Congratulations!

Guess what this is! What? You think it's a "congratulations-on-your-new-boobs" ice cream dessert? Well, you're right! The first of my FOUR friends and family members to get mastectomies in the last year just completed the last of her reconstruction surgeries and this is how we celebrated. A perfect use of the peach ice cream I posted the other day.
Hey, if you can't laugh about breast cancer, what can you laugh about??

Triple Chocolate Cake from HEAVEN

Hmmm, how many consecutive dessert recipes does this make? And yes, I only post something after I've just made it so I've been eating plenty of dessert lately. I can't help it. Nursing a baby does that to me. And yet I complain about my weight. Duh!
HOWEVER, if you're going to have love handles, get them with this cake. You won't regret it. In fact, there are lots of different things you can do with this basic cake recipe...and all of them delicious. I made this version for my sister-in-law's birthday and mastectomy-coming-out party :)
**Again, use the finest quality chocolate available (Callebaut, Valhrona, Ghirardelli, Scharffen Berger, E. Guittard or Lindt). Try specialty food stores or online.
From Pure Chocolate

Cake:
12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 large eggs, room temperature, separated
2/3 cups sugar
1 cup cake flour, sifted then measured

Filling:
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate (preferably 66% cacao), chopped
26 oz. creme fraiche (sort of like sour cream...but French.)
**You can substitute sour cream but it may be too sour. If this is the case, add powdered sugar and cream to achieve desired taste and consistency.

Glaze:
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Cake:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and position rack in middle of oven. Butter 2 round cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper circles.
Heat chocolate in double boiler until nearly melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth. Add softened butter in three parts, stirring until butter is incorporated. Set aside to cool until consistency of soft butter.

Whip egg yolks (use beaters or kitchenaid with whisk) with half the sugar at med-high speed until light and tripled in volume (5-6 min.)

Using rubber spatula, fold chocolate mixture into egg yolks.
Sift measured flour again and set aside.

Use clean bowl and whisk to whip egg whites on med-high speed until frothy. Slowly add remaining sugar and whip until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Mixture should be creamy and glossy.
Meanwhile, fold flour into chocolate mixture.
Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in three parts, trying not to overmix and lose volume.
Evenly spread mixture into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes (tester inserted in middle should come out with moist crumbs). Allow to cool 10 minutes in pans, then turn out onto plates or cake circles and chill completely.

Filling:
Melt chocolate in double boiler and then cool to lukewarm. Whip creme fraiche for about 20 seconds (med-high speed) then on low speed, slowly add chocolate.

Glaze:
Place chopped chocolate in metal bowl. Heat cream over med-high heat until boiling. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate in bowl. Let sit for one minute, then slowly and gently stir with rubber spatula from center out until smooth. Try not to incorporate any air as you stir. Let cool at room temperature about 30 minutes (to about 80-85 degrees).

Finishing cake:
Using long, serrated knife, split each cake layer. Place first layer on cardboard cake circle (make one out of an old box. This is the best way to decorate a cake and then move it to a serving plate or stand) and cover with about 1/4 inch filling. Add another cake layer and filling. Repeat with remaining cake layers and then frost entire cake with remaining filling. Refrigerate until set.
Transfer cake to a cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet or wax paper (to catch spills). Begin pouring glaze over top of cake about 1 inch from edge. Let glaze drip down sides, ensuring that glaze covers sides completely. Then pour remaining glaze over center of cake top, using offset spatula to smooth if necessary. Store in fridge and remove 1/2 hour before serving.

Serves about a million people (well, 24) cause all you need is a sliver to induce chocolate ecstasy.

Peach Ice Cream

If you're like me and think you don't like peach ice cream, think again. This was fantastic! And takes only about 20 minutes to whip up. Plus, if you're also like me and can't wait for it to harden in the freezer, it's just like a peach milkshake right out of the machine :)
Courtesy All Recipes

INGREDIENTS
6 eggs, beaten
3 1/2 cups white sugar (I put in about 1/2 cup less, depending on sweetness of peaches)
10 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped
4 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
In large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar until smooth; puree peaches in blender or food processor (i added some of the half and half in the blender to make it puree easier) and stir 5 cups of puree into egg mixture. Stir in cream, half-and-half, vanilla and salt and mix well.
Pour mixture into freezer canister of ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

A diet-breaker for sure!

Peanut Brittle and Caramel Crunch Ice Cream Pie

I made this pie the other day and ate...well, let's just say more than my share. It was soooo good. I tweaked it from the original recipe a bit and you can too. Just throw in whatever kind of sauce and crunchy topping you like. For my dearest and sweetest little bosom buddy with the deathly peanut allergy, try making the brittle without the nuts. You'd still get the sweet crunchy goodness without all that hassle of anaphylactic shock and premature death.
You'll love it!
**To save time and energy, you can always use store bought caramel, hot fudge and/or peanut brittle...but you know homemade is always better!
**Complete cooking and freezing time is about 7 hours so plan accordingly. Make it during the day and serve that night!

Caramel sauce
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
(this is, by the way, the best homemade caramel sauce ever. The vanilla bean steals the show)

Hot Fudge Sauce (this is my favorite chocolate sauce EVER. Makes even the cheapest ice cream taste divine)
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Peanut Brittle
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 cup chopped lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pie
9 whole graham crackers
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, hot
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup salted roasted cocktail peanuts
3 pints premium vanilla ice cream, slightly softened (Haagen Dazs was delicious!)


