Sunday, January 16, 2011

Make This!!

Omid is making this for dinner tonight. The entire house smells so delicious! We are serving this with mashed potatoes, green beans & homemade rolls. Comfort food at it's finest!

Rosemary Braised Lamb Shanks

6 lamb shanks
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 (750 milliliter) bottle red wine
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Directions
1.Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook shanks until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer shanks to plate.
2.Add onions, carrots and garlic to pot and saute until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, tomatoes, chicken broth and beef broth. Season with rosemary and thyme. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours.
3.Remove cover from pot. Simmer about 20 minutes longer. Transfer shanks to platter, place in a warm oven. Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes. Spoon over shanks.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Make This!!


Omid requested a cake roll of some type for dessert tonight. I knew just the one! My mom used to make this mocha cake roll for us when we were kids. It's easy AND delicious!!

Mocha Cake Roll

Cake:
4 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbs cocoa
2 tbs instant coffee powder
1/4 t salt
powdered sugar (enough to cover a kitchen towel - approx. 1 cup)

Beat egg yolks until thick & lemon colored. Gradually add the first 1/2 cup of sugar, beating until light. Stir in vanilla. Set aside.
In a new bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Fold yolk mix into whites. Fold rest of the ingredients into egg mix.
Spread in a greased/parchment lined jelly roll pan. Bake at 375* for 12-13 minutes. Immediately turn into a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll up from the narrow side.
Let cool.

Coffee Custard:
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c flour
2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 1/4 c milk
1 beaten egg
1 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 HEATH or SKOR candy bars*
Stir sugar, flour & coffee together. Add milk. Cook on low heat until it comes to a slow boil (STIR CONSTANTLY). Stir 1/2 the mix into the beaten egg. Return to saucepan. Cook & stir for 1-2 minutes more. Stir in butter & vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap & cool for several hours.

Unroll the cake the spread the filling to within 1/2" of the ends. Sprinkle with the candy bits. Reroll and chill. Serve with whipped cream and more candy.
**Freeze the candy bars, then break them (the chocolate coating melts fast).

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Make This!!

I made Matty a delicious chocolate cake for his bday. The icing on the cake (literally!) was the dark chocolate ganache. Super yummy! Tired of being stuck in a cake decorating rut, I copied the Farm Chicks idea of adding cake flags instead of the usual sprinkles.
Here is the recipe for dark chocolate ganache frosting. Make it!!! Click on this link if you want the dark chocolate cake recipe too (I just used a cake mix). :)

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

Place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, warm the cream over medium heat until it boils. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for 1 minute, then stir together well using a rubber spatula, whisk, or immersion blender until very smooth. Add the vanilla extract and mix in completely.
Cover the ganache mixture tightly with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator until the mixture is firm but pliable. A good test is to press a finger into the mixture. If it takes the indentation of your finger easily, it’s at the right point. If the ganache is too soft, it will feel runny; if it is too firm, it will be hard to press your finger in it. If the ganache is too firm, let it stand at room temperature until it is soft enough to use.
Place the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl. Using the flat beater attachment or a hand-held mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is fluffy. Add the ganache in two or three stages and beat until the mixture holds soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. As the ganache beats, it becomes lighter in color. Don’t beat the ganache too long or it may separate and curdle.
Use a small offset spatula, a rubber spatula, or a spoon to spread the top of each cupcake with ganache frosting.

Happy Birthday Matty!!

Happy 15th birthday Matty! We love you!!!