Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce

I've been holding onto this recipe forever. I saw this Barefoot Contessa episode when my baby was very little. I didn't have the proper dish to make it so I put it on the back burner until I got around to ordering one. Truth is, I probably didn't need the pan--you can use a seive. BUT the pan is heart shaped and uber cute. Plus, it only set me back $8 on Amazon anyway. I'm a sucker for baking pans...just ask my husband.

Anyway, this is probably one of the EASIEST desserts out there despite the fancy name. I can't believe its taken me this long to experience this little piece of heaven.

Cooks tip: It's very rich and doesn't keep well in the refrigerator after you take the cheesecloth off and put the sauce on. My advice, either make this in small containers, cut the recipe in half or pour the sauce over the single servings OR just make sure you have a crowd to feed! I will mention also that the raspberry sauce made a TON. Way more than you probably need. I ended up having about 2 cups left over, both of which I froze into containers (1 cup each). They defrosted beautifully and I used one for flavor in an Italian Meringue Buttercream and for a cheesecake recipe (stay tuned for the post on the cheesecakes).

Raspberry and Grand Marnier Italian Meringue Buttercream

For the recipe, click here.

Corn and Cheese Stuffed Crepes with Poblano Cream

I used to spend a lot of time watching Food Network. Lately, I haven't had much time for TV, let alone something that would require more than 10 seconds of my attention. Over the holiday break, I caught a few episodes and nearly every show featured breakfast. I love trying new breakfast recipes just to break free from the traditional eggs and toast on Sunday mornings.

This recipe really caught my eye because I LOVE mexican for breakfast. (Okay its probably safe to say that I really love Mexican food in general). This recipe takes a bit of time in the morning but there are several steps and you could probably break them up doing some of them the night before. Each step is very easy and quick to do.

Crepes getting ready to go in the oven

The crepes turned out great! I left out the onions because my husband is allergic but I would definitely keep those in the sauce. I also mixed hot sauce with non fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I also sprinkled with feta on top.

Cooks tip: To char the poblanos put them over the gas stove and turn as needed. Once charred, put them in a sealed plastic bag to steam for 10 minutes.

Charred Poblanos- just scrape the char marks off with a knife

Enjoy!

For the recipe, click here.

Turkey and Mushroom Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy

In New Year's resolution true fashion--my husband and I are working on a cleaner diet i.e. no junk food, no sugar....and for now, no red meat.

Normally this isn't an issue for us. We are both red meat lovers, however, we know our limits and for the most part limit it to once a week.

The holidays were red meat overload. 10 days straight....from filet, to tenderloin, prime rib, lamb chops, leg of lamb, and tenderloin again. I finally couldn't take it anymore.

While I love meatloaf (I know...how 1950's of me) I knew I had to stick to the plan....no red meat. So I replaced it with Turkey. You know what? I think I like this more!

Most recipes I looked at asked for both light and dark meat. I actually used light because I forgot to get the dark meat while at the store. But I will say....I've done this both ways and both taste equally as good. There are so many other flavors going on here, it really won't matter. I promise.

I paired this with mushroom gravy and this is by far the best meatloaf to ever hit my table!

Turkey Meatloaf

Recipe by: Courtney Monigold

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Turkey (white meat or a mix of both dark and white meat)

1 cup wheat bread crumbs

1/3-1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 T dried thyme

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/2 T worcestershire

2 T ketchup (plus more for drizzling on top)

1 garlic clove

3/4 lb white mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1/2 t onion powder

salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bread pan with Pam.
2. In a medium to large skillet over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add carrots, cook for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove from burner. Add onion powder, worcestershire, 2 T ketchup. Set aside and let cool. (Cooks tip: Reserve the dirty skillet for the mushroom gravy....it will add extra flavor).
3. In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs and milk. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, add ground turkey, eggs, thyme, parsley, mushroom mixture, and bread crumb mixture. Mix together until combined. Press firmly into bread pan. (Mixture will be wet) Drizzle with ketchup. Cook 50-55 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Mushroom Gravy

Recipe by: Courtney Monigold (adapted from Group Recipes)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 cup minced mushrooms

1/4 cup red vermouth

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef broth (you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth also)

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/8 cup milk

1 dash salt & pepper

(Cooks tip: you can add a teaspoon of worcestershire sauce for additional flavor)

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in mushrooms. Sauté 5 minutes. Add vermouth. Cook until liquid has evaporated. Remove mushroom mixture from pan; set aside.

