Thai Coffee Frappe

Every once in a while we crave a special treat and a Thai coffee is often what is desired. As it's hot outside, we decided to take it one step further and turn that coffee into a Thai Coffee Frappe.  Something a bit different and total deliciousness!!   

Thai Coffee Frappe

• 2 cups strong brewed coffee
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• scant 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
• pinch roasted cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract 
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 oz. sweetened condensed milk, more or less to taste

To the hot coffee, add the coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla.  Stir to combine and then place covered in fridge overnight (or longer) to cool and for flavors to develop.  When ready to make the frappe, add the spiced coffee, cream, condensed milk and ice to the jar of a blender.  Process until smooth.  Makes 2-3 servings.  Top with whipped cream if desired.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Hearty Bacon, Turkey & Vegetable Frittata

It’s difficult to believe that our previous time participating in The Secret Recipe Club was way back in November!!  In some ways it feels like a long time ago, but with the holidays and all that they entail, the time passed quickly.  It’s really good to be back and participating again.  This month we were assigned Mellissa’s blog, A Fit & Spicy Life.  Mellissa is a healthy, wine-loving, dog-loving, recipe-loving gal and reading her blog allows a glimpse into her fun-loving life.

It was a cold, gray, rainy night the evening we perused Mellissa’s blog and the idea of something warm, comforting & easy was what made us stop and drool when we spotted her Bacon & Vegetable Frittata.  Seriously, there’s nothing easier, more comforting or delicious than a hearty breakfast for dinner so that’s exactly when and what we enjoyed, using Mellissa’s Bacon & Vegetable Frittata as the inspiration and guide for our meal.  Mellissa mentioned in her post, that a frittata “can be the best dish to use up all those veggies that are about to go bad” so we raided our veggie drawer and used what we had.  Also, to make it a bit heartier and because we had it already defrosted and it needed to be used, we added ground turkey to the mix.  In the end, with the inspiration of Mellissa’s recipe as our guide, we enjoyed a perfectly hearty breakfast for dinner frittata…and it reheated beautifully for meals later in the week.  Check out Mellissa’s Bacon & Vegetable Frittata and all her other recipes on A Fit & Spicy Life.

Hearty Bacon, Turkey & Vegetable Frittata (adapted from here)

• 8 Eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper 
• 6 slices bacon, divided
• 2 cups fresh chopped (chunky) broccoli
• 1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt & ground pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup oven roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese

Heat oven to 325F.  In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy whipping cream, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/2 tsp. pepper, and set aside.  In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.  Pour off all but 2 TBS. of the bacon fat and return the pan to the heat.  Add the broccoli and cook until tender and golden in spots.  Remove the broccoli from the pan and set aside.  Add the ground turkey & minced garlic to the pan and season with salt & pepper.  Cook the turkey until no longer pink, breaking it up as it cooks.  Add the roasted tomatoes just as the turkey finishes cooking.  Remove the pan from the heat and add back in the cooked broccoli.  Dice three of the bacon strips and add those to the pan along with the grated cheese, stir to combine.  Pour the contents of the pan into a 10-inch silicon cake pan which has been placed on a baking sheet, or if your pan is oven-proof, just keep the ingredients in the pan and continue.  Pour the egg mixture over the turkey/broccoli mix and top with the remaining three strips of bacon (each cut in half.)  Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbly delicious.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Chicken Satay with Sunbutter “Peanut” Sauce 
Asian Pork Chops 
Mango Salsa 
Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing 
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Check out the new SRC blog for more exciting recipes from past reveals

An InLinkz Link-up

Chile Relleno Casserole

We adore Chile Rellenos but they are an absolute pain in the bottom to stuff and fry,  so we enjoy them as a once in a while treat when we happen to go to a Mexican restaurant…which trust me, isn’t all that often. 

This though is an easy casserole and it has all the wonderful flavor of the real thing, without all the work and also without any of the gluten that is used for the typical fry coating.  There are many recipes for similar casseroles on the internet, but this version, of no recipe in particular, is our favorite.  It’s not overly spicy hot, just tingly so.  The balance of flavors is spot on and the casserole reheats perfectly, who could ask for more?  Make and enjoy!

