Elegant | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: Elegant
- Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Pie
  
  Posted at 10:12 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Oct 26th
```
If you know me or follow my blog, I love to cook, decorate, and entertain! So this might seem a surprise that I am hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner at my home. Yes, you heard, right.  


Thanksgiving is the one holiday that you will not find a large group gathered around my dining room table. Traditionally I spent Thanksgiving at my parent's home in Pennsylvania, the one holiday that we were all together again. After my grandson was born, we celebrated at the home of my daughter-in-law's parents, beginning a new phase in our life.


This year due to the pandemic and staying safe, Thanksgiving dinner will be a small group of seven. Individuals that are in our pandemic circle. And I am going to make sure that this is a memorable as every other Thanksgiving!  


I've decided to plan my meal backward, beginning with dessert! Growing up, my mother baked a traditional pumpkin pie, which is still my favorite. This year I decided that we are going to have a spectacular Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl pie. And I drizzled chocolate over the pie! 


Pumpkin pie is easy to make. To make the pie special, I've added an extra step with the chocolate batter and the drizzle. I've included a basic butter crust recipe, or you can purchase refrigerated pie crust too.
An easy, show-stopping dessert to sweeten up our Thanksgiving dinner even if we are missing sharing with our large family! 






Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Pie


1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin 
1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3-ounce Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly


All Butter Pie Crust* or 1 (9-inch) Pillsbury Pie crust


Chocolate drizzle


2-ounce Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted Cabot butter






Pre-heat over to 425 F. Wish together pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices, and cornstarch in a medium bowl until smooth.


Transfer 1 cup of the filling into a bowl and whisk in the melted chocolate. Pour pumpkin filling in the crust. Dollop the chocolate filling on top and swirl with a butter knife.


Bake Pie for 15 minutes. Reduce3 over temperature to 350 F and continue baking for 35 for 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool.


Make chocolate drizzle. Melt chocolate and butter in a safe microwave bowl at 50 percent for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, depending on your microwave. 


Drizzle over pie. 


The pie can be refrigerated overnight. Serve chilled or at room temperature.




*All Butter Pie Crust


1 1/4 cup King Arthur's all purposed flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
10 tablespoons Cabot unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, as needed


In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and pause until mixture from lima bean-size pieces. Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together. It should be moist but not wet.


Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk with the heel of your hand. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.


On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 13-inch round a scant 1/4 inch thick. Fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim the edge to 3/4 inch; fold the dough under itself and crimp decoratively.


Enjoy!
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  Posted in Autumn, Baking, Baking, Chocolate, Dessert, desserts, Elegant, entertaining, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Holiday Celebrations, Pie, Thanksgiving | Tagged Cabot Butter, Chocolate pumpkin pie, Eagle Brand, Easy recipe, Ghiradelli Chocolate, Pillsbury Pie crust, Thanksgiving dessert, Thanksgiving dinner
- PUMPKIN-PECAN CHEESECAKE
  
  Posted at 11:50 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Oct 3rd
  I discovered Southern Living magazine on a family road trip through the south to visit my mother-in-law’s family in southern Georgia. During one of our many stops for gas, I wondered to a magazine rack, searching for a new read for the trip, and was drawn to the cover of Southern Living. After a quick skim through the pages, I purchased the magazine and when I returned home to Boston, I ordered a subscription. Thirty years later and I continue to feel enthralled by the pages of this magazine.
  
  If you are a novice or even more experienced cook, the pages are packed with ideas for food, entertaining, decorating and traveling with an irresistible southern vibe. Hospitality is the core of the southern style of entertaining. And I learned on that long-ago trip, the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality. Pineapples can be found throughout my home decor and at Christmas, I decorate over my front door with Williamsburg Christmas fan containing a pineapple surrounded by red apples.
  
  The recipes populating the pages of Southern Living are clear, concise and easy to duplicate. I made this cheesecake recipe with one change, I added pumpkin pie spice and my guests raved about the taste.