2. Melt remaining butter in pan; stir in flour. Cook and stir over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Whisk in broth. Simmer and whisk 3-4 minutes or until thickened.

Whisk in poultry seasoning and milk, continuing to cook until heated through. Stir in reserved mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper and worcestershire sauce, if desired.

Triple Chocolate Cake and a Happy New Year from Cafe Coco!

Happy New Year everyone!! Do I even have any readers left??!!

The new year is a great time to renew yourself...and those long lost resolutions.

I was never big on making New Years resolutions. Maybe because I never felt I had reason to. But since becoming a mom, I've become so much busier in life that I forget about a lot of things. A lot of things I had TIME to remember! So my New Year's resolution is to make more time for myself, more time to 'love' cooking, and to make more time for my poor neglected blog!

A little update on me: Motherhood has grown on me. In the beginning, I wasn't really sure it would. It's a lot of work and leaves little time for things I once took for granted. Like making last minute runs to the grocery store when I forget something! I've grown so much as a person, and a wife in the last 10 months. I've learned to not sweat the small stuff (ok I still do, but certainly not as much). I also value the 'small stuff' my little girl does....because everything is so new and only lasts months, if not weeks. As I watch my little one grow, it's apparent that she enjoys being with me, especially when I am in the kitchen. She follows me everywhere I go. I look forward to her 'helping' me more in the near future. For now, as I make anything, I feel her pull up on my pant leg and tug at it until I pick her up. She watches my every move. I love that. She loves licking the bowl of chocolate cake batter just as much as I do. And the look on her face when I let her try frosting off the whisk was completely priceless. I don't know that she will love cooking as much as I do. But I have a good feeling she will enjoy eating as much as I do!

As for New Years Eve this year, you can imagine, it was quite laid back. Finding a sitter for the evening can be quite daunting! Besides that, I've always enjoyed spending the night at home entertaining other people. The last few years we've hosted NYE, and I've always tried a new dessert recipe. This year, as I flipped through pages of a few neglected magazines, I noticed a triple decker cake I've had my eyes on since I gave birth. I figured, what the heck. I have nothing to lose.

I'll warn you. This cake is not for the faint of heart. It's truly a chocolate lovers' dessert. It's rich, it's creamy, it's chocolaty. It's truly quite amazing. The bottom layer is a flour-less chocolate torte, the middle layer is deep dark chocolate mousse, and the top is a fluffy white chocolate mouse--which balances the chocolate quite nicely. I've never been one for white chocolate, but in this instance, it really works in this dessert's favor.

While the recipe is rather easy, it's a bit time consuming. If that bothers you, you could always break it up and make the cake portion the night before and make the mousse the following day (which actually does not take much time at all).

Overall, the effort is well worth it. As one of my guests said "Why is it that paparazzi always show up when you bring out food. That never happens at my house." Perhaps they should make this cake! It's certainly photo worthy! (Forgive my photos as I did not cut the cake until my guests came and it was dark!)

For the recipe, click here. (you will have to register on the site to see it, but it's free)

Happy New Year!

Cafe Coco

Rib Tacos with Cherry Salsa and Chipotle Cream

Sometimes I over estimate how much people will actually eat.

The last trip we took to northern Michigan I packed 6 slabs of ribs. To feed six people.

Needless to say, I came home with 3 slabs. I had to give some of it away but after eating ribs one night...my husband politely declined ribs for the rest of the week...until I decided to disguise them!

I love tacos and these were no exception. These things were divine!

The cherry in the salsa, the smoky chipotle cream and the crunch from the cabbage, really pulls these things together!