Chile Relleno Casserole

• 4 large fresh poblanos
• 1 TBS. olive oil 
• 1/4 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb.  ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken)
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.  Char the skin of the peppers, either on an outdoor grill, over the burner of a gas stove or under the broiler.  Once the skin is charred on all sides, put the peppers in a bag to allow them to sweat.  While the peppers are sweating, heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions until golden.  Add the beef to the onions and brown until fully cooked. Once the peppers have cooled enough to be handled, remove the stem and seeds and the skin.  Grease an 8x10-inch pan with olive oil and arrange three of the peppers to cover the bottom of the pan.  Cover the peppers with the beef & onion mix.  Spread the cheese on top of the beef.  Lice the remaining poblano into strips and arrange over the cheese.  In a bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, eggs, cumin, salt & pepper.  Pour the cream mixture over the cheese.  Bake for 35-40 minutes uncovered, until golden and bubbly.  Serve hot, room temperature or cold, all ways are delicious.  Top with sour cream if desired.  To reheat, place desired portion on a plate and heat in microwave.

Enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

One of Eammon’s favorite dishes is Chicken Tikka Masala so when I saw this slow cooker version at Julie’s Table for Two, I just had to give it a try.  The smell of it cooking all day drove us crazy as the aroma was gorgeous and when we tasted it, well pure perfection.  I actually got all the ingredients mixed together in the crock insert of my slow cooker the night before I planned to make it, left it in the fridge over night and in the morning, popped the ready-to-go crock in the crockpot, turned it on and a few hours later we were enjoying a delicious meal…and only the crock to clean up!  Make this dish, you won’t be disappointed.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tiakka Masala  (slightly adapted from here)

• 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 TBS. fresh grated ginger
• 1 - 29 oz. can tomato puree
• 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt 
• 2 TBS. olive oil 
• 2 TBS. Garam masala 
• 1 TBS. cumin 
• 1/2 TBS. paprika 
• 1 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
• 2 – 3-inch pieces whole cinnamon sticks 
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper 
• 1 TBS. cayenne pepper, more or less depending on your heat preference
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 TBS. cornstarch 
• cilantro, for topping

Place everything up to and including the bay leaves into the removable crock of a slow cooker.  With a spatula, stir to combine everything and make sure the chicken is coated well.  Refrigerate overnight or use immediately.  When ready to cook, place the crock into the slow cooker, cover and cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

When done, in a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and corn starch, then pour the mixture into the crockpot and gently stir. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to thicken up.

Serve hot over a bed of rice and garnish with cilantro.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, this recipe also freezes and reheats beautifully.

Enjoy!

Baked Reuben Casserole

I don’t remember where I first saw a recipe for this casserole but as soon as I did, I knew that I had to make it for Eammon as he adores Reuben sandwiches so I thought this would be perfect for him.  I know that once I decided to make this Reuben Casserole I searched the internet and found numerous variations and put together this recipe.

The casserole was simple to put together and Eammon (and my Dad who also enjoyed some) said that it tasted just like a delicious Reuben sandwich.  I have never tried a Reuben sandwich as I don’t care for rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut or Thousand Island salad dressing so I’m totally taking their word on how this casserole tasted but with the amount that they both ate…well it had to be good.

Baked Reuben Casserole

• 5 slices seeded Jewish rye bread (or rye bread of your choice)
• 3/4 lb. very thinly sliced, almost shaved, corned beef
• 1 14.5 oz can sauerkraut, well drained
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 3/4 lb. Swiss cheese, shredded
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 c. milk (I used skimmed)
• 1/4 c. heavy cream
• 1 c. Thousand Island salad dressing
• 1/3 c. prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper 

Preheat oven to 350F.  Coat an 8x8-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.  Cut three pieces of the bread into 1-inch cubes and line the bottom of the dish with them.  Place half of the corned beef over the cubed bread and lightly press down the layers as you go.  Spread the sauerkraut evenly over the corned beef and then top with half of the shredded cheese.  Evenly sprinkle the cheese with the caraway seeds.  Evenly spread the remaining corned beef over the previous layers and finish with the remaining cheese.  

In a small bowl whisk the eggs, milk, cream, Thousand Island dressing, mustard & ground pepper until fully mixed.  Pour the egg mixture over the casserole and allow it to sit and sink in for 10 minutes. 

Finely dice the remaining two slices of bread and spread it over the casserole.  Bake for 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the casserole is set in the middle.  Check the casserole after 45 minutes and if the bread crumbs are beginning to get too dark, lightly tent the casserole with aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking.  Once the casserole is fully cooked, remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. 

Enjoy!

Steak au Poivre

Years ago…well I should say decades ago as it was probably 20+ years ago, I remember enjoying one of the most wonderful steaks I’ve ever eaten.  It was steak au poivre, prepared tableside at a very upscale, now defunct, restaurant in Aruba called Chez Mathilde.  A number of times through the years I’ve made steak au poivre and though I could get the flavors where I wanted, the quality of the filet mignon was never quite as buttery and tender as the one I remembered.  So when I was asked by Certified Steak & Seafood* to sample and review their Prime Angus Filet Mignon, I knew immediately what recipe I wanted to make. 

