My Version of Chocolate Bark

 (This was a picture of me making last years batch. I posted it to tease everyone who was getting some, they fought over the picture! lol)

Ive been sick awhile with some gall bladder issues so I haven't been cooking much....haven't been eating much either. But my daughter asked me for my recipe for the Chocolate Bark that I usually make each yr and send out. I searched all the places that I post my recipes and realized I never posted this one here ever. The original comes from here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/three-chocolate-bark-with-spiced-pecans-and-dried-cherries-recipe2/index.html  But I make a few changes to it based on what I like. So Ill post the recipe here but with my changes. Feel free to do it however you want. I just know I cannot make enough of it at Christmas, everyone wants to be on my list for this! 

Three Chocolate Bark with Spiced pecans and Drunken Cherries

• 7 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups pecan pieces
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 pound semisweet chocolate, cut into pieces
• 1 pound dark chocolate, cut into pieces
• 1 pound white chocolate, cut into pieces
• 2 cups dried cherries
• Brandy
   I soak the dried cherries in brandy earlier in the day. I heat the brandy up just a bit and pour enough over to cover. The cherries will plump up and absorb some of the brandy. I like to leave them whole but you could chop them first if you want smaller pieces. When ready to use drain and let sit on a paper towel till needed.
  
  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  In a large saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and is bubbly. Add the pecans. Season the pecans with salt, cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar starts to caramelize  and coat the pecans evenly. Cook for about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and spread the pecans over a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven and roast the pecans for about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely. Break the pecans into small pieces.
  
  
  
  Sprinkle the pecans and soaked cherries in a lg. baking pan....like a jellyroll pan with edges.  In three separate mixing bowls, add each type of chocolate into the individual bowls. Place the bowls over a saucepan half filled with water that has come to a boil. After about 2 minutes over the heat, the chocolate will start to melt. I do these in the order of what layer I want on the bottom, working my way up to white chocolate. This way I only need one pot. Stir each chocolate until totally melted. Remove the chocolate from the heat and stir 1 tablespoon of butter into each bowl of chocolate.  Using a spatula, spread the mixture out evenly back and forth to about 1/4-inch thick. When you add the next layer of chocolate, swirl it thru the bottom layer if its still soft. In this way, with each chocolate type, you can see them all.  Either place the sheet pan in the refrigerator or allow to sit out until set, about a couple of hours. Break the bark into medium pieces and serve.
  
  I buy my chocolate from Traders Joes. Their one lb. bars are reasonably priced and its a very good chocolate. The better the chocolate you use, the better this is. 

Chocolate Cherry Jam

I bought some cherries when they were on sale last week. Ive been nibbling them on and off. But somehow I never finish a bag and I hated to waste them. My bf doesn't like cherries. I finally got around to pitting them tho and wasn't sure what to do with them. I was going to just freeze them and maybe use them for jam later on. But then I remembered seeing a chocolate/cherry type jam somewhere online. I couldn't find it so I decided to make my own with what I had. I was completely out of pectin tho  and wasn't going to the store just for that. Jam doesn't need pectin of course but I like to use low/no sugar pectin because I try to reduce the amt. of sugar I eat. I often have it with my yogurt in the mornings.

But jam can just have sugar and be cooked down till thickened, that's the old fashioned way. Cherries are low acid fruit too so I knew I needed to add lemon juice. And I had cocoa powder here so I figured I had all I needed to make this. I got 3 half pts from this amt. I decided to can small jars since I'm the only one that would eat it. And I thought this would be heavenly on ice cream. I was right. I left the cherries whole which I love but next time I make this I think Ill chop them up just a bit. This way they would be spread more evenly thru the rest of it. But I really liked this and may make more just to keep on hand throughout the yr.

Chocolate Cherry Jam  Made 3 half pts.

2 1/2 c. pitted cherries
2 tb. lemon juice
1 3/4c. sugar
1/4c. Ghiardelli cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla

 I first pitted the cherries. I have a cherry pitter but it squirts juice and makes a mess so I tried a new way that I saw online. It works great. You get a narrow necked bottle like a beer bottle, one small enough that the cherry wont fall in and a chopstick. Put the cherry on top of the open empty bottle and stick the chopstick thru it. It should push the pit right out and into the bottle. (how cool is that, all the pits contained so you can just toss it out). It goes pretty fast and makes minimal mess.

 Put the cherries and lemon juice into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and cook for about 20min. It should start to be getting thick. 