Pork Tacos with Cherry Salsa and Chipotle Cream

Recipe by: Cafe Coco

Ingredients:

2 cups left over rib meat

4-6 corn tortilla shells

1/4 cup cojita cheese crumbled (or feta if you can’t find it)

Canola oil

Cabbage Slaw:

1 cup red cabbage

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salsa

1/2 yellow pepper, chopped

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

3-4 tomatoes, cut into large chunks

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1/2 clove fresh garlic, finely chopped

1 cup chopped fresh cherries

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

salt/pepper to taste

Chipotle Cream

1 cup non-fat yogurt

1 tablespoon chipotle finely chopped, seeds removed

Directions:

Cabbage Slaw: In a medium sized bowl, whisk lime and olive oil. Mix in cilantro and cabbage

Salsa: Mix all ingredients in a food processor for a few seconds until desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Chipotle cream: Blend ingredients together in a small food processor or blender

Heat heavy bottomed skillet. Add canola oil. Add tortilla. Cook on one side for about 30-60 seconds, flip then fold. Cook on each side for about 1-2 minutes (Keep an eye on it...you want them a little browned and crispy).

Fill each shell with rib meat, cabbage slaw, salsa, cojita cheese, and chipotle cream

Homemade Yogurt and a Yogurt Maker Review

Cherry Vanilla Bean Yogurt

I received this great Tribest Yo-Life Yogurt maker from the folks at CSN stores last month and I've had fun playing around with it.

I've been wanting to make homemade yogurt for so long...and I just couldn't see myself dealing with the whole heating pad in the oven routine. It was just to sketchy for me. The idea of a yogurt maker is great--because it's a controlled environment...I know that I will have a great (or safe) outcome every time.

The hands on time is very minimal. It's really just the 'wait' time that takes forever. The yogurt maker said 8-12 hours of set time. I checked mine at the 8 hour mark and it just seemed a bit too runny. So I would recommend the full time.

I made my yogurt with organic skim milk, and fat free plain organic yogurt. The yogurt still seemed a bit runny. There could be 2 issues: the skim milk or the fact that I used plain yogurt as a starter rather than a concentrated yogurt starter. (I couldn't find a yogurt starter anywhere). Anyone know where I can get one? I am going to try this once again to see if I can get the yogurt thicker--this time with a 1% milk.

Plain yogurt before draining

I did drain some of the yogurt over paper towel and colander. That seemed to help.

I will say, it was fun playing around with flavors. I added my own vanilla extract, chopped fruit and agave nectar for added sweetness.

Raspberry Vanilla Bean Yogurt with Agave Nectar

I can't wait to make some improvements. My little one should be able to have yogurt in the next few months. I have made all of her baby food so far...and yogurt will be no different! Once I get to that stage I will have to venture into the whole milk sector of course.

My favorite thing about this yogurt maker is that it gives you 7 little glass containers to make the yogurt in. PLUS if you wanted to use your own glass containers (mason jars and such) you can do that too.

Overall, I love the concept of this thing...I just need to figure out if the glitch is caused by the maker or the baker!

Fall Off the Bone Ribs

These are quite possibly the best ribs I have ever eaten.

Rewind to the beginning of summer, I was racking my brain trying to think of the perfect fathers day feast. I was tired of the same old burger and dog routine and decided that this year, that just wasn't going to cut it.

I decided on ribs, with only one problem. I didn't know how to make them. I was pretty mediorcre at the grill, and on top of all that, I wasn't really a fan of 'BBQ'. I thought at the very least, the guys (including my husband) would like them and that would be fine with me.

Fast forward the entire summer....these have turned into my new party staple! I have made these so many times. We have traveled to northern Michigan several times this summer for vacation. Everytime I have several slabs of baby back ribs in my cooler, leaving my friends asking for the recipe.

The secret is in the rub. Someone told me, just go get one at the store. Me? BUY a rub? I don't think so. Make it yourself. Chances are, you have all of these items in your pantry anyway.

The other secret? Sear, then bake. Most recipes call for doing this the other way around.

These may take some time...but your hands on time is minimal...which is what THIS mom LOVES!

Fall off the Bone Baby Back Ribs

Recipe derived from: Alton Brown

Ingredients

This works for 2 slabs of baby back ribs

Dry Rub:

• 8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:

Clean the membrane off the back of the rib slab (or have your butcher do it for you). You can You Tube a video of this if you aren’t sure what it looks like.

Rub the ribs on both sides with the rub. Let ribs come to room temp before grilling.

Get the grill REALLY hot. Sear both sides of the ribs about 3 minutes a side.

Tightly wrap each slab individually in foil and put in a large roasting pan, or baking sheet. (You can stack the ribs if necessary but try your best not to over stack).

Bake at 350 for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Serve!

Leftover ribs? Stay tuned....I've made rib tacos!