The Certified Steak & Seafood Filet Mignon steaks arrived at my door individually vacuum sealed, frozen and packed in a styrofoam cooler with dry ice.  It was easy to just pop the steaks in the freezer to be used at a later date…but I couldn’t wait.  Instead of placing the steaks in the freezer I put them in the fridge and allowed them to defrost overnight.  Less than 24 hours after the steaks arrived I was cooking and we were enjoying them.  Finally!!  I found steaks as tender and buttery as I remember those from years ago at Chez Mathilde.  Not only were these Certified Steak & Seafood filets tender but the flavor was gorgeous, even without the amazing sauce that I prepared.  The Certified Steak & Seafood Prime Filet Mignon steaks were just wonderful and we’re looking forward to enjoying more in the near future along with some Chilean Sea Bass*.  Certified Steak & Seafood also sent samples of Chilean Sea Bass which I did pop into the freezer and am looking forward to trying very soon but with our busy schedule it will have to wait until after the holidays so please check back for that recipe and review.

For the home cook, finding and purchasing USDA prime beef, like these filets is often difficult but with Certified Steak & Seafood it’s easy to order online and what’s really nice is that they allow you the ability to choose up to 12 weeks out, the arrival date of your order.  Think about it, order now and have it delivered for New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion.  Plus if you order now you can use coupon FBR125D on the Certified Steak & Seafood website to get $25 off your order.

What Certified Steak & Seafood says about their Buttery Prime Angus Filet Mignon

:

"If there was ever a steak that you will believe can “melt in your mouth” the Certified Steak and Seafood Prime angus Filet Mignon is it. With a delectable almost sweet beef flavor, and a strong buttery undertone that only Prime angus offers, it has to be tasted to be believed.

Each Prime angus filet is slow aged,  custom cut and trimmed for consistency in color and quality. It is a flavor you will remember long after your meal is over. Great accompanied by grilled root vegetables and horseradish mashed potatoes.”

  Visit the Certified Steak & Seafood website! Use coupon FBR125D to get $25 off your order.

Steak au Poivre (very slightly adapted from here)

• 2  filet mignon steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each and no more than 1 1/2 inches thick
• Kosher salt 
• 1 TBS. whole black peppercorns 
• 1 TBS. butter 
• 1 tsp. olive oil 
• 1/3 cup Cognac
• 1 cup heavy cream

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 60 minutes prior to cooking. Make sure that the steaks are dry and sprinkle all sides with salt.

Coarsely crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, the bottom of a cast iron skillet, or using a mallet and pie pan. Spread the peppercorns evenly onto a plate. Press the fillets, on both sides, into the pepper until it coats the surface. Set aside.

In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil begin to turn golden and smoke, gently place the steaks in the pan.  Once placed, do not move them other than to turn them one time.  For medium-rare, cook for 4 minutes on each side. Once done, remove the steaks to a plate, tent with aluminum foil and set aside. Pour off any excess fat but do not wipe or scrape the pan clean.

Off of the heat, add the Cognac to the pan and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long match or utility lighter. Gently shake pan until the flames die. Return the pan to medium heat and add the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt.  Add any of the accumulated juices from the steak resting plate back to the pan and stir to mix in.  Spoon some of the sauce onto the serving plate, top with the steak and drizzle a little more sauce over the top.  Serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

More about Certified Steak & Seafood:  “Our commitment to our customers is simple: Offer the highest quality products at the best price and back it with a 100% guarantee. We source directly with no 'middle man' making our supply chain the shortest in the industry. This allows us to maintain the highest quality standards all the way to your plate. On top of this, we sample all products at the moment of final packaging and have a world-renowned laboratory test for various types of adulteration or contamination. This ensures that the food you purchase from us is pure and safe.

Certified Steak and Seafood Company was formed by the three Frisch boys, Mark, Adam, and Steven; all of whom thought that everyone should be able to buy the highest quality steaks and seafood direct. The brothers experience comes from a three generation family owned wholesale company that is one of the largest seafood importers in America.

They have vast experience in sourcing and selling high quality seafood and meat products to the commercial trade — and bring you the same grade of products fine restaurants, resorts, hotels, and high-end retail stores demand – and at a direct price that gives you tremendous value for every purchase.”

Disclosures:

* This sponsorship is brought to you by Certified Steak & Seafood Company who we have partnered with for this promotion. I was provided with a box of products to sample.  This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with Certified Steak & Seafood products.

