so this recipe has been called a mouthgasm as well as simply decadent, I hope you enjoy....
8oz. chocolate
6ea. eggs separated
2Tbs. Chambord liquor
2c. whipped cream
1) melt the chocolate in a sauce pan over low heat, remove from heat and allow to cool. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and slowly stir into the cooled chocolate. At this point stir in the Chambord and gently fold in half of the whipped cream.
2) In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
3) Pour the mousse into serving glasses or bowls and chill until set before serving
4) Garnish with the other half of the whipped cream and a few shavings of chocolate
A few notes: If you use chocolate chips you won't have to chopped them up. But if you use a solid chocolate bar you will need to chopped it up so that it will melt evenly and not scorch.
You can also substitute any liquor or syrup for the flavoring. Irish cream works really well with this recipe so does an orange liquor especially if you are a fan of dark chocolate
Saturday, July 23, 2011
My soupy sense of humor?
I've realized of late that my sense of humor is just not appreciated around these here parts; I have, in fact, been accused of harboring a 9 year old boy somewhere deep (or not so deep) inside. Outwith the fact that I have never been a boy and am so far beyond 9 that I don't really remember what it looks like I must confess to having a peculiar and occasionally juvenile sense of humor, especially when it comes to recipe names.....case in point: I wanted to name this recipe Swamp Ass Soup and was shot down all the way around so it has the rather boring, if accurate, name of Smoked Pork and Hominy Soup. It's a good name: sturdy, sensible, and to the point, but in my opinion it lacks a certain cachet and doesn't have the attention-grabbing potential; on the other hand, I must bow to my cohort's sense of perspective, even I might not want to have to admit to a table full of guests that the soup they are enjoying is called Swamp Ass. Ah well, back to the drawing board....
Since the heatwave is continuing I am trying to concentrate on making foods that are either cool in themselves or don't require a lot of cooking time which would heat up the house at a time when you would rather not; of course in this house lots of flavor and texture is also a requirement. This soup definitely fits the bill on all counts, not only is it flavorful and filling...perfect for a cold winter day....it is quick and easy to make and doesn't require much cooking time so it's also a good homemade meal for when you don't want to heat the kitchen more than necessary. This recipe makes scads of soup, fortunately it's good for popping in the microwave to re-heat (another great way of avoiding heating up the place) and is excellent for freezing so if you like to do all your cooking at once and using it at your leisure definitely consider trying this! You can easily substitute any type of roast pork for the smoked pork I use but I would recommend trying smoked pork at least once as it lends a lovely flavor to the soup.....and unless you are a salt-a-holic you really won't need to add any salt to this recipe.
Jacqueline's Smoked Pork and Hominy Soup
64 oz. chicken broth or stock
2- 15 oz. cans of hominy, drained (white or golden)
28 oz. can green chile enchilada sauce (heat level according to taste, I prefer medium heat)
4 1/2 c. smoked pork tenderloin, cubed
2 c. saffron or yellow rice, cooked
1 c. fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 c. green onion, sliced (white and green parts)
1 stalk celery, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeded, membranes removed, and minced
1/4 tsp. turmeric
Toss all ingredients but pork and green onions in pot and bring to a quick boil; add pork and green onions, stir thoroughly and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to blend and serve. Serving with breadsticks or a crusty bread, and fresh fruit, makes for a filling and tastily balanced meal that isn't heavy and won't bring your whole house to a boil. Enjoy!
Jacqueline
Since the heatwave is continuing I am trying to concentrate on making foods that are either cool in themselves or don't require a lot of cooking time which would heat up the house at a time when you would rather not; of course in this house lots of flavor and texture is also a requirement. This soup definitely fits the bill on all counts, not only is it flavorful and filling...perfect for a cold winter day....it is quick and easy to make and doesn't require much cooking time so it's also a good homemade meal for when you don't want to heat the kitchen more than necessary. This recipe makes scads of soup, fortunately it's good for popping in the microwave to re-heat (another great way of avoiding heating up the place) and is excellent for freezing so if you like to do all your cooking at once and using it at your leisure definitely consider trying this! You can easily substitute any type of roast pork for the smoked pork I use but I would recommend trying smoked pork at least once as it lends a lovely flavor to the soup.....and unless you are a salt-a-holic you really won't need to add any salt to this recipe.
Jacqueline's Smoked Pork and Hominy Soup
64 oz. chicken broth or stock
2- 15 oz. cans of hominy, drained (white or golden)
28 oz. can green chile enchilada sauce (heat level according to taste, I prefer medium heat)
4 1/2 c. smoked pork tenderloin, cubed
2 c. saffron or yellow rice, cooked
1 c. fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 c. green onion, sliced (white and green parts)
1 stalk celery, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeded, membranes removed, and minced
1/4 tsp. turmeric
Toss all ingredients but pork and green onions in pot and bring to a quick boil; add pork and green onions, stir thoroughly and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to blend and serve. Serving with breadsticks or a crusty bread, and fresh fruit, makes for a filling and tastily balanced meal that isn't heavy and won't bring your whole house to a boil. Enjoy!
