Sure, I know….holiday times bring on different and sometimes exciting things to serve your guests. This is a dandy.
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter,
- 1/2 cup evaported milk
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 cup Heather Cream Liqueur**
- `1 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
- 2 1/4 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 cup vanilla wafers, crushed
- 3 oz. dark chocolate melting disks
Grease an 8 inch square pan with butter and line with cross-cross pieces of parchment paper, making sure to leave a 2 inch overhang on all sides. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the butter, evaporated milk, sugars and salt over medium heat. Stir this constantly until it reaches the boil. Now attach a candy thermometer until it reads 234F or 112C. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the vanilla, liqueur and espresso powder. Tip this into your mixer with a paddle attachment and while on low, spoon in the icing sugar and vanilla wafers in three portions, mixing really well after each one.
Pour into prepared pan and let cool to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and placing in a refrigerator over night.
To serve, cut into one inch pieces and serve to your guests. There won’t be anything left….not even any crumbs.
** Heather Cream liqueur is a scotch whiskey and cream liqueur, sweetened with Heather honey.
Chocolate Fudge Cake
When ready to start, make sure you butter and dust a bundt pan with baking cocoa and not flour. The cocoa does a better job of allowing the cake to be released when baked than flour does. (lesson learned here).
- Dusting of baking cocoa
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 2 tsp. instant espresso powder
- 1/4 cup chocolate liqueur or Bailey’s
- 5 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Butter a bundt pan and dust with baking cocoa. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. NO HIGHER!
Simmer the water, espresso coffee and liqueur together for 3 minutes. Now add the chocolate and butter and gently stir over medium heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and cool for l 3 minutes. Transfer this mixture to your electric mixer and be sure to scrape the bowl, as this is probably going to be the best chocolate cake you will ever eat….just sayin’.
Sift together the flour and baking soda. With the mixer on low, add the flour 1/2 cup at a time and continue beating another minute.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and when completely blended, add the vanilla. The batter will be thin, so don’t panic.
Pour into the bundt pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes and check for doneness. If not done, bake a little longer.
Cool on a rack for 20 minutes. DO NOT REFRIGERATE THIS CAKE.
Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries and you will get only oohs and aaahs. So delicious, so moist, so yummy.
Italian Sundaes with Hot Fudge Sauce
Alright, I am rushing the season by a couple of months, but read this, print it off and be sure you save it. This one takes fresh Bing cherries and they are ready in what, late May-June. You will want this and probably will want it every day throughout the season. Oh yeah…..
- 1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur
- 3 tbsp. cherry preserves
- 1 1/4 cup fresh Bing cherries, pitted and cut in half
- 2/3 cup whipping cream
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder (I use Nescafe)
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (no more than 60%) chopped
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 pints pistachio gelato
- 1 pint vanilla gelato
- whipping cream (unsweetened)
- pistachios, chopped
Bring the amaretto and preserves to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and let it reduce to about 3 tbsp. whisking so it won’t burn (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat.
Add the halved cherries and stir to coat and let sit for about 3-4 hours. If you are going to make this a day before you want to eat it, cover it with plastic and keep in the refrigerator.
In a small saucepan bring the whipping cream, honey and espresso powder to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and butter, whisking until smooth. This, also, can be made ahead. Just be sure to warm it up before using.
Now for the good stuff: Spoon a tablespoon of the fudge sauce in the bottom of 6 pretty dessert dishes (or stemless martini glasses). Add a scoop of the pistachio gelato and a scoop of the vanilla gelato. Drizzle a tablespoon of the cherry preserve mixture on top of the gelato, letting it roll down the sides.
Top with some whipped cream and sprinkle the pistachio bits on top. Sit back (for a second) and dive in. OMG my mouth is watering.
So, so very yummy.