Elegant | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: Elegant
- Cranberry Desserts
  
  Posted at 9:36 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 8th
  You all know by now that I love using cranberries in my cooking; sauce, with veggies – so good with Brussels sprouts – and especially desserts. Cranberries also add a festive touch to all your dishes. Especially around the Holidays Cranberries add a festive flavorful touch.
  
  This year once again cranberries will be the star on my holiday dessert table – from easy make ahead tea breads to an rich cheese cake and a sparking show stopping white cake.
  
  The Ultimate Cheesecake
  
  The Ultimate Cheesecake
  
  A rich cheesecake topped with candied cranberries taste delicious and looks beautiful on a dessert table. My youngest son Chad loves cheesecake; we’ve even been to Juniors in Times square to sample their array of delectable cakes. At Christmas I make especially for him a cheesecake enjoyed by all. This cheesecake is what is called a New York style – rich, five packages of cream cheese, five eggs plus two egg yolks and cream – making for a dense creaming cake. In the spring I make this cheesecake with crushed pineapple.
  
  Snowy Winter White Chocolate Cranberry Cake
  
  Snowy Winter White Chocolate Cranberry Cake
  
  Isn’t this a beautiful cake – looking like a new fallen snow on Christmas morning. The white cake is light and moist, one of my favorite recipes that I use over and over, just changing the filling and frosting.
  
  Sweet Potato Cranberry Pound Cake
  
  Sweet Potato Cranberry Pound Cake
  
  A deliciously easy cake, perfect after a meal, but I like to serve this cake with brunch or when sharing a cup of coffee with friends.
  
  Pumpkin Cranberry Tea Bread with White Chocolate
  
  Pumpkin Cranberry Tea Bread with White Chocolate
  
  Tea breads are great to make ahead and freeze for up to a month. I always around the holidays have a few in my freezer for when friends drop in or if I want to bring as a hostess gift. I wrap the tea bread in cello wrap which you can purchase at a craft store and tie with a festive bow.
  
  In New England we have fresh picked cranberries from fall to December. Cranberries freeze well so I buy extra to freeze and use during the winter months in my cooking.
  
  I have many recipes on my blog with cranberries!
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Cake, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, Dessert, desserts, Elegant, entertaining, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Tea Breads | Tagged Christmas, Clheesecake, Cranberries, Ghiradelli Chocolate, King Arthur Flour, Philadelphia cream cheese
- The Ultimate Cheesecake
  
  Posted at 12:31 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Mar 5th
  My mother passed this recipe to me many years ago. It is the richest cheesecake that you can make. I save it for special occasions when I want to share a show stopping dessert that tops off a dinner or a party. I have included a recipe for a pineapple glaze, or you can thickly spread sour cream on top. Or if you want to make this for Christmas as I did this year I put candied cranberries on top. Ether way this cheesecake is the star of the show!
  
  Crust:
  
  1 cup sifted flour, King Arthur Flour
  
  1/4 cup sugar
  
  1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
  
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  1 egg yolk
  
  1/4 cup butter, softened
  
  Filling:
  
  5 pkg.(8-oz) cream cheese softened, Philadelphia cream cheese
  
  1 3/4 cups sugar
  
  3 tablespoon flour
  
  2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
  
  1 1/2 grated orange peel
  
  1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  
  5 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
  
  1/4 cup heavy cream
  
  Pineapple Glaze:
  
  2 tablespoon sugar
  
  4 teaspoon cornstarch
  
  2 cans(8 1/4-oz) crushed pineapple in heavy syrup, undrained
  
  2 tablespoon lemon juice
  
  Sugared cranberries
  
  2 cups fresh cranberries
  
  1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
  
  1 cup water
  
  Crust:
  
  Preheat over to 400F. Grease the inside of 9-inch springform pan(3 inches high). Remove side. Make crust: In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, lemon, peel, vanilla. Make well in center; with fork, blend in yolk and butter. Mix with fingertips until smooth. Form half of dough into a ball and place on bottom of springform pan. Place wax paper on top; roll pastry to edge of pan. Remove paper. Bake 6 to ;8 minutes or until golden. Cool. Meanwhile divide rest of dough into three parts. Between waxed paper roll each part 2 1/4 inch wide and 9 inch long. Assemble springform pan with the crust on the bottom. Line sides fo the pan with pastry strips, over lapping ends. Remove waxed paper. Preheat oven 450F.
  
  Filling: In large mixer bowl, blend cheese, sugar, flour, peels and vanilla at high speed. Beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time: beat until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with spatula. Beat in cream. Pour into pan. Bake 10 minutes. Lower oven to 250F. Bake 1 hour longer. Remove pan to rack to cool, 2 hours. Make glaze.
  
  Glaze: In small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in remaining ingredients. Over medium heat, bring to boiling, stirring; boil 1 minute, or until thickened and translucent. Cool.
  
