Review of last recipe - Herbed Bottom Round Roast - Too boring to photograph!

TODAY'S RECIPE - HERB GLAZED PORK CHOPS
Serves 2

2 1" thick pork chops
coarse salt
cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried marjoram, crumbled

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup whipping cram
1/4 cup diced pimiento
1/2 tsp crushed green peppercorns; rinsed and drained

Sprinkle pork chops on both sides with coarse salt and cracked black pepper.  Mix thyme, paprika and marjoram in small bowl.  Press herb mixture onto both sides of pork chops.

Melt butter and with oil in heavy small skillet over medium-low heat.  Add garlic and stir until golden; discard. Add pork and brown on both sides.  Remove form skillet and set aside.  Add onion and carrot and stir until lightly browned; 2-3 minutes.  Blend in broth and wine and bring to boil.  Return pork to skillet.  Cover and simmer gently until thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chops registers 170 degrees; about 25 minutes.

Remove pork chops form skillet.  Increase heat to high.  Whisk in cream; scraping up any browned bits, and boil until sauce thickens; about 2 minutes.  Stir in pimiento and peppercorns.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spooon sauce over chops and serve immediately.

Review of last recipe - Chocolate Cheesecake (photo above) - Just too chocolate-y ... guess I'm not such a chocolate fan after all.  It was very good, but too much chocolate for my taste.  Even with the whipped cream, there wasn't enough contrast in flavors

TODAY'S RECIPE - HERBED BOTTOM ROUND ROAST
A crock pot recipe from Star Market; a local grocery store.

Serves 8

4-5 lb bottom round roast, flour, salt, pepper, oil
2 celery stalks with leaves, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp rosemary
water or beef broth

Dust roast with flour, then brown in oil on all sides in a skillet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place roast on a rack in a crockpot and top with onions and celery.  Add herbs to 1/2 cup water or stock and pour over and around meat.

Cover and cook over low heat until fork tender; approximately 3 hours.  Add more liquid as needed.  Make gravy from drippings, if desired.

Review of last recipe - Herb Glazed Pork Chops (photo above) - The sauce was good, but not great.  Not a keeper.

TODAY'S RECIPE - CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE (actually, New York
                             Chocolate Cheesecake)
This dense chocolate cheesecake can be refrigerated up to two days or frozen.
NOTE:  After baking, it needs to set in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
16 servings - 375 degree oven

3 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
12 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream

Chocolate Crumb Crust
1 pkg (8-8 1/2 oz) chocolate wafers, crumbled coarse
6 tbsp butter, melted

In large bowl, beat cream cheese until very smooth.  Add vanilla, salt and sugar; beat until very smooth.  Add chocolate and beat until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, scraping bowl and beating well after each. Add sour cream; beat until smooth. Spoon into crumb crust (recipe below) and smooth top.

Bake in lower third of preheated 375 degree oven for 1 hour (cake will still be soft).  Cool completely on rack.  Leave in pan; cover top with foil and refrigerate overnight.  With sharp heavy knife, cut around sides of crust; pressing knife blade firmly against pan as you cut.  Release and remove sides of pan.  Insert firm (not flexible) metal spatula gently under crust and ease around to release cake completely from bottom of pan.  Cake will be firm and easy to transfer.  (At the point, cake can be refrigerated or wrapped airtight and frozen.  If frozen, thaw, wrapped, in refrigerator overnight.)  Place on a large platter, and serve cold with whipped cream, if desired.

Chocolate Crumb Crust
In food processor, whirl wafers to make 2 cups fine crumbs (or place wafers in plastic bag and crush with rolling pin --- the method I actually prefer).  Place in small bowl and stir in butter until well blended.  Grease sides only of 9" x 3" springform pan.  Tilting pan slightly, press 2/3 of the crumb mixture firmly 2 1/" up the sides of the pan.  Press remaining crumb mixture firmly on the bottom, and set aside.

Nutritional Information:  464 calories, 7 G protein, 37 G carbs, 34 G fat, 120 mg cholesterol

Review of last recipe - Rich Chocolate Caramels (photo above) - They did not come out soft and chewy, but more like fudge, so I will not be keeping this recipe.  Just a note that I don't often make candy, so maybe I did something wrong (?).

TODAY'S RECIPE - HERB GLAZED PORK CHOPS
Serves 2

2  1" thick pork chops
coarse salt and cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried marjoram, crumbled

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup diced pimiento
1/2 tsp crushed green peppercorns; rinsed and drained

Sprinkle pork chops on both sides with coarse salt and cracked black pepper.  Mix thyme, paprika and marjoram in small bowl.  Press herb mixture onto both sides of pork chops.

Melt butter with oil in heavy small skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and stir until golden; discard.  Add pork and brown on both sides.  Remove from skillet and set aside. Add onion and carrot and stir until lightly browned; 2-3 minutes.  Blend in broth and wine and bring to boil.  Return pork to skillet. Increase heat to high. Whisk in cream, scraping up any browned bits, and boil until sauce thickens; about 2 minutes.  Stir in pimiento and peppercorns. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chops and serve immediately.

Review of last recipe - Hamburgers with a French Accent (photo above) - I bought very lean hamburg, and that's not my norm.  Although I feel I cooked the burger medium rare, it just wasn't juicy enough for my liking.  The sauce was quite good, so I have to admit it elevated a non-so-juicy hamburger.

