Flourless Chocolate Cake with Toasted Hazelnuts and Brandied Cherries

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Toasted Hazelnuts and Brandied Cherries Growing up, Passover was a mystery to me ’cause, well, I’m not Jewish. Over the years, I have had many Jewish friends, but I was clueless about the holiday’s meaning and traditions. I did know that if the calendar said we were getting close to Passover, it was a pretty good bet that I would stumble upon Charlton Heston in a toga while flipping through the channels.

It wasn’t until adulthood that I got to experience my first Seder. As a history major and enthusiast, I found it fascinating (although a bit tedious). But the food was amazing. (Rumors of gelatinous Gefelte fish abound, and I had been a little concerned. All right, really concerned. I was pleasantly surprised.) What I experienced was a delicious, deeply meaningful, and moving meal steeped in tradition and lessons for life.

We dined on Matzo ball soup and brisket. The haroseth was a favorite. How can anyone go wrong with apples, raisins and honey? The best was saved for last: a flourless chocolate cake with fresh berries. It was a perfect ending to a poignant evening.

The recipe below is similar, although just as delicious. You can purchase brandied cherries if you are short on time, or purée fresh raspberries or strawberries to use as a sauce.

Passover begins Monday March 25 at sundown. To all my Jewish friends past, present and future…Next Year in Jerusalem!

L’Chaim! Read more…

Christmas Cookies

I love cookies. They make me happy (and fat). I really like Christmas and Holiday cookies. Last year, I hosted a holiday cookie exchange at my house. My husband didn’t get it. He would have been happy to just have everyone over to eat and drink, “We’re making cookies and trading them like baseball cards?” Well, not quite. I guess it’s a chick thing. That said, everyone had a great time and the kids were thrilled.

The fun part, for me anyway, was finding cookies that were different than the usual chocolate chip or shortbread. There were and are literally thousands to choose from. I’ve looked in my cookbooks, online, my grandmother’s recipe box and in my favorite magazines. It is now December which means the calendar gives me permission to bake with abandon. So I am!

Here are a few of my favorite holiday cookie recipes. The cherry tarts are one of the finds from our cookie exchange. They are time consuming but so worth it. The layer bars are the very definition of indulgence, of course you would expect that from a Paula Deen recipe. The Swedish Ginger Cookies, or “Gingies” as we call them, are a family favorite. They are easy to make and go great with tea & coffee and you can keep a log in the freezer to cut and bake as needed.

When in doubt make more than you need as it’s always fun to share and of course your inner Martha Stewart will tell you that giving cookies as gifts would be a Good Thing…
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Baked Apples Filled with Fruit and Nuts

My brother-in-law came over for dinner last weekend, which isn’t anything too terribly out of the ordinary. He called me Saturday to invite himself over for dinner on Sunday. Again, not out unusual, but what prompted the phone call was. He had recently been to up to Mendocino County and bought some wine along the way. Among those purchases was a bottle of Gewürztraminer from Navarro; one of my favorite wines. (If you’ve never been to Navarro, go. It’s worth it. Great wines that are only available through the winery.) Needless to say, I told him to come over and bring a straw.

I had to come up with what to cook. I spent Saturday making the Chef of the Month dinner, so I didn’t want to do anything super-complicated. However, I wanted something really good to make up for missing out on dinner the night before. I stuffed a pumpkin. (See Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Good) I threw a salad together using yet another pomegranate. (Again, see The Problem With Pomegranates.)

And, I made these really easy and very yummy baked apples. With all of the great apples coming into season, it’s fun to use them in different ways. I found this recipe in the same book as the stuffed pumpkin, and it was soooo delicious and satisfying. I used a combo of dried currants, raisins, prunes, and pecans for the filling. And, added cinnamon, cloves, and fresh nutmeg. With a little Vanilla Ice cream? Shut. The. Front. Door.

Next time I might try cranberries or maybe a little maple syrup instead of honey. Mmmmm….
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Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce

Ms. October

Every year, my childrens’ elementary school holds an auction to raise money. There’s a dinner and a dance as well as the auction where you can bid on all sorts of things. One item is the Chef of The Month. The idea is that you bid to have a different person each month make you a three course dinner for eight people. At the end of the year, the dinner voted the best of the best gets a prize. This year, I am Ms. October.

Because I love to cook and I admit to being a bit of a food snob I feel the need to make a really fabulous dinner. Did I mention I am also quite competitive? For the last month I have been pouring over my cookbooks trying to come up with something tasty that can be transported, kept warm in the oven and still be juicy and appetizing. I think I have finally come up with an appropriate harvest-themed dinner made with as many things as I can pull from my own garden to up my ante.

Fortunately, Bon Appetit magazine did a great spread on Harvest dinners for a crowd for their October issue. (Grab the issue if you can. The article that precedes the recipes is great.) I tried a few of the recipes out over the weekend, and I am going to use them.

They are: Braised Pork Shoulder with Apple Cider and Ginger Beer, Farro with Wild Mushrooms and Herbs (Really Good!), Brussels Sprouts with Maple Syrup and for Dessert, Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy caramel Apple Sauce (this one is a Bobby Flay recipe). I haven’t decided if I am going to have a salad yet. My persimmons are starting to ripen so if they are ready I might do my grandmother’s persimmon salad. We’ll see…

The recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce is below, and you can pick up the most recent Bon Appetit. Enjoy!
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