Short Ribs with Tagliatelle

Cook Time: 3 hrs
Level: Easy
Yield: 4-6 servings

Daphne's Note: remove the chocolate shavings, and just eat a chocolate
bar afterwards :) or use cheese instead

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 ounces chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)
* 2 1/2 pounds short ribs
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 carrot, chopped
* 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes (whole or diced)
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 1/2 cups beef broth
* 3/4 cup red wine
* 1 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle
* 4 to 6 teaspoons shaved bittersweet chocolate

Directions

Place the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook
the pancetta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile,
season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside.
Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes
total.

Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, parsley and garlic in a food
processor and blend until finely minced. Then add the tomatoes and
tomato paste and pulse.

Once the short ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the
food processor to the pot. Return the pancetta to the pot and stir.
Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for
1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and
a half, stirring occasionally. Remove the meat and bones from the pot.
Discard the bones. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. Season
with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the
pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring
occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta and 2 to 3 minutes
for fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add
the pasta to the pot and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta
liquid 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, to moisten the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls, top each bowl
with 1 teaspoon of chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.

From: foodnetwork.com

Italian Ice Pops

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 12 to 14 pops

1 (12-ounce) bag or 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, defrosted
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
3 or 4 tablespoons simple syrup, recipe follows
14 wooden ice pop sticks

In a blender, combine the raspberries and the mint. Puree until
combined. Add the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of the simple syrup.
Blend to combine. Taste the mixture and add the remaining 1 tablespoon
simple syrup if you like. Spoon the mixture into an ice cube tray and
freeze for approximately 30 minutes, or until partially frozen. Insert
the wooden sticks and return trays to the freezer for another 3 to 5
hours.

Simple Syrup:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a
boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has
dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled
syrup can be saved in an airtight container.

Yield: 1/2 cup

Chocolate Sformato with Amaretto Whip Cream

Cook Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

* 2 cups whole milk, divided
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 packet gelatin
* 4 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 (12-ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips
* 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
* 1 cup whipping cream
* 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon almond liqueur (recommended: Amaretto)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of the milk, the sugar, and
vanilla. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining 1/2 cup
cold milk and let dissolve for 2 minutes. Combine the cold milk and
gelatin with the hot milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve the gelatin,
about 5 minutes. (Heat the milk gently if the gelatin is not
dissolving easily.) When the gelatin is dissolved combine the eggs
with the warm milk, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs.
Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring
cup or small pitcher.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate over a double boiler. When the chocolate
is melted gradually combine the milk and egg mixture with the melted
chocolate, stirring between each addition to create a smooth chocolate
mixture.

Pour the mixture into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the
top with the almonds. Place the casserole dish in a larger dish or
roasting pan. Add hot water to the outer pan until the water comes
halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the sides are firm
and the center is jiggles slightly, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven
and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, whip the cream to soft peaks in a medium bowl
using a whisk or electric hand mixer. Add the sugar and almond liqueur
and whip to combine. Spoon the sformato into individual serving bowls
and dollop the top with the almond liqueur whip cream.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Pie with Vanilla Whipped Cream

Cook Time: 35 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
Hazelnut and Chocolate Pie:

* 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1 cup hazelnuts, skinned and toasted
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more to dust the pie dish
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup hot water
* 4 eggs
* 1 stick butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces, at room temperature,
plus more to grease the pie dish
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla Cream:

* 1 cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To make the Hazelnut and Chocolate Pie:
Directions

Position an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Put 1/2 of the chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and flour in the bowl of a
food processor. Pulse until the hazelnuts are coarsely chopped. Pour
the hazelnut mixture into a small bowl and set aside. Combine
remaining chocolate chips and sugar in the food processor. Blend until
the mixture is finely ground. With the machine running, gradually add
the hot water until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Add
the eggs, butter, vanilla and cinnamon. Pulse until mixture is
blended. Return the hazelnut mixture to the food processor and pulse
to incorporate. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured 9-inch
pie dish. Bake for 35 minutes. Place the pie on a cooling rack and
cool for 1 hour. (Top may crack during cooling.) Refrigerate for 2
hours. (Pie can be made 1 day in advance and stored in the
refrigerator). Allow the pie to return to room temperature for 30
minutes before serving.
To make the Vanilla Cream:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream until it forms soft peaks. Add
the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Continue to beat until
cream holds stiff peaks.

To serve: Cut the pie into slices and dollop with the Vanilla Cream.

Gianduja Bars

Cook Time: 7 min
Level:-
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 4 brownies (about 2 by 3-inches)
* 1/4 cup nutella
* 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
* 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (try a mix of white, semisweet, and
milk chocolate)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread each of the brownies with 1 tablespoon of nutella. Sprinkle
each of the brownies with 1 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts. Top the nuts
with 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips. Place the brownies on a baking
sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the chocolate is starting to
melt. Transfer the brownies to the refrigerator and let cool until the
chocolate hardens, about one hour.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Blue Cheese and Pecans

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
* 1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
* 2 scallions, sliced on bias
* 4 slices good-quality center cut bacon
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 1/2 cup half-and-half or cream
* 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
* Special equipment: toothpicks

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butterfly the chicken breast pieces by cutting across the breast but
not all the way through. Open the breasts up and pound lightly between
parchment paper. Peel paper away and season the meat with salt and
pepper.

Cover the seasoned chicken cutlets with blue cheese crumbles, pecans
and scallions in equal amounts. Roll the chicken, wrap each roll with
bacon and secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the rolls with
salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken
evenly all over, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small
baking sheet, place in the oven and cook 10 minutes more.

Melt the butter in the same skillet pan the chicken was seared in over
medium heat. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in stock. Let
thicken a minute then whisk in the half-and-half and grain mustard,
season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to warm.

Halve the chicken and stack to show off the center. Set chicken in
gravy or pour over top. Serve with rice and greens, if desired.

Ragu with Pancetta and Prosciutto

HOLIDAY GIFTS FROM HOME

Cook Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 (32-ounce) jars

Ingredients

* 2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 large onions, diced
* 2 carrots, diced
* 4 garlic cloves, peeled
* 8 ounces chopped pancetta
* 8 ounces chopped prosciutto
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 2 cups beef broth
* 3 (26-ounce) jars marinara sauce (about 9 cups)

Directions

In a small bowl, pour just enough hot water over the porcini mushrooms
to cover. Let soften while beginning the sauce.

In a large, heavy pot warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the
onion, carrot, and garlic and cook until softened. Add the pancetta,
prosciutto, and tomato paste and stir until the tomato paste is
dissolved.

Add the mushrooms and their soaking water, the beef broth, and the
jarred marinara sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool then ladle into
jars.

Serve with fresh or dried pasta.

From: foodnetwork.com