuits; press or roll each into 5-inch round. Place 1/4 cup chicken mixture on one side of each biscuit round. Fold biscuit over filling; press edges to seal.


Place biscuits, two at a time, on grill; close grill. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into 3 wedges. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Make these for your next party and they will be a hit!