Sunday Dinner

August 6, 20107 Comments

I love big families.

My family is big and loving and fun. When we get together, everyone is greeted with a hug and kiss. There’s always a ton of food and generally some salsa music playing in the background (Laura, that Celia Cruz CD has a permanent spot on my ipod and in my heart).

Last week, I was lucky enough to meet and share a meal with a family that rivaled my own in enthusiasm and affection.

The Biscotti Queen talks about Sunday dinner with her family all the time, usually recounting the amazing things her grandmother makes. She wasn’t kidding when she said Sunday dinner with her family is an event.

This lady made it all happen. That’s the Biscotti Queen’s grandmother. She made an outstanding meal all on her own!

Penne in Vodka Sauce with crusty ciabatta

Green Beans, Lamb, Corn, Potatoes, zucchini pancakes. I was so excited I forgot to take pictures of it all.

and three desserts:

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse in Dark Chocolate Cups

Chocolate Pavlova made by the Biscotti Queen’s beautiful mama. Oooooh myyyy goodness. I think this one was my favorite! I’d never had pavlova before but it was aaaamaaazing!

and a sponge cake with peaches and cream.

You’ve probably noticed I love dessert. I was in heaven… and luckily surrounded by wonderful people

and cute dishes!

Dinner was never this exciting (or long! the whole meal took about 4 hours!) at my house!

I’m so thankful Sara’s wonderful family let me join them for their weekly family tradition! This was most definitely one of my most memorable meals!

Nutella Makes Everything Delicious

August 4, 20108 Comments

I want a big scoop of ice cream right now more than you’ll know. Instead of giving in, I’m going to try to write about a fantastic dessert the Biscotti Queen and I made for Sunday Dinner with her family

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse in Dark Chocolate Bowls.

Do I need to say any more? Well maybe just how to make it.

Inflate some balloons to the size that you want your bowl to be. Dip the balloons in melted dark chocolate chips, place on plate/sheet pan lined with wax paper.

Refrigerate (or put infront of the AC) until the chocolate hardens.

In the meantime, make the mousse. Mix together a 13oz jar of nutella with 3 cup of heavy cream. This guy comes in handy…

Whisk with a mixer until you get peaks. Be careful! I overmixed in the first attempt (don’t go thinking I let all that nutella and cream go to waste… more on that in a bit). Once you’ve whipped up the mousse, pop the balloons! You might have to peel them off carefully and gently like we did. Be careful not to crack the chocolate or handle it too long, as it’ll melt.

Fill the bowls with mousse and refrigerate for a few hours. We didn’t do this so we had sort of a soupier mousse than is desirable, but I’m sure if refrigerated in the bowls it would turn out great!

Serve with a strawberry!

The presentation is lovely and the taste is absolutely AMAZING!! The best part… it’s SUPER easy! Only 3 ingredients: Nutella, Cream and Chocolate!

Now onto my mistake. So I accidentally overwhipped the nutella and cream! Oops! It turned to liquid again! Boo!

Solution: Chocolate Hazelnut Creme Brulee

Chocolate Hazelnut Creme Brulee

1 13 oz jar nutella
3 cup heavy cream
7 egg yolks, lightly beaten
12 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 275F. Combine the first 3 ingredients. Pour mixture into 12 ramekins. Put ramekins in a large baking dish or roasting pan, fill pan with hot water until ramekins are half way submerged. Bake 45-60 mins. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar and burn sugar using a kitchen torch or broiler.

Deeeeelish!

Best mistake I’ve made in a while.

Hmm… I still want ice cream. Distracting yourself from your cravings with other delicious treats probably isn’t the best idea. Oh well!

Coming up… Sunday Dinner with Italians!

Brooklyn Birthday

August 2, 201010 Comments

I had a pretty amazing weekend. Sure, it was my birthday, but really that wasn’t even the good part.

Let me tell you about it.

It started on Friday, when I drove down to the NYC area. I picked up the Biscotti Queen at her parents house and we headed to Brooklyn to visit our friend who was subletting a place with the most AMAZING rooftop.