  Spread surface of cheese cake with glaze; refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
  
  Sugared Cranberries: Bring 1 cup sugar and water to a simmer in a saucepan. Simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour simple syrup into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Add cranberries and stir to coat. Refrigerate cranberries in syrup overnight, stirred a couple times to coat with syrup.
  
  Remove cranberries from syrup and roll in remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. You’ll need to roll them a few times to get a couple layers of sugar on them.
  
  Set cranberries aside to dry for a hour or so.
  
  To serve: Loosen pastry fro side of pan with spatula. Remove sides of springform pan. Top with either Pineapple glaze or sugared cranberries. Serves 16
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Cake, Dessert, Elegant, entertaining, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged Cheesecake, Christmas, Cranberries, King Arthur Flour, Philadelphia cream cheese
- Chocolate Ganache Velvet Pound Cake with chocolate dipped strawberries
  
  Posted at 6:02 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 21st
  Summer time parties should be as fun for the hostess as the guests. That is why I love this chocolate pound cake packing a lot of punch for not much work. Bake the cake, drizzle the ganache, decorate with chocolate dipped strawberries and you have a cake that will dazzle you guest!
  
  Ingredients
  
  1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels, I use Ghirardelli Chocolate
  
                   1/2 cup butter, softened
  
                   1 (16 ounce) packages light brown sugar
  
                   3 large eggs
  
                   2 cups all purpose flour
  
                   1 teaspoon baking soda
  
                   1/2 teaspoon salt
  
                   1 (8 ounce) containers sour cream
  
                   1 cup hot water
  
                   2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
                   Chocolate Ganache
  
                   Vanilla ice cream
  
     9 strawberries, washed with stems
  Directions
  1. Melt semisweet chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 30-second intervals until melted (about 1 1/2 minutes total time). Stir until smooth.
  2. Beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer, beating about 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.
  3. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Gradually add 1 cup hot water in a slow, steady stream, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in vanilla. Use immediately, following directions for desired cake.
  4. Spoon batter evenly into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.
  5. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake.
  6. Dip small spoonfuls of warm ganache over cake.
  7. Decorate with chocolate dipped strawberries
  Ganache
  
  1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels, I use Ghirardelli Chocolate
  
  1/2 cup whipping cream
  
  3 tablespoons butter
  
  1. Microwave chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a 2-quart glass bowl at medium 2 1/2 to
  
  3 minutes or until melted. Whisk until smooth then whisk in butter. Let stand 30 minutes. Beat
  
  at medium speed with electric mixture for 3 to 4 minutes. Dip strawberries in chocolate
  
  Ganache. Place on wax paper and chill.
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  Posted in Baking, Cake, Chocolate, Dessert, Easy recipes, Elegant, entertaining, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged cake, easy baking, Ghirardelli Chocolate, strawberries
- Summertime Soft Shell Crabs
  
  Posted at 3:34 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  May 6th
  Soft Shell Crabs
  
  Soft Shell Crab season is short but sweet. The first time I ordered soft shell crabs I was hooked on this seasonal delight so I started making my own crabs which are so easy. You can change up the seasonings for a different flavor. In this recipe I used the traditional Old Bay seasoning but I’ve used Chinese Five spices or Herbs de Provence. Have fun with cooking by putting your own signature on your creations!. When you buy the crabs just ask the store to clean them for you.
  
  Ingredients
  
  4 soft-shell crabs, cleaned and patted dry
  
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
  1/2 cup flour
  
  1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
  
  2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  
  3 garlic, chopped
  
  2 tablespoons capers, drained
  
  1/2 cup white wine
  
  1 tablespoon butter
  
  Few chive blades, chopped
  
  Directions
  
  Combine four and Old Bay. Season crabs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour mixture, shaking off excess. Set aside.
  
  In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil and saute the crabs until soft, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the crabs and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the capers and white wine. Cook until wine has reduced to about 1/2. Swirl in the butter and the chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper.
  
  Transfer crabs to a plate, spoon sauce over the crabs and garnish with chopped chives.
  
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  Posted in Easy recipes, Elegant, entertaining, Food, seafood | Tagged soft shell crabs, summertime
- Olive Tapenade Brie in Puff Pastry
  
  Posted at 5:05 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 6th
  The holiday season is here with all the wonderful family dinners and entertaining. I love to make brie a little more fancy by baking in puff pastry. Purchased puff pastry is so easy to use with wonderful professional result that anyone even a beginning cook can wow their guests. I like to make different spreads for my baked brie, sometimes sweet and sometimes savory. If you love olives this is your baked brie. You can either make your own olive tapenade, you can find the recipe below or save time by purchasing store made tapenade. Decorate with slice olives creating a delicious tasting, easy, appetizer.
  