Dried Cherry Almond Tart

Can you believe it, we are now at month nine of the Improv Cooking Challenge and I haven’t missed a month yet.  The challenge is hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.  As always I looked forward to participating and finding or coming up with a great recipe which included the two theme ingredients.  This month the participating bloggers were asked to make any recipe of their choosing using the two given ingredients of cherries & almonds.  After all of our recent travels (If anyone is interested, cruise posts are here, here & here.  Travel posts: Ponta Delgada (Azores), Amsterdam, Malmö, Sweden, Copenhagen day 1, day 2 & day 3 and lastly London.) I have been very careful with the amount of sugar, carbs, chemicals & preservatives in our food so this month I wanted to make something delicious which didn’t do the diet in…yet I wanted something on the sweet side so this tart was born.

I decided to use an almond crust which I’ve used numerous times before when making cheese cakes, pies and other tarts and it’s a favorite of mine and oh-so-simple to make.

The crust easily comes together in the food processor and then I just dump it out into the pan I’m using which has been coated with cooking spray.

Then there’s no rolling involved, just press it evenly into the tart pan.

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.  In this case, because I would be cooking the tart further with the filling, I only cooked the crust for five minutes but if you’re cooking the crust to then add a filling that won’t require further baking, the cooking time increases to about ten minutes or until it is lightly browned.

Without even washing it, I made the filling in the same bowl of the food processor in which I made the crust, so this is a one “bowl” recipe.  I poured the filling over the partially baked crust, added my cherries and it was back into the oven for this tart.

Golden and delicious.  The crust is tender and the filling is custard like and creamy.  The entire tart had a wonderful almond flavor and the cherries were sweet little surprises hidden throughout.  Overall the tart isn’t especially sweet but with a little dot of whipped cream and with the sweetness of the dried cherries, it’s a perfect dessert. 

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake 
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 Dried Cherry Almond Tart 

• 1 1/2 c. blanched slivered almonds
• 3 packets Stevia 
• 3 TBS. butter, softened
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp almond extract 
• 4 packets Stevia 
• 20-24 dried cherries (You can use more but as they’re very high in sugar I kept my amount low)
• Whey Low powdered, for dusting the plate
• whipped cream, for decorating the plate
• extra dried cherries, to decorate the plate 

Preheat the oven to 350F.  To make the crust, add the almonds to the bowl of a food processor and using the pulse button, process until the almonds are finely ground.  Add the butter and 3 packets of Stevia and process until it all comes together and starts to form a ball.  Put the almond mixture into a 9-inch tart pan which has been sprayed with cooking spray and press the mixture to cover the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.  The crust will still be very pale but that is okay.   

While the crust is baking, no need to clean out the food processor bowl, just add the whipping cream, eggs, almond extract and 4 packets of stevia and process until fully blended and smooth.

Once the crust comes out of the oven, lower the temperature to 325F.  Pour the egg mixture into the hot crust and place the cherries evenly spread out in the mixture.  They will sink but don’t worry about that. 

Bake for 20-22 minutes until the top is lightly browned and set.  Check the tart as it bakes and if it starts to get too brown just gently place a sheet of foil over the top.

Once baked, remove from the oven and allow the tart to cool completely before slicing.  Tart can be served at room temperature or chilled.  Decorate with a dusting of Whey Low powdered, some whipped cream and an extra cherry.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Soup

Strawberries and Cream, those are this month’s Improv Cooking Challenge ingredients assigned by our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.  I went back and forth thinking about all the wonderful and delicious things I could make with the assigned ingredients but after enjoying delicious cold fruit soups every lunchtime during our recent 2 week transatlantic cruise I decided that I needed to make my own cold soup.  I did a bit of searching on the internet and the recipe that kept coming up as a standout winning recipe was the Strawberry Soup from the 1900 Park Fare restaurant in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. 

I scaled back on the amounts in the recipe as I was going to be the only one eating the soup as it’s not Maisie “safe” and Eammon doesn’t care for cold or fruit soups, but had I put this in a glass and told him it was a smoothie he would have gobbled it down and loved it!  I was happy to have it all to myself as the soup was absolutely delicious and when you read the recipe, beyond simple to make.  I wish that Maisie could enjoy this soup as it would be so special to serve for a Princess lunch.  With strawberries in season, this is a perfect soup to make and enjoy.

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars  
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake 
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies 

Strawberry Soup (Adapted from here) 

• 1 lb.strawberries (frozen variety with no added sugar, thaw with juice)
• 6.4 oz. heavy cream
• 0.8 oz.sour cream
• 1.2 oz. vanilla yogurt
• fresh strawberries for garnish
• sour cream for garnish
• fresh mint for garnish

Using a blender mix together the strawberries, heavy cream, sour cream & yogurt until smooth.

