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Orange and chocolate are one of those perfect combinations…like wine and cheese, or pears and cheese, lemon and chicken…Chocolate *obviously* is fantastic on it’s own, but man, when you add that extra little zing of orange, it just elevates it to new levels.  As the site’s one year anniversary approached, I wondered what would be the perfect recipe to celebrate with?  I toyed with a drink recipe, cakes, some really decadent main…nothing really jumped out at me.  After the site crash last week (which still is not fully resolved, btw…I still have to edit a gazillion posts wraught with Â’s and gobbledy gook. ), I was rather uninspired…I huddled around my bowls of soup and or plates of mashed potatoes like someone was going to take them away.  What can I say…soup and mashed potatoes are comforting to the heart as well as the tummy. lol  Finally I decided that I would do a chocolate mousse.  But, I thought, it’s got to be the best damned mousse ever.  I’ve got to add some orange in there, and some booze! :lol: The last mousse recipe I tried was excellent, though a bit too involved for everyday.  This recipe, folks is easy enough for a weekday (it only takes about 10 minutes to make), and you’ll have enough to last for at least a few days of delicious desserts—more if you freeze some into mousse pops.  And!? Since this particular recipe has booze in it?  It’s alllllll for you.  The kids will have to sit this one out. (You *can* omit the Cointreau for the kids of course, and just up the water a tad, but it’s more fun this way. ) This is grown up mousse.  Mom and Dad mousse.  Perfect mousse.  See?  Wanna bite?

I perused the internet to find a recipe that was simple and quick, yet used quality ingredients, and found the perfect starting point posted by Debra47 at Group Recipes.  I adapted her recipe to make the one I had in my mind.  If you like chocolate and you like oranges?  You are going to love this, guys. This is what I have left:

 

First of all, the ingredients:

Ingredients:

6 ounces (150 grams) Lindt Dark chocolate infused with orange essence and orange zest (or a high quality dark chocolate and a bit of orange essence and orange zest)
3 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup demerara sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:
 
Break up the chocolate bar and place in a microwave safe bowl.
Melt chocolate for about 20-30 seconds (watch this carefully, you don’t want to burn it).
Add egg yolks and beat to combine.

Add water and Cointreau and beat to combine.
Set aside.
Beat egg whites and salt on high speed until soft peaks form.

Add sugar and cinnamon and beat to combine.
Fold chocolate mixture into egg white mixture.

Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Serve with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Mousse de Chocolate y Naranja en español:

Ingredientes:

150 gramos de chocolate Lindt de Naranja
3 huevos, separados
2 cucharadas agua
2 cucharadas Cointreau o Gran Marnier
pizca de sal
6 cucharadas azúcar demerara (azúcar moreno)
1 cucharadita de canela molida

Elaboración: 

En un bol apto para el microondas, derretir el chocolate–ten cuidado a no quemarlo!
Añadir las yemas y batir hasta que estén incorporadas.
Añadir el agua y el Cointreau y mezclar bien.
Batir las claras con la sal a punto de nieve.
Añadir el azúcar y la canela y batir hasta que la mezcla esté homogénea.
Añadir el chocolate, mezclando con cuidado.
Dejar en la nevera durante varias horas, o de un día para otro.
Servir con nata montada y un pizquito de canela.

 

Giz and Psychgrad over at Equal Opportunity Kitchen are hosting a blogging event called Tried, Tested and True. 

 

The event is basically a roundup of our favorite recipes, the ones that are always in rotation, that get rave reviews from our families, friends and anyone else that is lucky enough to dine at our tables! ;)  I have quite a few recipes that fit this description, but the one I thought of immediately was Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Broccoli and Fusilli.  Originally, one of my best friends in the whole wide world, Elle at Elle’s New England Kitchen,  shared this recipe with us gals, and I couldn’t WAIT to go out and get the stuff to try it.  I mean, jeez!  It’s got all of my favorite stuff in there!  Chicken, greens, gaaaaahlic, freshly grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano, a delicious lemon pepper vinagrette…and the pasta…holy dear Lords of pasta, this is just amazing….her recipe began with bow-ties, but I’ve since switched to fusilli (the twisty, spiraly lookin stuff).  Broccoli is probably one of my favorite vegetables, throw in some more parm, toasted pine nuts, lemon and garlic–OH and butterrrrr and you have me swooning with delight.  Elle’s recipes *always* rock my world.  And I mean ALWAYS.  What can I say?  The girl can cook, folks. 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound (200 grams) fresh greens of choice, washed and thinly sliced (I used baby romaines this time)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound (100 grams) freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano
2 pounds (1 kilo) thin chicken fillets
2 large eggs plus 2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
1/4 cup light olive oil for frying

Preparation:

Prepare your greens first, and set aside.
Whisk together lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and reserve (this is your vinaigrette).
Prepare your chicken “station.”
Beat eggs and water in a deep plate.
In another deep plate, combine seasoned bread crumbs, parm, salt and pepper.
Dip chicken in egg first, then in bread crumb/parm mixture.
Set aside on a plate.
Repeat with remaining chicken fillets.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on one side, depending on thickness, then turn and do the same (3-4 minutes) on second side until no longer pink and nicely golden brown.
Plate the chicken, then place a a bit of greens over each chicken breast.
Dress with lemon pepper vinaigrette and top with extra freshly grated parm.
You want this, don’t you? I can tell.

