SPUMANTE CREAM

Serves 8

1 tbsp unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1 cup Asti Spumante, room temperature

6 egg yolks, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream

16 fresh strawberries or raspberries

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl and set aside until softened; about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, bring water in bottom of double boiler to simmer over medium heat.  Combine wine, yolks and sugar in top of large double boiler,  Place over water and whisk until mixture doubles in volume, is pale yellow, and a thick, heavy, very slowly dissolving ribbon forms when whisk is lifted; about 20 minutes.  Add gelatin and whisk until completely dissolved; about 2 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and set on rack to cool; whisking occasionally.

Beat cream to soft peaks in large bowl.  Gently but thoroughly fold cream into wine mixture.  Drop 1 berry into each of 8 sherbet or wine glasses. Divide Spumante Cream evenly among the glasses.  Refrigerate at least 2 1/2 hours or overnight.  Top each with a berry.

REVIEW:  This was supposed to be a variation of zabaglione, but it came out so thick.  It wasn't really very good.

PORK CHOPS HONGROISE

No photo as my camera is having difficulties.

This recipe is quite old, as it is handwritten the way I used to write in my late teens.

Serves 6

6 large pork chops

salt and pepper

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch of thyme

bay leaf

3/4 cup chicken broth or white wine

1 cup sour cream

1 tbsp paprika

Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper, and saute in butter in a skillet.  Add onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf, and saute over medium-high heat until chops are well browned.

Lower heat and add chicken stock or wine. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove chops and keep warm.   Reduce liquid in pan by half by boiling rapidly.  Discard bay leaf.

Add sour cream and paprika to skillet and heat thoroughly (do not boil). Pour sauce over meat and serve.

REVIEW:  Perhaps it was my mainstream paprika, but the sauce had a rough taste.  Probably wouldn't make this again, even with good paprika.

CHOCOLATE CREAM CAKE

 

 

 

Serves 12 - 350 degree oven

 

3 squares unsweetened chocolate

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

1 cup boiling water

whipped cocoa cream (recipe follows)

 

Melt chocolate in a small bowl over hot (not boiling) water.  Cool.

 

Grease and flour tow 9" x 1 1/2" pans; tap out excess flour.

 

Sift flour, baking soda and salt onto waxed paper.

 

Beat butter, sugar and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and cooled chocolate.

 

Stir in dry ingredients, alternating with sour cream, beating well with a spoon, until smooth.  Stir in water (batter will be thin).  Pour into pans.

 

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until centers spring back when lightly pressed with fingertip.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out on wire racks and cool completely.  Split each layer in half crosswise to make four thin layers.  (I didn't do this part.)

 

Fill and frost with whipped cocoa cream.  Refrigerate.

 

Whipped Cocoa Cream:  Whip 1 pint heavy cream, 2/3 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tsp vanilla in a medium bowl until stiff.

 

REVIEW:  Tasty, but not outstanding.



PORK CUTLET PROVENCAL

*Sorry, no pic...having problems today with the site.

Serves 6

olive oil

salt

Provencal Sauce:

1/4 cup sliced scallions

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 tsp thinly sliced garlic

1/8 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled

a few dried thyme leaves

a few crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb can crushed tomatoes in tomato juice

Cutlets:

12 well trimmed pork cutlets, about 3 oz each

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp flour

1 cup each thin-sliced red and green peppers

Sauce:  In a heavy saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil over moderately low heat. Stir in scallions, onion and garlic. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until limp.  Add rosemary, thyme and red pepper and stir for 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring two or three times.  Add 1/8 tsp salt.  Remove from heat and cover.

Cutlets:  Put cutlets between sheets of wax paper and flatten slightly with a meat pounder or the side of a cleaver.  Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and dredge with flour.  Heat 2 tbsp oil a large skillet over high heat.  Cook cutlets in 3 or 4 batches, cooking them 1-3 minutes on each side, until well browned and cooked through.  Transfer to a warm platter. When all cutlets are cooked, rinse and dry pan and return to stove.  Heat 1 tbsp oil over moderate heat; add pepper and cook 1-2 minutes, tossing frequently until tender but still firm.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange peppers along side the meat and spoon sauce over it. 

REVIEW:  Sometimes I feel the recipes I "have" to make aren't going to be anything special, and frankly, most times they are not.  In this case, this was so delicious, with so many layers of flavor, I can't wait to make it again! 

SPUMONE AL CIOCCOLATO

(Chocolate Spumone)

Serves 10

7 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped and divided (I used chocolate chips to remove the chopping step)

3 tbsp water

1 3/4 cups heavy cream

3 egg yolks

3 tbsp sugar

Set aside 1/4 cup of the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips.  Place remaining chocolate and water in saucepan over low heat.  Stir until smooth and melted.  Take off heat and set aside.  With an electric beater, whip the cream until extremely stiff (just before butter stage).  Set aside.

Beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Thoroughly mix eggs into lukewarm chocolate. When well blended, stir into whipped cream.  Mix in reserved chocolate. Pour into a loaf pan that has been lined with parchment, waxed paper or foil.  Keep in refrigerator until firm, at least four hours.  Unmold onto serving plate and if desired, decorate with whipped cream.

REVIEW:  Although this was an easy and tasty dessert, it wasn't outstanding so I wouldn't make it again.

POLLO ALLA ROMANA

Serves 6

Tarragon Cream Sauce:

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp finely chopped shallot

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups whipping cream

1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

salt and white pepper

Stuffed Chicken Breasts:

6 lg chicken breast halves, boned and flattened to even thickness (do not skin*)

salt and white pepper

2 medium carrots, cut into fine julienne

1 medium leek, trimmed and cut into fine julienne

4 cups chicken broth

6 tbsp butter, unsalted, cut into 3 pieces

For sauce:  Melt butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add shallot and stir until soft but not browned; about 3 minutes.  Add wine, increase heat to high and boil until reduced to glaze (about 2 tbsp).  Stir in broth and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup.  Add cream and tarragon and continue boiling until sauce is thickened to desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For chicken:  Place 1 flattened chicken breast half, skin down, on a piece of plastic wrap, leaving several inches of margin at each side.  Season with salt and pepper.  Arrange 1/6 of carrot and 1/6 of leek near one edge of chicken.  Using plastic as aid, roll chicken up tightly to enclose vegetables.  Twist ends of plastic tightly to secure.  Repeat with remaining chicken and vegetables.

Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan (liquid should be barely shaking). Add chicken breasts and poach until cooked through; about 16 minutes; do not overcook.

Remove chicken from broth using slotted spoon.  Discard plastic.  Cut each breast diagonally into 6-8 slices. Arrange on heated platter and keep warm.

Return sauce to boil, then remove from heat and whisk in butter one piece at a time.  Spoon sauce around chicken. Serve immediately.

* Can't understand why you would want to poach chicken with skin on it - yuck. Used skinless chicken, and in the rolling process, had a lot of vegetable, so the chicken basically was wrapped around the veggies in one layer, and didn't roll around in a spiral (was afraid the perhaps the inside rolled part of the chicken wouldn't cook if it did spiral).

REVIEW:  This was easy to make and quite delicious!