 Once it starts to get thick, add the cocoa powder and stir well to dissolve in the mix. Let cook another 10-15min. till as thick as you would like. Remember it will get thicker as it cools. Stir in the vanilla. 

Pour into jars and water bath, 10min. 

Simple but good: Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

I wanted hot chocolate one night but we ran out of milk. I decided that I wanted to find a mix that doesn't use milk so at least I could still have it when I want it. I searched online and saw so many, sort of the same. Most call for coffee creamer but I really was trying not to use that.

It calls for powdered milk but all I could find is nonfat. But if I could find a whole milk powder I think Id use that and skip the creamer. But since I don't plan on using this all the time I figured what the heck,  coffee creamer it is.

These recipes all have different proportions for everything and its hard to know what is the best. I found one that called for equal parts of everything and she said she liked that the best. So I decided to put some mix together. This is what I came up with . This has a creamy taste and a nice rich chocolate flavor. Not too sweet. I don't like really sweet hot cocoas so I think the addition of dark chocolate chips with a high cocoa % was the perfect touch.Hot Chocolate Mix

1c. cocoa (I used Ghiardelli)
1c. dry milk powder (mine was nonfat)
1c. powdered sugar
1c. powdered coffee creamer
1c. dark chocolate chips (I used 60%)

 Put the chocolate chips in a food processor and process till its powder like. Doesn't take long. Put all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and store in a container. I heated some water in the microwave and added 3-4 tb of mix. Its pretty good for not using milk.

Also my version , I had some Italian Cream Coffee creamer powder in my cabinet. I loved the sweetened cream version of the liquid one so I bought this to keep on hand then promptly forgot about it. I thought it would add a much nicer and creamier touch to this. But this could be interesting trying out different flavors of coffee creamers.

Mistake cookies OR Chocolate Chip Tuiles?

I made a trade with my egg lady. She would give me some Elk and I would bake something for her. Now her mom lives with her and shes elderly and has health issues. So she cant eat just anything. I decided I'm going to make an apple cake from the recipe the egg lady gave me. Its one of her families favorites and I got the feeling they don't make it much. It has nuts in it tho and the mom cant eat that. And so I said how about chocolate chip cookies. She said great , just no nuts.

And so yesterday I decided to make some dough for the cookies and put that in the freezer till I was able to bake them. Today I decided since the man was out , I would bake. It was a disaster. Its a typical Toll house cookie recipe but it called for nuts. Ok ez to omit. But then I thought why not make them a bit healthier by adding some oats. What I should have done was add oats to the recipe INSTEAD of the nuts. What I did was substitute 1c. of the flour with oats.

The dough looked fine and I rolled it in some plastic wrap and tossed it in the freezer. Today I took them out to slice and bake. I know you can bake froze cookie dough so I didn't bother to thaw. I put them on a silpat sheet on the baking sheet at 350 degrees. I have a convection oven so I always lower the heat 25degrees. Convection bakes faster.

I forgot to set the timer but when I opened the oven door.......omg. flat, spreading out, getting dark on the edges. I closed the door so they could finish and started wondering what to do. Checked again and took them out. Dark Brown, flat, looking nothing like what it was supposed to. It looked like a Tuile cookie tho. But  I thought they were burnt so I tossed that first batch out. Big mistake!

I decided to try again and the same thing happened. I let them rest a few min on the baking pan and then took them off to cool on a rack. My heart was breaking cuz these were supposed to be a gift. I decided to taste one when it cooled. I was surprised! They didn't taste burnt! What they did do is get caramelized and dark. They were thin and crispy and if I put them over a rolling pin when warm I could have made tuiles. They tasted pretty darn good so I finished making the rest of the dough.

My bf came in and I told him what happened . He tasted it and at first he didn't say much. He took another bite and handed it to me. I had already eaten two lol No thanks. So he finished it. He was expecting a typical Chocolate Chip Cookie but once he ate it he said they were good. In fact they were surprisingly good. And so I have a batch of cookies here for us and Ill have to make more dough and do it right this time. But some have requested for me to post my mistake cookies. So here it is. 

MISTAKE COOKIES OR CHOCOLATE CHIP TUILES

1 1/4c. flour
1c. oats
1 tsp. b. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. organic sugar
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tb. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. of semisweet chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. ( I did 350 for a convection oven.) In a small bowl combine flour, oats, b. soda and salt.  In a large bowl combine butter, sugars , and vanilla; beat till creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.Drop by tspfuls on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 min.