Jacqueline
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Of redhot day blues and cooling foods
So the last few days have been hotter than a stripper's pasties here in the Midwest and it's going to get even hotter; who wants to cook and heat up the house even more? Then again, who wants to do Mickey D's 24/7? What to do......
Jess received a smoker a couple of years ago from her family but hadn't had much chance to put it to use until recently when she decided it was time to play; lucky us! The results have been delicious and we've experimented with using the smoked meats in different ways; we're also planning on branching out to veggies and I'm really looking forward to making spaghetti sauce with smoked tomatoes...the flavor should be lovely indeed. I'm rambling a bit, the point is: Jess smoked a whole chicken and a pork loin and we've been using the meats this week to create light meals that don't heat up the house or us. Tonight we used some of the smoked chicken to make a tasty chicken salad accompanied by marinated strawberries and, yes, you actually get recipes this time!
Jacqueline's Bacon, Cheddar, and Apple Smoked Chicken Salad (say that 3 times fast!)
4 c. smoked chicken, diced
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c. Granny Smith Apple, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. pecan pieces
1/3 c. sharp cheddar cheese, diced or shredded
2/3 c. sour cream
2 Tbspn. mayonnaise
2 Tbspn. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/8 tsp. each: black pepper and ground thyme
pinch sea salt (or to taste)
Mix everything thoroughly but gently, cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour so flavors blend.
This can be eaten in sandwiches but I personally like it best on it's own, or on a bed of lettuce or spinach; one of the lovely things about this salad is that you can adjust it easily. Need lower fat recipes? Simply use reduced or no fat mayonnaise, sour cream, and cheese. Prefer to avoid red meat? Substitute turkey bacon!
Jess's Magnificent Marinated Strawberries
4 c. fresh strawberries, halved or quartered
1 Tbspn. balsamic vinegar
1 level Tbspn. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. (or less, to taste) ground black pepper
Mix and place in refrigerator in a covered bowl for at least one hour.
I know it sounds like an unusual combination but I definitely recommend you try it, it's delicious!
Well that's today's post; I'll try to make sure it isn't so long until the next one!
Jess received a smoker a couple of years ago from her family but hadn't had much chance to put it to use until recently when she decided it was time to play; lucky us! The results have been delicious and we've experimented with using the smoked meats in different ways; we're also planning on branching out to veggies and I'm really looking forward to making spaghetti sauce with smoked tomatoes...the flavor should be lovely indeed. I'm rambling a bit, the point is: Jess smoked a whole chicken and a pork loin and we've been using the meats this week to create light meals that don't heat up the house or us. Tonight we used some of the smoked chicken to make a tasty chicken salad accompanied by marinated strawberries and, yes, you actually get recipes this time!
Jacqueline's Bacon, Cheddar, and Apple Smoked Chicken Salad (say that 3 times fast!)
4 c. smoked chicken, diced
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c. Granny Smith Apple, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. pecan pieces
1/3 c. sharp cheddar cheese, diced or shredded
2/3 c. sour cream
2 Tbspn. mayonnaise
2 Tbspn. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/8 tsp. each: black pepper and ground thyme
pinch sea salt (or to taste)
Mix everything thoroughly but gently, cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour so flavors blend.
This can be eaten in sandwiches but I personally like it best on it's own, or on a bed of lettuce or spinach; one of the lovely things about this salad is that you can adjust it easily. Need lower fat recipes? Simply use reduced or no fat mayonnaise, sour cream, and cheese. Prefer to avoid red meat? Substitute turkey bacon!
Jess's Magnificent Marinated Strawberries
4 c. fresh strawberries, halved or quartered
1 Tbspn. balsamic vinegar
1 level Tbspn. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. (or less, to taste) ground black pepper
Mix and place in refrigerator in a covered bowl for at least one hour.
I know it sounds like an unusual combination but I definitely recommend you try it, it's delicious!
Well that's today's post; I'll try to make sure it isn't so long until the next one!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Here We Go
We've been asked repeatedly when we're going to get our blog up and running; after a few false starts we finally have it up and in a few days we'll have it running....
A few of the things we hope to do in the coming weeks and months: Share our recipes for you to try, (and hopefully you'll let us know what you think) check out and rate various eateries for cleanliness, service, price...and best of all, taste! We'll also review products, both the edible kind as well as ones you can use to create lovely dishes of your own, and probably include a bit about gardening here and there.
A special feature we'd like to include are recipes to help celebrate the holy days of various faiths, something that Jess, especially, is knowledgeable about.
All in all we are looking forward to the adventures and challenges which will come along with creating this blog and hope you'll enjoy reading (and cooking) along!
Jacqueline
A few of the things we hope to do in the coming weeks and months: Share our recipes for you to try, (and hopefully you'll let us know what you think) check out and rate various eateries for cleanliness, service, price...and best of all, taste! We'll also review products, both the edible kind as well as ones you can use to create lovely dishes of your own, and probably include a bit about gardening here and there.
A special feature we'd like to include are recipes to help celebrate the holy days of various faiths, something that Jess, especially, is knowledgeable about.
All in all we are looking forward to the adventures and challenges which will come along with creating this blog and hope you'll enjoy reading (and cooking) along!
Jacqueline
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