  
  CHEESECAKE
  
  2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  
  1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
  
  5 tablespoons butter, melted
  
  3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  
  4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
  
  1 cup granulated sugar
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  4 large eggs
  
  1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
  
  1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  
  1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
  PRALINE TOPPING
  
  1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  
  1/3 cup whipping cream
  
  1/4 cup butter
  
  1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  Garnishes: coarsely chopped Pecan Pie-Glazed Pecans, fresh sage leaves
  
  Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together the first 4 ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Press mixture on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
  
  Beat cream cheese and next 2 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until blended and smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add pumpkin and lemon juice, beating until blended. Pour batter into prepared crust. (Pan will be very full.)
  
  Bake at 325° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until almost set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven, with the door closed, 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around the outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of the pan. (Do not remove sides of the pan.) Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.
  
  Remove the sides and bottom of the pan, and transfer cheesecake to a serving plate. Prepare Praline Topping; immediately pour slowly over the top of the cheesecake, spreading to within 1/4 inch of edge. Garnish, if desired.
  
  Praline Topping
  
  Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Boil, stirring occasionally, 1 minute; remove from heat. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Let stand 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Use immediately.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Dessert, Elegant, entertaining, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Thanksgiving | Tagged pecans, Pumkin Cheesecake, Thanksgiving dessert
- CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU CAKE
  
  Posted at 7:05 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Mar 6th
  A luscious outrageous cake that will wow your guest! I loved creating this cake and had so much fun making the crepes that I hadn’t done in many years. Years ago when crepes were extremely popular I purchased a Sunbeam M’sieur Crepe maker. To my surprise I found the maker in a cabinet in my basement, unfortunately, it no longer worked so I used an omelet pan to make the crepes. This cake should be started two-three days before you want to serve. The cake is time-consuming yet easy to make. And your guest like mine will be so impressed with the cake because it looks and tastes amazing,
  
  INGREDIENTS
  
  Crepes
  ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
  
  ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  
  ¼ cup granulated sugar
  
  2 teaspoons kosher salt
  
  4 large eggs
  
  5 large egg yolks
  
  1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  
  2 cups whole milk
  
  3 tablespoons cognac
  
  Tiramisu Filling
  1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
  
  4 cups mascarpone cheese
  
  1/4 coffee liqueur
  
  1/4 cup natural cocoa powder plus 2 tablespoons for topping
  
  1 cup heavy whipping cream
  
  2 tablespoon powder sugar
  
  DIRECTIONS
  
  1. Make the crepe batter: Sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, and sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in the salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the butter, then the milk and cognac, until the batter is smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  
  2. Set an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Gently stir the crêpe batter, then pour ¼ cup of batter into the skillet. Holding the skillet by the handle, tilt and turn the skillet to quickly disperse the batter. Cook the crepe until the underside is golden-brown, about 1½ minutes. Lightly jerk the skillet to loosen the crepe, then flip the crepe over using a spatula, a more vigorous jerking motion or your fingers. Cook on the other side until golden-brown, about 30 seconds, then slide the crepe onto a plate. Top with waxed or parchment paper to prevent crepes from sticking together. Repeat until all of the batter is used (you’ll end up with about 20 crepes total, and will need 18 for the cake). Refrigerate the crepes on a plate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
  
  3. Make the tiramisu filling: Sift the confectioners’ sugar. Add the mascarpone cheese, coffee liquor, and 1/4 cocoa. Combine the mixture at low speed until well combined.
  
  4. Remove the crepes from the refrigerator. Add 1 crepe to the bottom cake plate so it lies flat. Add ¼ cup of the tiramisu filling to the center of the crepe and use a small offset spatula to evenly spread the filling over the crêpe. Repeat with the filling and 17 more crêpes. Refrigerate the leftover filling; you’ll use it to finish the cake. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Place a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.
  
  Place the sugar into the mixing bowl and add the whipping cream. Whisk just until the cream reaches stiff peaks.
  
  Fold whipped cream into remaining tiramisu cream just until combined and no white streaks remain.
  
  Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Spread the remaining tiramisu cream on top and sides of the cake. Add the cocoa powder to a fine-mesh sieve and sprinkle it over the top of the cake. Slice and serve.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Cake, Chocolate, Dessert, desserts, Elegant, entertaining, Food | Tagged chocolate tiramisu cake, crepes
- 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 bread to a rich cheesecake 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 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 bread is 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 freshly 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
  Summertime 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 your guests!
  
  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 the 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 the top of the cake.
  6. Dip small spoonfuls of warm ganache over the 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.
  Enjoy!
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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
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