I rolled mine and wrapped it to freeze and sliced them later when I was ready to bake. Timing will depend on your oven so watch it closely. It will look chocolate chip cookie like then turn dark fast. I removed them when they were almost all dark, then let cool a min on the sheet. Do not put them close together. They will spread out. I got maybe 3 1/2 dozen from this.

Toll House Crumbcake

 

My boyfriend and I love chocolate chip cookies. Long ago I found this recipe for Tollhouse Crumbcake. I made it and he just loved it. So with all this cleaning and packing going on and burning up a lot of energy....we were craving something sweet. I decided to make this. 

I have Vanilla Paste from Trader Joe's that I like to use in special things. Its not really a paste per se but rather a thicker, syrupy vanilla with the ground bean flecks in it. I used that in this. I also used pecans. I love pecans in most everything, they are so rich and buttery. But as I was making this I realized I didn't have enough flour! But I did buy some whole wheat flour so I used that about half and half in this recipe. I like it alot. Not only is it a bit better for you with the fiber but it gives it a heartier flavor....sort of reminded me of whole wheat pancakes. But with the topping and chips it was a great combo.

I know this is an old classic recipe but this was my version, this time.

 

• Nestles Tollhouse Crumbcake
  

TOPPING

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
  
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestles Toll House semi sweet chips (it called for mini chips, didn't have any, I used dark chocolate chips)
  
•  
• CAKE
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour ( I used half all purpose, half whole wheat flour)
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream

FOR TOPPING:
COMBINE brown sugar, flour and butter in small bowl with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly.

 

Stir in nuts and 1/2 cup morsels.

 

FOR CAKE:
COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat granulated sugar, butter and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. 

 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with sour cream. 

 

Fold in remaining morsels. 

 

Spread into prepared baking pan; sprinkle with topping.

BAKE 25 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

A day of Christmas baking

Almond Crescents the first cookie made while the other dough chilled.

My grand daughter J is here and yesterday and today we will be baking. Lil man never made it. I'm a bit ticked off there. My son told his wife to bring lil man here and instead she went to the grandmothers....grrrr. But anyway we managed to get dough made for 3 kinds of cookies. Right in the middle of that tho I realized I didn't have any more flour.

I swore I had some in this house but don't know where I put it if I do. So off to the store we went. Came back with the fixins to make lots more and got busy making dough to chill. Meanwhile J put the Nativity on the mantle which she has done every yr. since she was little.

The first dough we made was for Chocolate Crinkles. We love these, they are fudgy and very brownie like. J started being silly (which I love, this kid has a wicked sense of humor) and started calling that lump of dough up there Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo .............from Southpark. Yea I know gross........but kinda funny too. Then every time we opened the refrigerator she made some kind of Poop joke. Robin Williams was in that RV movie and he talked about the Poop Fairy. Shes never forgotten that and whenever she can she brings it up and we just start cracking up again so with that lump in my refrigerator you can just imagine the silliness going on.

BEFORE BAKING-Making balls of dough and rolling in powdered sugar.

AFTER BAKING

So today we are going to make Snickerdoodles. We made a triple batch cuz the recipe said makes 24. I do think we will be here all day making cookies with that tho. It looks like wayyyyyyyy more. But those are her dads favorite cookie so she wants to take some home and wrap them up to give her dad for Christmas. She did that last yr too. If we don't get them done before she goes home today, maybe Ill just send a lump of dough home with her to bake while dad is at work. I found out she was off all last week for Christmas vacation already. Wow. Lil man isn't off till Wed. of this week.

Chocolate Crinkles

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
1 cup confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

In a stainless steel bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy. (When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.) At this point beat in the vanilla extract and then stir in the melted chocolate mixture.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to shape into balls (3-4 hours or overnight).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

Place the confectioners sugar in a shallow bowl. With lightly greased hands, roll a small amount of chilled dough to form a 1 inch (2.54 cm) diameter ball. Place the ball of dough into the confectioners sugar and roll the ball in the sugar until it is completely coated and no chocolate shows through. Gently lift the sugar-covered ball, tapping off excess sugar, and place on prepared baking sheet. Continue forming cookies, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on baking sheets. (If you find the dough getting too soft for rolling into balls, return to the refrigerator and let chill until firm.)

Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or just until the edges are slightly firm but the centers are still soft. (For moist chewy cookies do not over bake. Over baking these cookies will cause them to be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Put in airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Irish Mint Brownies

I had something similar to these once when my bf and I were out to dinner. A place around here that has pretty good food, does this after your meal. They come out with a tiny square about an 1in. big for each person mint chocolate brownies. But when I asked the guy omg these are awesome how did you make them he told me its simple. You make a brownie mix and layer it with Andes mint candies. That's it? No way! They served them like after dinner mints but frankly my thoughts were ok wheres the rest of my dessert? I would gladly have ordered it for dessert if they served it. Such a simple thing and yet Ive never forgotten how yummy they were. They were rich tho and Ive never made them because I don't dare have that around me here.......I KNOW Id eat the whole thing!