Chill.

Shake well before serving. Add a dollop of sour cream, fresh strawberries and mint leaves as garnish.

Makes 3 servings.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake

It’s Crazy Cooking Challenge time again and this month our hostess Tina of Moms Crazy Cooking challenged the participating bloggers to search non-celebrity blogs looking for the ultimate chocolate cake recipe.  Once we find what we think is the ultimate recipe we are to make and feature that recipe and the blog where we found it.  I posted recently in my Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel post that since making my Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart I’ve been on a major lemon kick so when I saw Mimi’s Double Chocolate Tangerine Mousse Cake I knew immediately that I could tweak the recipe a bit switching out the tangerine for lemon and I could get my tangy lemon fix, still meet the requirements of making a chocolate cake while also making the ultimate chocolate cake.

This cake used both white and dark chocolate and that combined with tangy lemon, well it was exactly what I had been craving.  The chocolate cake is flourless so it’s dense and rich.  The mousse uses gelatin which is something that I haven’t done before but it seemed to help the mousse keep it’s shape but the mousse remained light, soft, rich and creamy.  Everyone who tried the cake thought it was beautiful and adored the rich flavors…and they were rich so small slices are a must.  If you adore dark chocolate and lemon like we do, I think you will find this to be a favorite in your home too.

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge entries:
Chicken Noodle Soup Challenge: Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
Fudge Challenge: Biscoff Fudge
Mashed Potato Challenge: Aloo Tikki
Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge: Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps
Mac & Cheese Challenge: Velvety Mac & Cheese 

Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake  (Adapted from here)

Cake
1 cup butter
9 oz. dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 cup ground toasted walnuts

Mousse
1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
1/3 cup lemon sugar syrup from making the Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel
2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
12 oz. white chocolate chips 
6 TBS sour cream
2 cups chilled whipping cream

Garnish:
Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel
walnut halves, toasted

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan with cutter and then dust with cocoa powder.  Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, checking and stirring often until smooth.  Whisk in the sugar, eggs and ground nuts. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out with very moist crumbs attached, about 45 minutes. Cool completely on rack (cake will fall and crack).  Once cool, using the pan’s cutter release the cake from the pan.

Lightly brush the sides of a 10-inch springform pan with vegetable oil. Set the cooled cake in center of pan (there will be space around cake that will be filled in with mousse). Refrigerate cake.

For Mousse:
Place 3 TBS of the lemon juice in a small bowl and sprinkle in the gelatin. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften.  Meanwhile, simmer the remaining lemon juice and lemon sugar syrup, stirring until combined, about 3 minutes.  Add the gelatin mixture to the lemon juice mixture and stir to dissolve.  Add 12 ounces white chocolate and whisk over low heat just until melted.  Remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream. Pour the lemon white chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Chill the mixture until cool and thickened but not set, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Beat the chilled whipping cream to stiff peaks. Fold into the lemon white chocolate mixture. Pour the mousse over the chocolate cake in the springform pan, covering the top and sides completely. Refrigerate cake overnight.

Run a small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Place cake on platter. Garnish as desired.

Enjoy!

Seared Scallops with Creamy Pesto & Lemon Pepper Pasta

Last night I raided my freezer and pantry to come up with something for dinner and what I created was pure delight.  I just sort of made things up as I went along but both Eammon and I loved the results so I’ll be making this again.  I also loved that it was quick and not a lot of clean up for such a delicious meal.

Seared Scallops with Creamy Pesto & Lemon Pepper Pasta

12 oz. large sea scallops
2 servings Lemon Pepper Fettuccini
peanut oil
Wondra (could also use potato starch or corn starch)
salt
Pepper
2 shallots, minced
1/2 cup julienned sweet red bell pepper
1/2 cup prepared basil pesto (I use the last of my homemade mixed with Cibo Naturals brand which I had purchased at Costco)
1 1/2 cups half & half (I used fat-free because that’s what I always have in the house)

In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions.  Mix together some Wondra with salt & pepper to taste.  Make sure the scallops are dry and then lightly coat with the Wondra mix.  While the past is cooking heat a heavy (I used my cast iron skillet) pan until searing hot.  Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.   Add the scallops.  Sear one side and then turning just once, sear the other being careful not to over cook.  Once the scallops are cooked remove to a plate.  To the pan add the shallots and cook quickly until tender, about 1 minute.  Add the red pepper and cook for an additional minute.  Add the pesto and half & half, stirring to combine and cook for 1 minute or until thickened and coats the back of a spoon.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.  Add in the fettuccini and toss to coat.  Serve the pasta with the scallops.

Enjoy!