TODAY'S RECIPE - RICH CHOCOLATE CARAMELS
Soft and chewy ...

Makes 1 1/2 lbs.

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

Place sugars, corn syrup, half-and-half and chocolate in large heavy saucepan.  Bring to boil; stirring to melt chocolate and dissolve sugar.  Reduce heat to moderate and continue cooking; stirring occasionally until syrup reaches 248 degrees on candy thermometer (firm-ball stage).

Remove from heat and quickly stir in butter and vanilla just until blended and butter melts.  Pour into well greased  8"x 8"x 2" pan.

Cool; cut into small squares.  If desired, top each square with pecan half or almond slivers.  Wrap individually in plastic wrap or foil.  Store in a cool, dry place.

Review of last recipe  - Chocolate Cake (photo above) - Way too rich, especially with the chocolate "frosting".  Would be better with some unsweetened whipped cream.  Also the "frosting" is really cake batter with raw egg in it, so I was a bit leery about it (I do eat raw eggs in Caesar salad, so I'm not a total wimp, but there's always the possibility of salmonella.).

I thought that I wouldn't mind chocolate upon chocolate recipes, but after two in a row, I'm ready to alternate from the back of the alphabetical list to the front so that I can have some variety.

TODAY'S RECIPE - HAMBURGERS WITH A FRENCH ACCENT
There were four recipes in this group, but I will try the one that appealed to me most; Hamburger Raifort (horseradish).   The others were thyme burgers, burgundy burgers and lyonnaise burgers.

Serves 2

12 oz ground beef round or extra lean ground beef
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp prepared horseradish
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tsp thin sliced scallions
1/4 tsp salt

Mix beef, worcestershire, pepper and 1/2 tsp of the horseradish.  Form into patties and broil the way you like them.  Mix sour cream, scallions, salt and remaining horseradish.  Spoon sour cream sauce over burger.

Review of last recipe - Glazed Loin of Pork (photo above) - This turned out to be a succulent pork roast, but I wasn't a huge fan of the glaze ... too barbecue like for me.

** Note:  Now, I'll be alternating between Meats/Poultry and Desserts as I'm out of Seafood recipes for this time period.

TODAY'S RECIPE - CHOCOLATE CAKE (Actually, named One-of-a-Kind
                                                                            Chocolate Cake)
From the New York Times, August 10, 1983 ...

Serves 6-8    350 degree oven

10 tbsp butter (1 stick + 2 tbsp)
10 oz bittersweet chocolate
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour an 8" or 9" cake pan.

Combine butter and chocolate in heat proof bowl and place in pan of barely simmering water,  Slowly melt mixture, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from water and cool.

Place yolks in mixing bowl and beat; slowly adding sugar until mixture is pale and thick.  Mixture should ribbon --- when beater is lifted from bowl, mixture will fall into bowl in folding ribbon effect.

Turn mixer on lowest speed and blend in chocolate mixture.  Beat only until blended.

Beat whites until stiff but not dry. Using lowest speed on mixer, beat whites into yolk mixture just until no white streaks show.

Remove about 1/3 of the batter, place in bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Spoon remaining batter into prepared cake pan.  Bake 20-30 minutes; just until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Do not overbake. Cake will rise and then fall a little.  Remove from oven. Cover wire rack with wax paper and turn cake out onto wax paper and let cool completely. Frost with refrigerated batter.

Review of last recipe - Chocolate Cake (photo above) - What can I say... it's a moist chocolate cake sprinkled with confectioner's sugar ... some ice cream would go with this nicely.

TODAY'S RECIPE - GLAZED LOIN OF PORK
One of those Family Circle Magazine inexpensive main dish recipes ...

Serves 12 - 325 degree oven

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup bottled chili sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup molasses
3 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dark rum
1 loin of pork (6-7 lbs)

Heat oil in medium-size saucepan.  Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes until onion is tender but not brown.

Stir in chili sauce, lemon juice, molasses, mustard and worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir in rum.

Place meat on a rack in a large shallow baking pan.  Do not add water or cover.

Roast in a 325 degree oven for 2 1/2 hours.  Brush meat with glaze.

Continue roasting for 1 hour or until meat registers 170 degrees on meat thermometer; basting frequently with additional glaze.

Review of last recipe - Stuffed Mussels (photo above) - These were good ... I broiled them at the end so that the cheese didn't look so pasty, but it took me an entire hour to prep (40 minutes to shuck the mussels/20 minutes to make the filling), which means I won't be making these again.  If the mussels had been larger, maybe it wouldn't have been such an ordeal, but I bought local Maine mussels, and they tend to be on the small size.

TODAY'S RECIPE - CHOCOLATE CAKE (specifically Ann's Chocolate Cake)
Circa 1980 ... from a Hershey Foods Corporation advertisement.  I will only be making a one-layer cake (the whole calorie/too much dessert in the house and I can't resist dilemma).

350 degree oven

1/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
1/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk

Generously grease and flour two 9" or three 8" round cake pans.

Cream butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until fluffy, then blend in eggs.

Combine cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in bowl.  Add alternately with milk to batter.  Blend well.  Pour into prepared pangs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes for 9" pans and 35-40 minutes for 8" pans, or until tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans.