Don made this back in 2007 for his niece and I decided to resurrect it once more. It is beyond delicious and I hope you will give it a try.
- 12-16 Manicotti shells, cooked 10 minutes
- 1/2-1 lb. frozen crabmeat, flaked (mock crabmeat is just as good here)
- 1/2 lb. wilted spinach
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tsp. salt
- Parmesan cheese sauce (below)
- 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the manicotti shells as directed for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine the crabmeat, spinach, cheeses, egg and salt. Mix well.
When the shells are cool enough to handle, stuff carefully with the crabmeat mixture and set in the baking dish. Cover completely with the Parmesan cheese sauce and sprinkle with the Asiago cheese.
Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes.
Parmesan Cheese Sauce
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 5 cups milk
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- pinch of pepper
- 3-4 drops of Tabasco
In a saucepan make a roux with the melted butter and flour, stirring until bubbling. Slowly add the milk and stir until thickened.
Add the cheese, salt, pepper and tabasco sauce, stirring again, until the cheese melts.
Call the family to the table, add a green salad and enjoy. Oh and more wine please…..
Vanilla Poached Pears in Spectacular Sauce
That sauce….Don could bottle it and become very rich. Kelly feels bartenders would also go crazy as in something like an Old Fashioned. Take out the simple syrup and use this sauce. OMG!!! Anyway, I digress. here we go.
- 1 bottle of a Riesling white wine
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 4 firm Bosc pears, peeled but leaving the stem intact
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 1/4 tsp. anise
Place the wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean with seed pulp, cinnamon stick, and anise in a 4 qt. saucepan and bring to a boil.
Core the pears from the bottom. Reduce the heat to medium low and set the pears in the liquid, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until the pears are tender but not breaking apart. Maintain a very gentle simmer. Remove the pears to a serving dish, standing upright and place in the fridge.
Remove the vanilla bean, bring the heat back to high and reduce the syrup to about 1 cup. This should take 20-25 minutes. Do not let the syrup turn brown. Place in a heatproof dish and place in the fridge for about 1 hour to cool.
Remove the pears from the fridge and spoon the sauce over them.
NOTE: This sauce was used on waffles, pancakes and anything else Kelly could find.
Sesame Wafers
These are a little different and you can change the sesame seeds to flax seeds if you want to up the taste as well.
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
Combine the flour and baking powder. Cream the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla together. Mix with the dry ingredients until incorporated.
Stir in the sesame seeds and drop by teaspoonfuls, leaving room for them to spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 7-8 minutes until golden and cool on the baking sheet. Then remove to a rack to completely cool.
These are delicious, crispy and you will me making them often.
Silk Chocolate Cheesecake
I know I said earlier that I wanted to make a lemon dessert for our dinner, but ran across this one and it is such a proven winner, I changed my mind. I have talked about this one, but not posted the recipe…..until now.
Once you make this and try it, you will make it over and over again.
- 1 1/4 cup toasted, finely chopped pecans
- 2 tbsp. melted butter
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 3/4 cup berry sugar
- 32 caramels, unwrapped – have fun! Melted
- 3 tbsp. cream
- 3 pkg. cream cheese
- 3 eggs
- 8 squares Baker’s dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup toasted pecan halves
- jar of Caramel sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Draw out a circle of parchment paper to cover a 9 inch spring form pan. Combine the pecans, melted butter, brown sugar and carefully spread over the bottom of the pan, on top of the parchment paper.
Peel the wrap off the caramels and with the cream, put in a bowl over a pot of simmering water to completely melt. Stir occasionally to make sure it is smooth. Pour this over the pecan mixture in the pan and cool completely.
Beat the softened room temperature cream cheese, berry sugar and eggs on low to completely blend and add to the melted chocolate. Pour over the cooled caramel layer. Wrap the pan with tin foil up to and including the sides of the pan and place in a larger pan filled 2/3 full with boiling water. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and cool completely. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.
When ready to serve, drop a generous spoonful of caramel sauce on the plate and set a slice of the cheesecake on top, making sure it stands up. Drizzle in a zigzag pattern with some caramel sauce across the top and add a couple of pecans. If you don’t think this is enough, put a dollop of whipped cream on the side.
Note: The water bath will prevent the cheesecake from splitting and cracking. Just sayin’.
Also note…I have been baking for over 40 years and for the first time, I tried to take a shortcut and put the caramels in a microwave safe bowl and melt them. It almost set our house on fire. The smoke was horrible and, of course, it broke the bowl. Never again
Three Chocolate Mousse
Make this using straight sided ‘shot glasses’. One glass for each one and serve on long, thin plates. Add a decoration or two on the plate to make it really look festive.
First one:
- 1/2 lb. bittersweet chocolate,
- 1/4 cup butter,
- 2 tbsp. chocolate liqueur,
- 1/2 cup whipped cream.
- Pinch of cinnamon.
Melt chocolate with butter and add the liqueur and cinnamon. As this serves 12, you can spoon equal portions into each of the glasses.
Second One:
- 3/4 cup whipping cream,
- 1 1/2 tsp gelatin,
- 6-8 ounces chopped white chocolate,
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans,
- /2 cup whipped cream.
In a saucepan combine 3/4 cup whipping cream and gelatin. Let stand for about 5 minutes to soften. Add chocolate and over low heat, melt until smooth. Let cool in fridge, stirring often to thicken. Add nuts and fold in whipped cream. Add equal portions to each glass and start third section.
Third One:
- 1/2 lb. chopped milk chocolate,
- 1/4 cup butter,
- 1 cup saskatoon jam or blueberry jam pushed through a sieve to remove seeds,
- 1/2 cup whipped cream.
In a bowl over a pot of simmering water (not touching) melt chocolate with the butter and puree until smooth. Cool down and fold in whipped cream. Add this layer now in equal portions. Add a dollop of whipped cream on top and add shaved chocolate.
I used this at Christmas and it was a hit. It makes a light dessert for a crowd or larger portions if desired by using a pretty glass dish. The flavours are rich, intense and utterly decadent all at once.
Taste Rating: 9.99