A group I belong to sent this recipe this week. Its a variation on that theme with brownies, mint and mousse. I thought Id post it here for you all.

Irish Mint Brownies

1 cup butter, cubed
4 squares (1 ounce each) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 ounces) double dark chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Filling
4 squares (1 ounce each) white baking chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup refrigerated Irish creme nondairy creamer
1 cup heavy whipping cream
15 mint Andes candies, chopped
Icing
12 squares (1 ounce each) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter
Additional mint Andes candies, halved, optional

1. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter and bittersweet chocolate; cool slightly. In a bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate mixture. Gradually add flour until blended. Stir in chips and walnuts. Spread into a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not over bake). Cool on a wire rack.

2. In a small saucepan, combine white chocolate and creamer. Cook and stir over low heat until smooth; remove from the heat. Refrigerate for 30-40 minutes or until chilled. In a mixing bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form; fold into white chocolate mixture. Beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Fold in chopped candies. Spread over brownies. Cover and refrigerate.

3. In a small saucepan, combine bittersweet chocolate and cream. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth; remove from the heat. Stir in butter until melted. Cool to room temperature. Carefully spread over filling. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until icing is set. Cut into bars. Garnish with additional candies if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

The Zucchini Bakery

Well its that time of year where everything in the garden is bursting out and you try to figure out what to do with it all. I don't have a garden this year but I have had one almost every year for the last 35. I remember going on a trip once a few yrs back. I had two zucchini plants , that's all. When I came back and checked out my garden I found 3 HUGEEEEEEEEEE and I do mean huge zucchini. When I picked them to bring in the house I could barely carry all 3. They had to have been 3ft long and as fat as a cantaloupe around. I almost tossed them in the garbage. Then I thought no .....zucchini bread! So I took the first one, peeled it, shredded it to get it ready for zucchini bread. It made 10 loaves from that one zucchini!!! I sent some to work with my ex, and we ate some but I gave the rest away. How much of that stuff can you eat? I did end up tossing away the other zucchini considering I still had a few cups left of shredded from the first one that I froze. So in honor of that I thought Id post a few more kinds of zucchini bread types to help give you ideas to use it all up.

Zucchini Dill Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tsp. fresh minced dill, OR 1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter -- melted

2 large eggs

2/3 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup shredded zucchini

Heat oven to 400°. Grease muffin tins or line with 12 baking cups. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, level off. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and dill. Mix well. In medium bowl combine milk, butter, and eggs. Stir in ricotta cheese and zucchini, beat well. Add to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened (batter will be stiff).Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and serve warm with lots of fresh butter! These are great with a nice luncheon salad.

Carrot, zucchini and dill muffins

2 cups self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1/2 cup finely grated carrot

1/2 cup finely grated zucchini, squeezed between your hands to remove excess moisture

1/2 cup coarsely grated Swiss cheese

2 tablespoons dill, chopped

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup extra light olive oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 12 x 1/3-cup capacity muffin pan. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in sugar, carrot, zucchini, cheese and dill. Whisk milk, oil and eggs together in a jug. Add to dry ingredients. Use a large metal spoon to stir until just combined. Divide mixture evenly between muffin holes. Sprinkle tops with sea salt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes in pan before turning onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12

Zucchini-Lemon Muffins

2 c All-purpose flour

1/2 c Sugar

1 tb Baking powder

2 ts Grated lemon rind

1/4 ts Salt

1/4 ts Ground nutmeg

1 c Coarsely shredded zucchini

3/4 c Skim milk

3 tb Vegetable oil

1 Egg
Vegetable cooking spray

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Combine zucchini, milk, oil, and egg; stir well. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans immediately, and let cool on a wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen.

Zucchini Cranberry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple

1 1/2 cups whole cranberry sauce

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts

Sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs. Blend in sugar, oil and vanilla. Fold in zucchini, pineapple and cranberries. Add wet ingredients to dry. Mix just until blended. Fold in nuts/raisins. Pour into muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

3 eggs lightly beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/4 cups white sugar

2 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon (you can use up to a Tablespoon. It just depends how much cinnamon flavor you want)

1 pint fresh blueberries, coat with some flour before adding to mixture (can use frozen blueberries for this bread, cheaper and works just fine. Quickly mix in 1 tsp. of flour with the measured out blueberries before you fold them into the batter so they won’t all sink to the bottom)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini ­loaf pans. Bake 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Do not eat the same day you bake it. It is much better if it is wrapped after it cools and then let sit on the counter for a day or two to mellow. Can also make one full loaf and then used the rest of the batter to make muffins. It freezes well too.