Now, the perfect accompaniment to this meal IMNSHO, is the Broccoli and Fusilli. Also Elle’s recipe.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound (200 grams) fusilli (the original recipe calls for bow-ties)
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1-2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Drain.
Meanwhile, bring broccoli to a boil in salted water and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Drain and set aside.
While your pasta and broccoli are cooking, heat butter and oil in a small sauce pan and saute garlic until golden.
Add lemon zest and stir.
Remove from heat.
Add the pepper and lemon juice and stir well.
Pour this over the broccoli and pasta.
Add pine nuts and freshly grated parm to taste (I use a generous half cup or so).
Toss well.
**note**it’s a good idea to make the pasta first, then the chicken if making these together. The pasta reheats really well.

I don’t know about where you guys are, but around here right now, lemons are sooo deliciously juicy and wonderful!  I’ve been using a LOT of lemons in my cooking lately and thought, “What better way to use the lovely lemon juice than in a tart?”  I had some frozen blackberries I’ve been looking to use and thought that this would be a match made in heaven.  So right I was.  So wonderfully right.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
6 ounces (150 grams) butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
juice of 2 lemons (around 1/2 cup?)
1 carton frozen blackberries, drained (I should have drained mine a little better)

Preparation:

First and foremost, set your blackberries in a sieve over a bowl to drain.
Now, start the crust.
Preheat your oven to 300ºF/150ºC.
Add flour, powdered sugar and butter to your food processor and pulse until it comes together in a dough.
Press the dough into a tart pan, using your hands and fingers to spread the dough evenly.
Parbake the dough about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
Raise oven temperature to 350ºF/175ºC.
While cooling, combine the filling ingredients.
Beat eggs first, then add remaining ingredients, except blackberries, whisking well to combine.
Pour filling into tart shell, and then arrange blackberries in filling.
Bake about 25 minutes, or until set.
Garnish with powdered sugar if desired.

We’re gearing up for a chilly, windy and rainy day today…the perfect weather for hot chocolate!  Spanish hot chocolate is a wonderful variation of this delicious winter standby.  Delicate hints of orange and cinnamon grace the silky smooth chocolate.  Typically, Spanish hot chocolate is thickened with cornstarch, but my version is not.  If you’d like, near the end of simmering just add a cornstarch slurry of 1 teaspoon cornstarch to 1 tablespoon water and stir in until thickened.  Warm up your insides this winter and give this one a try, I bet you’ll love it!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups whole milk
zest from one orange (I used a clementine)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon best quality cocoa powder

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, bring all ingredients except chocolate up to the boiling point, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Allow to simmer about 10-15 minutes to allow the orange and cinnamon to infuse the milk.
Add chocolate powder and whisk to combine.
Serve.

Joy to the World!  The truffles are done!  OMG if you like Almond Joy candy bars, you simply HAVE to try these.  Seriously, they’re like a little explosion of joy in your mouth.  Truffles are one of those things that sound hard to make, and yet, they’re just not.  They are so easy, and the results are almost always stunning.  I thought I’d be smart and try to use a melon baller this time to try to make perfect little round balls without getting my hands too dirty.  Well, that was a bust. LOL  Truffles do need to be rolled by hand it seems.  Or I was doing something wrong.  Could be…wouldn’t be the first time. lmao  Once the truffles are formed, rolling in coconut is a snap…I just sort of shook them around a bit in a bowl of coconut, and that little trick *did* work. (yay me! lol)  I am so excited to share this recipe with all of you….I think I may have just created a new favorite.

Ingredients:

6 ounces (150 grams) dark chocolate
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon espresso
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup grated coconut

Preparation:

Melt chocolate in a medium sized glass bowl in the microwave (check and stir frequently, time will depend on your microwave).
Allow to cool a bit, then beat in egg yolks.
Add milk and coffee and beat until combined.
Add butter and continue to beat.
Beat in almonds.
Refrigerate truffle mixture for a minimum of 2 hours.
Form smaller sized balls and roll in coconut.

This is a recipe my grandma used to make every Christmas…They are SO good.  The whole while I was making them, I was reliving Christmases past…we always used to spend Christmas Eve at her house, lots of food, and tons of homemade cookies, candies and treats….us kids were always so excited to open our gifts, and after the frenzy of flying wrapping paper, bows and ribbons, “thank you!’s” being yelled across the room (we were a LOT of people, and it got noisy!), and the cleanup of the aftermath of the gifts…we’d go into the kitchen, sit around the table and play board games.  We’d have the best time ever…it is one of my favorite memories of growing up.  I miss my grandma, especially at this time of the year.  I honor her memory every Christmas with her recipes.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
10 ounces pitted dates, chopped
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
4 ounces coconut, plus more for rolling

Preparation:

Melt butter over medium low heat in a larger sauce pan.
Add sugar and dates, stirring constantly until well combined, and sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and add cereal and coconut, and stir to thoroughly combine.
Allow to cool just enough so that the mixture doesn’t burn your fingers when forming balls.
The mixture is very sticky, so I like to butter my hands first, then roll each ball, immediately rolling in coconut, and place on plate.
This recipe makes about 2-3 dozen balls, depending on the size you roll them.