Foodie Friday

Petits Pots de Chocolat for your Valentine

These wonderful little pots of Chocolate are so deliciously sweet just right for that Valentine of yours.  They are a cinch to make but be sure to use good chocolate.  I serve them in red ramekins or little heart shaped bowls.
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
2 cups good quality Bittersweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Pour milk in heavy saucepan and heat to boiling point.  Combine remaining ingredients in blender contaier.  Pour in the hot milk, then blend at low speed for 1 minute or until smooth.  pour into 6 custard cups or small footed glasses, then chill for at least 2 hours before serving.  This makes 6 servings.

Note:  If you can get the chopped Bittersweet chocolate from Trader Joe's Pound Plus bar, it is very good, but Ghiradelli chips work just as well.  To garnish, top with whipped cream, mint leaf and a whole raspberry.  Very rich and delicious!!  Enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day to you!

Thanks to Michael at Designs By Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday.  Click here to find more tempting recipes.

Two Chocolate recipes from TV

Foodie Friday

I can't remember where I saw this idea on TV but I decided to try this Chocolate cake using only canned pumpkin for the ingredients.  So I used a regular cake mix and substituted the eggs, oil and water for just one small can of pumpkin.  It comes out moist, and tastes very chocolaty and I couldn't taste any pumpkin in it.  It does not rise like a regular cake mix cake does but was more like a brownie. The best part about this is that it ends up having only 194 calories and 3.6 grams of fat per serving. (I baked it in a 9 x 12" pan and cut it into 12 pieces).  My family loved it!  Even the one who generally doesn't eat dessert!  Of course, I made a delicious frosting from Ina Gartner's book so that kind of deletes the savings from the cake, but well, it was delicious.  I made it with my granddaughter so we added M&M's on top.

Speaking of Brownies here is a recipe that was featured yesterday on a local TV channel-a gourmet version.
(This sounds like I just sit home and watch TV!  Honestly I don't.  I did have it on all day when I took down my Christmas decorations and that is when I caught the pumpkin chocolate recipe.  I think it was from Rachel Ray)  It uses a spice that you can order on the internet-Ras El Hanout.  It has a combination of cinnamon, pepper, cumin and a couple of other spices. I have never used it.  Have any of you?  It sounds delicious to me.
Moroccan Spiced Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp Butter
• 2 eggs
• 6 tbsp E. Guittard Cocoa Rouge Rare Red Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder, or
• other unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 1 ½ tsp Ras El Hanout Moroccan spice blend
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup all-purpose flour

Method:

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and blend well.
Mix in vanilla, cocoa, flour, and Ras El Hanout until smooth.
Divide batter evenly into eight 8 oz. ramekins OR an 8x8" greased cake pan.
Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes; or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
To serve, dust with powdered sugar and serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Thanks to Michael at Designs by Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday. Check for more good recipes by clicking here.