Zucchini Chip Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1-3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Top with pecans. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: about 2 dozen.

Chocolate rich and dark

This rich chocolate Hungarian dessert that Ive made, came up online with some interesting history. The dessert is called Rigo Jansci, a fabulous example is served at George Lang's Gundel restaurant in Budapest. The Rigo Jansci is a chocolate sponge cake with chocolate mousse filling, named after a famous Hungarian gypsy violinist who stole a Belgian duchess from her husband. Superrich and over the top, it's the Zsa Zsa Gabor of chocolate confection.

An elderly and impoverished Prince Joseph Chimay et de Carawan married a young, blond American Claire Ward. While on their honeymoon in Budapest they go do a confectioner's store with a gypsy band performing. She was really "taken" with the singer and they ran off together, leaving the poor Prince heartbroken. So, they named a dessert after the event...
I guess this is a true story because I found this about the violinist....

Clara Ward and her second husband, Rigo Janczi, from a photograph on a German post card from about 1905. And I found more about her, if your interested in reading it click here http://www.answers.com/topic/clara-ward-princesse-de-caraman-chimay Its really pretty interesting.

NATIONAL VAUDEVILLE ASSOCIATION
Continue to the end of Iroquois Avenue, turn onto Katahdin Avenue. At this intersection, to the left side of the road, is the plot owned by the National Vaudeville Association, for use by its members. Uniform bronze markers, flush with the lawn, mark the burial sites of these entertainers. One of the more famous performers buried here is Hungarian violinist Jansci Rigo. Rigo received international attention when he eloped with the Princess de Chimay in 1896. Unfortunately, the Princess was already married to Prince Joseph of Belgium. Rigo immigrated to the United States in 1905 and performed at the Little Hungary restaurant in lower Manhattan.

Ive made this several times and its utterly delicious. But do not make it unless you have company. Trust me, you will eat the whole thing yourself otherwise if your a chocolate lover. Its creamy and rich and unbelievable!

RIGO JANSCI MAKES 35 SLICES
CAKE:
2 tb. butter
2 tb. flour
3oz. unsweetened chocolate
3/4 c. butter , softened
1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs, separated
pinch salt
1/2 c. sifted all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 11 x 17 in. jelly roll pan, sprinkle flour over the butter. Melt chocolate over low heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm. Cream butter and 1/4 c. sugar till light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate base and beat in egg yolks one at a time. In another bowl beat egg whites with pinch of salt till they cling to the beater; add remaining 1/4c. sugar and beat till stiff peaks form. With spatula stir in approx. 1/3 of the whites into chocolate base and pour chocolate mixture over rest of whites. Sprinkle flour lightly on top (1/2c. flour) and fold in gently till no white streaks show. Pour batter into jelly roll pan and spread evenly. Bake 15-18min. or till cake shrinks away from pan. Remove, loosen and turn out onto rack to cool.
FILLING:
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
10 oz. semisweet chocolate broken into small pieces
4 tb. dark rum
1 tsp. vanilla
In heavy saucepan combine cream and chocolate and stir over med. heat till chocolate dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly till mixture thickens into a heavy cream. Pour into bowl and refridgerate for at least 1hr. When mixture is cold, pour in rum and vanilla, beat till smooth and creamy and soft peaks form. Cut cake in half to make two layers. Spread filling over one layer. Set other layer on top. Refridgerate on a rack for 1hr. I have since found some recipes that suggest you spread apricot or raspberry preserves over the first layer before you put the chocolate filling on. Sounds great to me and I might try that next time.
GLAZE:
1 c. fine granulated sugar
1/3 c. water
7 oz. semisweet chocolate broken into small pieces
In a heavy saucepan heat sugar, water and chocolate over med. heat. Stir constantly till sugar and chocolate dissolve. Remove, cover and let glaze cool for about 20min. Set rack holding cake on jelly roll pan. Hold glaze about 2 in. above cake and pour glaze over it. Refrigerate 20 min. till firm. Cut pieces 5 in each row and 7 in each row down to make 35 squares for serving. Use a sharp knife dipped in warm water. Rinse knife before each cut.