  1/2 package of frozen puff pastry (one sheet)
  
  1 egg
  
  1 teaspoon water
  
  1/4 cup homemade tapenade or purchased
  
  1 (8 ounce) Brie Round
  
  sliced olives
  
  Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix egg and water. Unfold pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. Roll into 12″ square. Cut pastry to make a 10 inch circle. Spread olive tapenade spread to within 1 inch of pastry edge. Place cheese round on top. Brush edges of puff pastry with egg mixture. Fold two opposite sides over cheese. Trim remaining two sides to 2″ from edge of cheese. Fold these two side on the Brie. Press edges to seal. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Decorate top with rolled out reaming pastry to decorate like a holiday package. Brush with egg mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Let stand 1 hour. Serve with crackers.
  
  Olive Tapenade
  
  1 cup pitted kalamata olives (you can use any vary of olives)
  
  1 clove chopped garlic
  
  1/4 cup olive oil
  
  1 teaspoon capers
  
  1 teaspoon herbs de provence
  
  In mini food processor, combine olives garlic and process until olives are from a spread. Add oil, capers and herbs de Provence. Process until blended.
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  Posted in Elegant, entertaining, Food, Uncategorized | Tagged appetizers, Baked Brie, Holdiay entertaining, olive, Tapenade
- Pan Seared Mediterranean Swordfish
  
  Posted at 11:38 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 26th
  Swordfish is a mild white fish that is easily prepared, delicious when seasoned with all different flavors. I like to try different styles of preparing swordfish but one of my favorite is to just pan sear with great spices, lemon, capers, olives and tomatoes reminding me of dinning over looking the blue Mediterranean sea!
  
  Pan Seared Mediterranean Swordfish
  
  Ingredients:
  
  two 1-inch-thick swordfish steaks, each about 6 ounces
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  1 tablespoon drained capers, chopped
  1 tablespoon water
  
  1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
  1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
  4 thin lemon slices
  
  Preparation:
  
  Pat swordfish dry and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy skillet heat butter and oil over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté garlic with crushed red pepper, stirring, 1 minute. Push shallots to side of skillet. Add swordfish and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Turn fish over and add lemon juice, capers, and water. Top with olives, tomatoes and lemon slices. Simmer mixture 3 minutes, or until fish is just cooked through. Serves two.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Easy recipes, Elegant, Fish, Main Meal | Tagged mediterranean, olives, swordfish, tomatoes
- Outrageous Triple Chocolate Salted Caramel Nut Cake
  
  Posted at 3:20 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  May 1st
  Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. If you love chocolate and salted caramel this cake is for you. My inspiration for this outrageous chocolate cake was chocolate salted caramel candy. I have to admit I seemed to get a little carried away. Warning this cake is very rich so eat accordingly! Truly a show stopping cake worth a few calories.
  - CAKE
  - 2 cups all-purpose flour
  - 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, Ghiradelli Chocolate
  - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  - 1 teaspoon table salt
  - 1 1/2 cups butter, softened at room temperature
  - 3 cups granulated sugar
  - 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  - 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  - 2 teaspoons instant espresso
  - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  - 1 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate morsels, Ghiradelli Chocolate
  - 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, Ghiradelli Chocolate
  - 1/2 cup caramel sauce
  - CHOCOLATE GLAZE
  - 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels, Ghiradelli Chocolate
  - 3 tablespoons butter
  - 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  - WHITE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
  - 3/4 cup white chocolate chips, Ghiradelli Ghiradelli
  - 3 tablespoon cream
    3/4 cup powdered sugar
  - TOPPING
  - 1/2 cup caramel sauce
  - 1 tablespoon sea salt
  - 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  Preparation
  
  1. Prepare Cake: Preheat oven to 325°. Whisk together flour and next 3 ingredients. Beat 1 1/2 cups butter in a medium bowl at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yolk disappears. Combine 1 1/4 cups buttermilk and next 2 ingredients. Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed after each addition. Fold bittersweet chips into batter. Pour 1/2 batter into a well-greased (with shortening) and floured 12-cup Bundt pan. Place 1/4 cup semisweet chips on batter. Spoon caramel sauce over chips. Top with remaining semisweet chips. Gently pour remaining batter in pan. Sharply tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles.
  
  2. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack.
  
  3. Prepare Chocolate Glaze: Combine semisweet chocolate morsels, 3 Tbsp. butter, and 1 Tbsp. corn syrup in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until morsels begin to melt, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
  
  4. Prepare White Chocolate Glaze: Melt chocolate and cream in double boiler. Let cool slightly. Whisk in powdered sugar. Drizzle glaze over cake.
  
