Sin in a Pan



Purloined this photo. My excuse? I have a bad cold.



This is is no way meant to be a reflection on Ginger's character, but I thought this recipe just went with the spirit of this long President's holiday...or should it be plural...Presidents' holiday?

sin in a pan

The sin must be in eating it because it’s pretty easy to make, but beware of lots of steps and dirty bowls.

crust

Blend:

1 cup flour

½ cup (1 stick) butter

¾ cup chopped pecans

with a pastry blender and press into a 9x13 glass pan.  Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.  Cool.

whipped cream

Whip:

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

until stiff peaks form.  Set in refrigerator.*

layer one

Beat:

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine thoroughly. Set aside.

layer two

Mix:

4 ounce package French vanilla instant pudding

1 cup milk

½ cup heavy cream

Set aside.

layer three

Mix:

4 ounce package Chocolate Fudge instant pudding

1 cup milk

½ cup heavy cream

Set aside.

Spread layer one over the cooled pecan crust.  Spread ½ whipped cream* over that.  Top whipped cream with layer two (vanilla).  Then layer three (chocolate).  Top with remaining whipped cream.  

Shave:

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate

directly over the whipped cream using a micro grater.Sprkle with chopped pecans, if desired.  Refrigerate.

Ginger is taking advantage of the long weekend to show off her hostess wear. She is busy whipping up a little sin for Tyler...I mean Sin in a Pan...of course. What a fitting climax to their holiday together.

French Toast in the Oven

Out too late last night celebrating Valentine's Day...we are recovering this morning with a delicious brunch of French Toast.

french toast in the oven

I was fortunate to get this recipe from wonderful golfer, commentator and friend, Judy Rankin.  It is just scrumptious.

1/2 cup (one stick) melted butter

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix first three ingredients and pour into a large cookie sheet with sides.

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a bowl, beat eggs, add milk, juice, sugar, salt, cinnamon and orange peel.

8 slices French bread

Dip bread into this mixture and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes, then turn and bake another ten minutes. This is a wonderful breakfast for company and can be partially assembled the night before; just dip the bread in the morning.

Veronica is our sleepy-time gal this morning.  I'm a little jealous that she managed to sleep to 10:30.  I've been cleaning house since 8:00. Yeah, I'd like to have her legs and waistline, too.

Charm Your Valentine With Sweet Mouthfuls

I can't describe how delicious and unusual this dessert is.  It will charm anyone from your mother-in-law to the love of your life. It is one of the few recipes that I did not develop or tweak myself. One doesn't mess with perfection!

boccone dolce (sweet mouthfuls)

Sara St. Clair baked this delicious dessert and I begged the recipe.  It won a first prize for her and won the raves of all her friends. It needs to set for 8 hours, so plan ahead.

meringues

Line a cookie sheet with 3 ½ inch circles of waxed paper.  You will need a total of 20.  Preheat oven to 250˚. Beat:

4 egg whites, room temperature

pinch of salt

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

until stiff.  Gradually beat in:

1 cup granulated sugar

Continue beating until meringue is stiff and glossy.  Spread meringue over waxed paper circle about ½ inch thick.  Bake 40-45 minutes until meringue is pale and golden, but still pliable.  Remove from oven and carefully peel waxed paper from bottom of meringues.  Cool on racks.

chocolate filling

In double boiler or microwave, melt:

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons water

and spread over 10 of the cooled meringues.

whipped cream

Whip:   3 cups whipping cream

until stiff and gradually add:

⅓ cup granulated sugar

Continue to beat until very stiff. Spread ¾ inch layer of whipped cream on top of each chocolate topped meringue.  Top with a layer of:

sliced strawberries (1 pint total)

Place a plain meringue on top of the berries.  Frost the top and sides with whipped cream.  Place in refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.  Makes 10.

Ginger has made these Sweet Mouthfuls for the ever attentive Tyler.  Unfortunately, he has to be in Hong Kong on Valentine's Day, so they are celebrating tonight. He is getting dessert and a card and fringe benefits...just wonder what she'll be receiving.  Dating a millionaire has its perks!

Afternoon Delight Punch

The Barbie Nation and I ate our weight in chocolate at last night's Chocolate Decadence fundraiser for the Aphasia Center of West Texas. It was a win/win situation. We were supporting a great cause and we literally stuffed ourselves with all things chocolate.

Since we are suffering from a chocolate hangover, we thought you might enjoy something that could give you a real hangover...just kidding.  I served this for the first time at a baby shower MANY years ago.  At the time, I had this pompous neighbor who had no trouble telling everyone what they should or shouldn't be doing.  Alcohol was a big no-no.  I didn't realize she had been swilling down the punch throughout the entire party.  Much to everyone's delight, she left the event struggling to make to her house, three doors down the street. Yes, being immature, we laughed about it for months. 

afternoon delight punch

This is really good and refreshing.  You can hardly taste the alcohol.

