Chocolate Covered Chocolate Tart

What an Aphrodisiac, perfect for Valentines Day

Servings: Makes 8-10 servings

Total Time: 2 ¾ hrs.

A triple layer of crumbly crust, a truffle-like interior, and an almost patent-leather-shiny glaze make this tart the chicest take on chocolate we’ve come across in a long time

Ingredients:

For Crust-

• 9 (5 x 2¼ inch) Chocolate Graham Crackers (Not Chocolate Covered)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar

For Filling-

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not more than 65% cacao if marked), chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Glaze-

• 2 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 3/4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon warm water

Equipment-

• a 9-inch round fluted tart pan (1 inch deep)

Grocery List:

Preparation:

Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Stir together all ingredients and press evenly onto bottom and 3/4 inch up side of tart pan. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack 15 to 20 minutes

Make filling:

Bring cream to a boil, then pour over chocolate in a bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Whisk together eggs, vanilla, and salt in another bowl, then stir into melted chocolate.

Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake until filling is set about 3 inches from edge but center is still wobbly, 20 to 25 minutes. (Center will continue to set as tart cools.) Cool completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour.

Make glaze:

Bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in corn syrup, then warm water

Pour glaze onto tart, then tilt and rotate tart so glaze coats top evenly. Let stand until glaze is set, about 1 hour.

Cooks’ note: Tart is best the day it is made but can be made, without glaze, 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before glazing.

Roasted New York Strip Loin with Garlic

Servings: Makes 10 servings

New York strip loin, also called top loin of beef, is a succulent, elegant roast. If you want a lot of leftovers (they are great for sandwiches)

Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• (1) 4- to 5-pound boneless beef loin New York strip roast, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch

Preparation:

With machine running, drop garlic into processor; blend until finely chopped. Add sage, thyme, oil, salt and pepper; process until paste forms.

Pat meat dry with paper towels. Rub meat all over with herb paste. Cover; chill at least 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place meat, fat side up, on rack in roasting pan. Roast meat 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Roast meat until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 130°F for medium-rare, about 35 minutes (or 140°F for medium, about 40 minutes). Remove from oven; let stand 20 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on platter.

Pumpkin Flan with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

A Fantastic Fall Recipe

Pumpkin Flan with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Servings: Makes 8 servings

Active time: 40 min

Total time: 8 hr (includes chilling)

A bite of this flan, fragrant with traditional pumpkin-pie spices, is very comforting despite the dessert’s modern looks; a topping of pumpkin seeds, seasoned with cayenne, creates a play of sweet and heat.

Ingredients:

For caramel and flan:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 5 whole large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 (15-ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin (1 3/4 cups; not pie filling)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For spiced pumpkin seeds

• 1 cup green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (1/4 pound; not toasted)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• Special equipment: a 2-quart soufflé dish or round ceramic casserole dish

Make Caramel:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Heat soufflé dish in oven while making caramel.

Cook 1 cup sugar in a dry 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel.

Wearing oven mitts, remove hot dish from oven and immediately pour caramel into dish, tilting it to cover bottom and side. (Leave oven on.) Keep tilting as caramel cools and thickens enough to coat, then let harden.

Make Flan:

Bring cream and milk to a bare simmer in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then remove from heat. Whisk together whole eggs, yolk, and remaining cup sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then whisk in pumpkin, vanilla, spices, and salt until combined well. Add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking.

Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, scraping with a rubber spatula to force through, and stir to combine well. Pour custard over caramel in dish, then bake in a water bath until flan is golden brown on top and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove dish from water bath and transfer to a rack to cool. Chill flan, covered, until cold, at least 6 hours.

Make spiced pumpkin seeds while flan chills:

Toast pumpkin seeds in oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Toss with salt and cayenne until coated.

Run a thin knife between flan and side of dish to loosen. Shake dish gently from side to side and, when flan moves freely in dish, invert a large platter with a lip over dish. Holding dish and platter securely together, quickly invert and turn out flan onto platter. (Caramel will pour out over and around flan.) Sprinkle flan with spiced pumpkin seeds just before serving.

Cooks’ notes: • Flan can be chilled 1 day.
• Spiced pumpkin seeds keep in an airtight container at room temperature, 3 days.

Sweet Potato Streusel

A Fantastic Fall Recipe

Sweet Potato Streusel

Servings: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, such as Louisiana, jewel, or garnet yams
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

Preparation:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Butter 9- by 13-inch baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Pierce each potato with fork and transfer to baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 50 minutes. Cool until easy to handle.

Meanwhile, make streusel: In medium bowl, combine flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 stick butter. Rub mixture between fingertips until blended and crumbly. Set aside.

Halve potatoes lengthwise and scoop out flesh into large bowl. Add remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar and 3/4 stick butter and mash with potato masher or, for a smoother purée, handheld electric mixer.

Spread mixture in prepared dish and cool completely. (Streusel and purée can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, separately, covered.) Sprinkle streusel over potatoes. Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. (Completed dish can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, covered.

Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before reheating and let come to room temperature. Bake, loosely covered with foil, until heated through, about 25 minutes.)

Variation: Sweet potato purée with marshmallows: Omit streusel.

Spread purée in baking dish, cover with foil, and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle top with 3 cups miniature marshmallows and broil until marshmallows are lightly browned, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.
Test-Kitchen Tips: Most American cooks use the terms “sweet potato” and “yam” interchangeably, but there are actually three different types of vegetable referred to by these terms: The true sweet potato (also known as a boniato), available at Asian and Latino markets, has pale yellow flesh, skin with a purplish cast, and a chestnutlike flavor that isn’t sweet at all. The true yam, also called a ñame (NYAH-meh), is a large tuber with scaly brown skin that’s a staple of Caribbean, African, and Hispanic cuisines.

The familiar, bright-orange-fleshed tubers called for in this recipe are a third type, a variety of the sweet potato that are often called “yams” to distinguish them from yellow-fleshed “true” sweet potatoes. The Louisiana, jewel, or garnet varieties will all work well. •While some recipes for sweet potato purée call for boiling the potatoes, roasting gives a much sweeter, more concentrated flavor and drier texture.

Both corn
kernels and corn cobs are used to flavor the cream mixture that forms
the base of this surprising dessert

Servings: Makes 6 servings

active
time: 30 minutes

total
time: 7 hours 20 minutes (includes chilling time)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off and reserved, cobs cut into 4 pieces each
• 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup purchased dulce de leche or caramel sauce

Special equipment: 6 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups

Preparation:

Bring milk and
sugar to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add corn
kernels. Simmer until corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Strain milk
into large saucepan; add 2 cups cream, coarse salt, and corn cobs.
Bring to simmer. Cover; remove from heat. Steep 30 minutes. Transfer
corn to small bowl. Cover; chill.

Meanwhile, place
3 tablespoons water in small cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand
until gelatin softens, at least 15 minutes.

Remove cobs from
cream mixture; discard cobs. Bring cream mixture to simmer. Remove
from heat. Add softened gelatin; stir to dissolve. Divide cream
mixture among six 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups. Cover and
refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Whisk dulce de
leche and 3 tablespoons cream in small bowl to blend. Spoon some
sauce over each panna cotta. Sprinkle a few corn kernels over each
dessert (reserve remaining corn for another use) and serve.

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