  5. Pour caramel sauce over cake, sprinkle with sea salt then nuts.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  www.gooddinnermrsmellen.com
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  Posted in Baking, Cake, Chocolate, Dessert, Elegant, entertaining, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged cake, chocolate, Ghiradelli Chocolate
- A Show Stopping Strawberry Cream Cake
  
  Posted at 7:04 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Apr 19th
  A wonderful light white cake that is filled with whipped cream and strawberries! Need I say more. This cake is my sister’s favorite and when I lived near her I made this cake for her birthday. I don’t know why I haven’t made this cake for such a long time but this year I brought it back for my twins birthday. Everyone just loved my version of strawberry short cake!
  
  Cake:
  
  6 eggs, separated
  
  1 13/4 cup shifted all-purpose flour
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  
  1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  
  1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
  
  2 pints strawberries, washed and hulled
  
  Cream Frosting:
  
  2 cups heavy cream, chilled
  
  1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  1/4 cup currant jelly, melted
  
  In a large electric mixer bowl let egg whites warm at room temperature for 1 hour. Sift four with salt. With mixer at high speed beat egg whites until foamy. Beat in 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition. Beat until soft peaks form when beater is slowly raised.
  
  Preheat oven to 350F. In a small mixer bowl at high speed and with the same beater, beat yolks until very thick and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in remaining granulated sugar; beat 2 minutes.
  
  At low speed gradually beat in flour mixture. Add lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water and the lemon peel, beating just to combine – 1 minute. With wire whisk, with an under-and-over motion, gently fold egg-yolk mixture into egg whites just to blend. Pour batter batter into an ungreased 10-by-4-inch tube pan: bake 40 minutes or until top springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Invert pan, let cake cool completely about 1 hour.
  
  With spatula, carefully loosen cake from pan; remove cake. Divide cake into thirds with toothpicks. With these as a guide, split cake into three layers, using a long bladed serrated knife. Place bottom layer, cut side up, on cake dish. Slice 1 pint of strawberries. In a medium bowl, beat cream with confectioners’ sugar; add vanilla.
  
  Spread bottom layer with 3/4 cup cream and half of slice strawberries. Repeat with second layer. Top with the last layer, cut side down. Frost top and side with rest of whipped cream; toss 1 pint strawberries with jelly. Arrange on the cake.
  
  Refrigerate 1 hour. Serves 12
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, company dinner, Elegant, entertaining | Tagged cake, strawberries, sweet cream
- French Bistro Chicken Pot Pie
  
  Posted at 8:37 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Feb 15th
  I love bistro French cooking. I’m reminded of aged french farmhouses with the wind gently ruffling fields of lavender on a warm summer day. The draw of french cooking to me has always been the style of Provence or elegantly simple bistro cooking. That’s the taste that I wanted to capture with my French Bistro chicken Pot Pie. Elegant but with simple ingredients that speak to my love of casual french cooking. Serve with a salad of interesting fresh greens dressed, petite tomatoes and blue cheese dressed with a french vinaigrette and a glass of crisp Chablis, simply delicious! A meal that transports me to the french country side.
  
  French Bistro Chicken Pot Pie pour deux
  
  2 whole boneless chicken breast
  
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  
  sea salt
  
  freshly ground pepper
  
  1/4 cup butter
  
  1 cup chopped leeks, white only
  
  1/2 cup chopped shallots
  
  1/4 cup flour
  
  1 1/2 cup chicken stock
  
  1/2 cup white wine
  
  2 tablespoon heavy cream
  
  2 teaspoon herbs de provence
  
  1 teaspoon salt
  
  1/2 teaspoon freshly grated pepper
  
  1 cup sliced baby carrots
  
  1 cup haricot verts, cut into 2 inch pieces
  
  Crust:
  
  1/2 package puff pastry, 1 sheet
  
  1 egg, beaten
  
  Preheat oven to 350F
  
  Place the chicken breast on a baking sheet and rub with olive oil. Generously sprinkle breast with salt and pepper. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Set aside to cool. Cut chicken to 1 inch diced cubed when cool enough to handle.
  
  In a small saucepan heat chicken stock just to boiling. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute leeks and shallots over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until translucent. Do not brown. Add the flour and cook over low heat stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring until thick. Add wine bring to just to boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Add cream, herbs, salt, and pepper. Add carrots and haricot verts. Mix well.
  
  Preheat oven to 425F
  
  Place a 1 1/2 cup ovenproof dish on pastry on a floured surface. Cut circle from pastry. 1/2 inch larger than dish; cut vents. Refrigerate on parchment-lined baking sheet.
  
  Divide chicken mixture between dishes. top with pastry, press edges to seal, and brush with egg. Bake on a baking sheet until golden, 25-30 minutes.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Chicken, Easy recipes, Elegant, Hearty Meal, Main Meal, Pot Pie | Tagged Chicken pieces, French bistro, puff pastry, vegetables
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