(2)10 oz. packages frozen strawberries

¾ quart Champagne, or cold duck

1 quart 7-up or gingerale

Put partially thawed strawberries in blender and process until liquid. Strain to remove seeds. Pour into punch bowl and add champagne, then add 7-up or gingerale to taste. Garnish with ice ring and whole strawberries. I make my ice ring in a Jell-o mold.  First, I fill it half way with ginerale, place about a cup of whole strawberries (stems removed) in the soda and freeze.  Then I make a second layer of gingerale and strawberries and freeze that.  It will un-mold easily if you run a little hot water over the mold. 

I usually make these, remove them from the mold and store them in the freezer in plastic bags. If you have leftover punch, you can freeze this in a mold.  It makes an even better ice ring...but who is going to have any leftovers?

Veronica took the red-eye to Santa Fe this morning.  I don't know how she is going to stay awake for an art class because her eyes look worse than mine.  Who knew chocolate was so dangerous?

World's BEST Yellow Cake...It's Not Bragging if it's True!

I just enjoyed some of this scrumptious cake this weekend.  I forget how delicious it is. It probably takes five minutes to assemble and doesn't require a mixer.  You'll never be tempted to use a mix after you taste this.

yellow cake

This is great for cupcakes, too.  It is moist and tender and will go well with almost any frosting.

½ cup water

2 tablespoons buttermilk powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix and set aside.

Cream the sugar, oil and butter.

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup oil

¼ cup (½ stick) melted butter

add:

1 egg

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Add the buttermilk mixture. 

Add dry ingredients and mix. 

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pour in water and mix well.

1 cup boiling water

Bake in greased and floured 9x13 pan at 350˚ for 35 minutes. Bake cupcakes 20 minutes.

Ginger is wearing this gorgeous gown for the Hip Chic's Valentine's Ball. After appearing on the arm of Tyler Rathbone for the last month, the designers are literally begging her to wear their fashions.  This lovely silk dress and matching evening purse was the ultimate winner.  At this rate, she'll need another closet...and who doesn't?

Apricot Chocolate Souffle Pie

 apricot chocolate soufflé pie

This is one of the most sophisticated desserts I have developed.  It is VERY rich and has a lovely complex taste.  Save it for the connoisseurs in your family.

pastry

Mix:

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Cut in:

⅓ cup Crisco (solid)

1 tablespoon butter (no substitutes)

with pastry blender.  As needed, add:

2 tablespoons water

to form a ball. Roll out pastry on a piece of waxed paper “floured” with confectioners’ sugar until it is large enough for 9 inch (deep dish) pie pan.  Flip dough side down into pie pan. Gently peel off waxed paper.  Trim and flute edges.  Prick bottom of the pan with a fork, especially along bottom edge.  Bake at 475° for 8-10 minutes.  Cool and set aside.

cake

Prepare an 8 inch round cake pan by buttering the bottom.  Then insert a parchment paper liner and butter that too.  Set pan aside.

Beat:

3 egg whites

gradually adding:

¼ cup granulated sugar

until stiff.  Set aside. In microwave, melt:

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (use something special)

Set aside. Beat:

4 egg yolks

¼ cup granulated sugar

until they are thick and creamy.  Stir in chocolate and beat for one minute.  Fold in beaten egg whites, adding ⅓ at a time.  Put in prepared cake pan and smooth the top.  Bake at 350° for 18 minutes.  

While the cake is still hot, run a knife around the edges to loosen.  Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and invert the pan onto a cooling rack.  Peel off parchment paper from the bottom.  Cool.

ganache

In microwave, melt:

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate

for 1 minute 30 seconds.  Stir until completely smooth.  Add:

1 tablespoon white corn syrup

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup heavy cream

Stir until blended.  In microwave, heat:

12 ounces Hero apricot preserves

for 45 seconds.  Add to ganache mixture.

assembly

In the bottom of the pie crust add a small amount of ganache, just to cover the bottom.  Line this with a layer of:

7 dried apricots, finely diced

Place the cake layer on top of the ganache and apricots.  Layer the remaining ganache on top.  Refrigerate for an hour or more.  Slice this very thinly and serve with a generous helping of whipped cream.

Veronica tips the scales in the Barbie Nation as the biggest chocoholic. She craves dark chocolate, especially Michel Cluizel 60%.  Oh, those delicious little squares of goodness! You can tell by her svelte figure that what I have preached all along is true.  Chocolate is good for you and keeps you thin.