Come next Month for our

International Night!

We will have Demo's

from around the world...

Come and taste delicious dishes from

India, Italy, and Mexico!

March 10th

Decadent Desserts IV (Feb. 2010)

Chocolate Cake with Ganache & Butter-Cream Frosting
Kristen (Beck) Murray (Demo)
She has a wonderful Blog where you can go and find many of her creations to satisfy your sweet tooth or cravings. She makes the most amazing desserts and other food items! Her Blog is:
http://www.kristinannbeck.blogspot.com/

Guittard Molten Chocolate Cookies

(from the bag of Guittard Semi-Sweet chocolate chips)
Ann Epperson

Makes about 40 1” cookies or 16 3” cookies

2 cups (12 oz bag) Guittard Semi-Sweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp butter
2 large eggs
½ c sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 c all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 c powdered sugar (for dusting - optional)

Melt chips and butter in top of double boiler over low heat, stirring until smooth and thick. Remove from heat; set aside. (I use the microwave, in a glass bowl, microwave on high for 30 sec, stir, microwave on high 30 sec, stir, microwave high for 15 sec. stir, the mixture will become smooth and thick. Set aside.)

In a large bowl beat the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla on high speed about 2-3 minutes until pale yellow and slightly thickened. Mix in chocolate on low speed. Stop and scrape bowl. Add flour and baking powder on low speed just until well incorporated, stopping once to scrape bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15-30 minutes. (I leave the dough in for 30 minutes to chill, the dough will firm up making it easier to work with)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Scrap 8 – 2 inch mounds onto parchment lined baking sheet leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes or until crusty on the outside but soft in the center. Cool the cookies 3-5 minutes. Best when served warm. To reheat cookies so the centers become soft again, microwave on high power for about 10 seconds.

(I use a 1” ratcheted ice cream scooper, drop the dough into a bowl of powdered sugar and roll around until well coated, remove from bowl shaking off excess sugar, and place on a lined baking sheet. Space 1 inch apart, bake for 12 minutes, let cool and enjoy)

Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies
Mariah Garcia

Yield: 24 cookies
* 12 ounce(s) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
* 11 1/2 ounce(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
* 6 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
* 3 eggs
* 1 cup(s) sugar
* 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
* 1 cup(s) chopped walnuts

Directions

In double boiler over hot water, melt bittersweet chocolate chips and butter. In large bowl with electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs and sugar until thick; stir into chocolate mixture. In small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder; stir into chocolate mixture. Gently mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts. Using a sheet of plastic wrap, form dough into two logs, each 2 inches in diameter and about 12 inches long. As dough will be quite soft, use plastic wrap to hold dough in log shape. Wrap tightly; refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm. Heat oven to 375°F. Unwrap dough; with sharp knife, cut into 3/4-inch slices. Place slices 1 1/2 inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until shiny crust forms on top but interior is still soft. Cool on baking sheet; store in airtight tin up to 1 week.

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Gayle Hollingshaus

1 pkg. (14 oz.) angel flake coconut
2/3 cup sugar
6 tbsp. flour
¼ tsp. salt
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tsp. almond extract
1 pkg (8 squares) semi sweet chocolate
(I used melted chocolate chips for dipping)

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine coconut, sugar, flour and salt. Add egg whites and extract; mix well.
Drop by tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto greased and floured baking sheets.
Bake 20 min. or until edges are golden brown. Cool 3 min. on baking sheets;

Remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
Melt chocolate. Dip cookies halfway into chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is firm.

Scotch Shortbread Cookies
Gretchen Jackson

55-60 cookies

½ pound (1 cup) butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sifted cornstarch

Adjust rack to center of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl of electric mixer cream butter until soft. Add sugar and beat for a few minutes. On lowest speed gradually add flour and cornstarch, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating only until incorporated.

Turn mixture onto a board or smooth surface and knead lightly until smooth. Use about half of the dough at a time. Wrap the balance airtight. On a very lightly floured pastry cloth with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/3 inch thickness. Cut with a floured 1 ½ inch round cutter. Save scraps, knead them together briefly, and reroll them all together. Place cookies ½ inch apart on an unbuttered cookie sheet.

Pierce each cookie three times with a fork, going all the way through to the cookie sheet. It this is a sticky job, first chill the cookies briefly in the freezer or refrigerator. Bake about 22 minutes, reversing position of cookie sheet during baking, until cookies have barely colored. Do not overbake. Shortbread should not brown—it should only turn a pale sandy color around the edges.

Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool.
Lemon Bundt Cake
Heidi Little

Follow the directions on any lemon cake mix. Grease the bundt pan generously & bake.
Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup melted butter

Mix well and allow to cool...it thickens as it cools and then frost cake.

Almond-Poppy Seed Biscotti
Wendy & Czarina Pellissier
(this recipe was taken from a diabetic dessert cookbook)

(makes 24)
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/4 cup margarine or butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup toasted chopped almonds
1 T poppy seeds
1/4 cup, plus 2 T fat-free egg substitute
1 t. vanilla
1 t. almond extract

Place the flours, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl, and stir to mix well. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Stir in the almonds and poppy seeds. Add the egg substitute and extracts, and stir just until the mixture holds together.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide it in half, and shape each half into a 9 x 2-inch log. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, and place the logs on the sheet, leaving 4 inches of space between them to allow for spreading. Bake at 350 for about 25 min or until lightly browned.

Cool the logs at room temp for 10 min. Place the logs on a cutting board, and use a serrated knife to slice the logs into 1/2-inch slices.

Reduce the oven temp to 300. Return the slices to the baking sheet, in a single layer, cut side down. Bake for 10 min. Then turn the slices over, and bake for 10 more min.
Transfer the biscotti to wire racks, and cool completely. Dip in melted chocolate if desired.

Strawberry Short-Cake
Jessica Skubal

1 pkg of Pound Cake Mix
2 cartons of Heavy Whipping Cream
2-3 cups confectioners sugar
50-60 strawberries

Make Pound Cake as instructed by package in a 9 x 9 pan. Let cool. Then cut into small squares.

Whip the heavy cream in mixer and when fluffy add 2-3 cups of confectioners sugar. Do not beat to much, may turn to butter consistency(you don’t want that).

Wash and cut strawberries in half and place aside.

Use a trifle bowl to layer your filling. Put cake squares on bottom then put a layer of whipped cream, then strawberries. Then another layer of whipped cream and then the cake squares. And keep layering. You don’t want the cake and strawberries to touch, because the cake will get wet with the strawberries. End layers with strawberries on top.