Caramel sauce
Place cream in small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring just to simmer. Mix in butter and sea salt; set vanilla cream aside.
Stir sugar, 1/3 cup water, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla cream (mixture will bubble). Set sauce aside.

Hot fudge
Heat cream and butter over med-high heat until butter is melted and cream just starts to boil. Quickly add sugars and salt and stir until dissolved, remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.

Brittle
Line large rimmed baking sheet parchment paper. Bring sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 10 minutes. Immediately stir in peanuts and all remaining ingredients. Scrape out mixture onto prepared sheet; spread out to about 13x9-inch rectangle. Cool completely. Coarsely chop enough brittle to measure 1 cup and finely chop enough to measure 1/2 cup. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Store in separate airtight containers at room temperature.

Pie
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 9-inch-diameter pie dish with foil. Finely grind graham crackers and brown sugar in processor. Add butter and vanilla; blend until moist crumbs form. Add nuts; blend just until finely chopped. Using plastic wrap as aid, press crumbs firmly onto bottom and up sides of foil-lined pie dish. Freeze 15 minutes.

Bake crust until brown, about 15 minutes. Freeze 1 hour. Using foil, lift crust from dish; carefully peel off foil. Return crust to pie dish. Drizzle 1/2 cup caramel sauce over bottom of crust. Freeze 30 minutes. Spoon 1 1/2 pints ice cream into crust; smooth top. Drizzle hot fudge, then more caramel. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup brittle. Freeze 1 hour. Spoon remaining 1 1/2 pints ice cream over; smooth top. Drizzle hot fudge, then caramel. Sprinkle pie with 1/2 cup brittle. Freeze 4 hours.
DO AHEAD Pie can be made 3 days ahead; tent with foil and freeze. Cover and chill remaining sauce.
Cut pie into wedges. Rewarm sauce and pass separately.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know, I know...everyone thinks their recipe is the best. Frankly, i think that the cookies you like best are usually the ones you grew up with. This is as close to my mom's recipe as I've found (if not exactly the same, i can't remember). The keys are real butter, equal amounts granulated and brown sugar, plus blended oats (chewy!), nuts (crunchy!) and lots of chocolate (gooey!). So, if you're not already fanatically loyal to your own recipe, try this one. You'll love it.

(Recipe may be halved...but why would you make 50 when you can have 100??)
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk)
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. chocolate bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
2 tsp. vanilla (Mexican, if available)

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, chocolate bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies..

Hazelnut Crunch Cake with Mascarpone and Chocolate

Courtesy Giada's Kitchen

When I made this thing, I screwed it up and so the presentation was less than desirable. Luckily I figured out a way to salvage it and it was delicious! Next time it'll be yummy AND pretty! Watch for my notes to save yourself my embarrassment :)

1 boxed chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients needed to make it

Crunch:

1 cup hazelnuts (abotu 4.5 oz.), toasted and skinned (toast by baking in single layer at 350 for 8-10 minutes)

2/3 c. sugar

Filling:

2 (8oz.) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature (can substitute all or half for cream cheese if you're cheap or dislike the taste of mascarpone)

1 c. heavy cream

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

1/4 c. bittersweet chocolate

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. orange zest

Prepare cake as directed on box and bake in 2 round cake pans; let cool.

Crunch: Place toasted nuts in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the sugar and 1/3 cup water in small saucepan and bring to a boil on med-high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then continue to boil WITHOUT STIRRING (my first mistake) until sugar is light brown, about 8 minutes (just swirl the pan from time to time). Remove from heat, let bubbles subside and then pour over nuts. Place baking sheet in fridge and let cool until hard, about 30 minutes. Once cool, place on cutting board and chop, saving a few larger pices for decoration.

Filling: The directions say to beat mascarpone, cream, sugar and vanilla together until soft peaks form but when i did this the mascarpone curdled. Next time I will beat cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form, beat mascarpone separately until creamy, then combine both mixtures by hand. Then mix in chopped nut crunch.

Topping: Blend or process chocolate (chips or small pieces), sugar and zest until finely ground.

Assembly: Place one layer of cake on plate or stand, spread 1 inch of filling on top, place second layer of cake on top and then frost entire cake with remaining filling. Sprinkle top and sides with ground chocolate topping and add decorative shards of hazelnut crunch.

Bellissimo!

Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce

Penne and cream sauce...there ain't nothin' better. Or easier, for that matter!

1 lb. penne pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb. shrimp, deveined and peeled
4 cloves minced garlic
salt
pepper
1 (15 oz.) can whole tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (I used a couple tablespoons of dried, instead)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine (or cooking wine)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water, 8- 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Cook about 3 minutes, until shrimp are pink. Remove shrimp from pan, set aside.

Add tomatoes, 1/4 cup of each basil and parsley and red pepper flakes to pan, cook for 2 mintues. Add wine and simmer another few minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil, reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 7-8 minutes.

Add half of the parmesan, shrimp, pasta and remaining basil and parsley. Toss together, season with salt and pepper and add remaining cheese before serving.