Belgian Chocolate Torte

CRUST:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together flour and cocoa. Separately, beat sugar and butter with a mixer. Add egg. Combine with flour mixture, mixing until a soft dough froms. If it is too soft, put in fridge for 10 minutes. When ready, press dough into a greased flan/torte pan with removable sides, using your thumbs to work it up the sides. Refridgerate for 15 minutes until chilled, weight down with a pie weight or foil and dried bean/rice. Bake for 1o minutes. Let cool.

FILLING:
3/4 cup whipping cream
5 oz semi-sweet belgian chocolate (or another high-quality chocolate)
2 T sugar
pinch salt
1 egg

Decrease oven to 325 degrees.
Heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat until warm, not allowing to rise to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in pieces of chocolate, sugar and salt until smooth. Separately, whisk egg until smooth and add to chocolate mixture.
Pour filling into cooled crust Bake for 15-20 minutes or until surface is glassy. If cracks begin to form, remove immediately. Cool on rack. Top with favourite nuts. (Pecans, I say.)

This can be refridgerated for up to two days, but it is far better made and served fresh.

Torte Recipe?

So, Jo, how 'bout you type out that delicious torte recipe for me? (my husband is still talking about it!) It was sooooo good!
Thanks,
Niki

"Righteous" Ribs

Sorry for the delay ladies, When you read this, you will know why I didn't hop on it. It is three full pages of instructions and ingredients in our cookbook. So, here it is, but I warn you, these are an all-day affair.

Basic Barbeque Rub:
1/4 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
3 T freshly ground black pepper
1 T garlic powder
1 T dried onion flakes
1/2-1 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t celery seeds

Combine all. Transfer to a jar, cover and store away from heat and light for up to several months
To USE: Rub into pork, beef, chicken or robust fish. You can cook meat at once, or let it marinate for 2-4 hours.

Sweet and Smoky Barbeque Sauce:
6 T packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Worcestershire
2 T dark rum
2 T yellow mustard
1 T liquid smoke
1 T pure chili powder
2 t freshly ground pepper
2 t garlic powder
1 t ground allspice
1/4 t ground cloves
4 cups ketchup
coarse salt and pepper

Combine all but the ketchup in a large heavy saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce becomes smooth and all ingredients look dissolved.
Add ketchup and bring to a boil, stirring well.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grilling the Ribs:

Special Equipment:
2 cups woodchips, preferably applewood, soaked in 2 cups apple cider for 1 hour, then drained.

1.Remove papery skin on ribs. (6 pounds worth)
Sprinkle with rub, and marinate for 1 hour.
2. Set up grill for indirect heating, place woodchips in smoker box on the bottom of BBQ and heat until you see smoke.
3. Place ribs above and grill for 1 hour.
4. Begin brushing with BBQ sauce. Use up half on one side, and half on other side.

This whole process will take hours and hours. We have only done it a handful of times for that reason, but we would sure like to do it more often. Oh, and Aidan says that he is available as a grill instuctor. Where there are ribs, he will go.

BBQ Season

Hi everyone,
I am interested in new BBQ recipes. I'm bored with our usual stuff and with a hopefully, long sunny summer ahead of us would like some new, tried & true recipes. So if you have any to share, plain, or fancy, would you post them please?

Have a blessed day!
Niki

Bucatini All'Amatriciana

My husband and I were very fortunate to spend our honeymoon in Venice. While there, we bought an authentic, Italian cookbook and since then, have enjoyed trying the various delicious recipes! This particular recipe is our favorite and is so simple to prepare which is nice for me!:) Serve with warm rolls and salad! Enjoy!


- 400 g bucatini noodles (Long, rounded, hollow pasta)

- 200 g streaky bacon

- 300 g ripe, firm tomatoes

- 1/2 onion

- stock

- extra virgin olive oil

- grated pecorino cheese

- salt (to taste)

- chilli powder (to taste)


Plunge the tomatoes into hot water, skin them, remove the seeds and chop. Chop the bacon and brown it in several spoonfuls of oil. As soon as the fat has melted, remove from the pan and lay aside. Saute the sliced onion in the same oil. Add the tomatoes and salt and allow the sauce to thicken for about 10 minutes. Replace the cooked bacon and flavor with chilli powder.
Use the sauce to flavor the bucatini, cooked in boiling salted water and drained when al dente (or not too soft so that is has not absorbed too much water). Sprinkle generously with grated pecorino cheese.

Family Chicken Casserole

2 T. Butter
2 cups Carrots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped Red or Green Pepper
1/2 cup chopped Onion
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup of Milk
1/4 cup Apple Juice
2 cups cooked Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups grated Mozz or Mozz/Cheddar mix
3 - 4 cups cooked Rice (or even more)

In large frying pan, melt butter.
Stir in carrots, pepper, onion. Cook until tender crisp.
Add soup, milk, juice, chicken, cheese. Stir to combine and remove from heat.
Spread cooked rice in a greased lasagna pan, or large casserole dish. Spoon chicken mixture over rice

Bake 350 for 45 min. Serves 6 - 8

Note: If you don't have leftover cooked chicken on hand, you can either boil a few chicken breasts in water until cooked, or what I often do is take a small whole chicken and cook it the day before in my crock pot and remove meat from carcass when cooked, or if you don't have that much time, boil the chicken in water for several hours until meat is falling from the bone.
The whole chicken is much more flavourful in casseroles than the chicken breasts. If your feeling extra frugal, throw a whole peeled onion and some roughly chopped celery and carrot into the chicken water. Then strain the water when you've finished cooking the chicken and you will have a nice homemade chicken stock which freezes well. Oh, a bay left in the water as well is nice.

Creamy Potato Soup

Hello Ladies,

I thought I would post a couple of simpler meals. This soup is a family favourite.

3 T. Butter
1 Onion, diced
4 - 6 large potatoes, cubed
3 T. fresh Parsley chopped or a generous sprinkle of dried parsley
3 stalks Celery, chopped
2 large Carrots, chopped ( I use 3-4 easily, we love carrots)
2 t. Salt ( Half when preparing, half to taste when done)
1/4 t. Paprika
Water - enough to almost cover the vegetables in the pot

Saute onion in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook until vegetables are tender. Add white sauce (recipe below) and stir until blended and heated through. Serves 8 or more.

White Sauce
4 T. Butter
2 T. Flour
1/2 t. Salt
Pepper to taste
4 cups Milk

Melt butter, stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring about 1 minute, then whisk milk in, and stir until it is gently boiling and has thickened. Doesn't need to be super thick, it will thicken even more in the soup.