This is the vegan chocolate cake I made for dessert with last night’s supper for the in-laws.  It’s perfect, simple, and surprising.  Serve it with a small dollop of vanilla ice cream.  My choice is Kim Zanni’s Vanilla Bean Gelato di Babbo.  If you haven’t found Kim’s monstrously good gelatos, go out and find it, or demand your grocer get in into their store.  Imagine this:  it’s low-fat.  On my Weight Watchers’ plan it is only three points, which offsets the hundreds of points the cake is (only kidding).  Make sure you allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before you unpan it, as it is prone to breaking apart if you unpan it too soon.  Still yummy, but you’ll be tempted to eat the broken parts (not necessarily a bad thing!).

Ingredients:

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 ½ teaspoons ground ginger

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a square 8-inch baking pan with oil or baking spray or dust with cocoa powder.
2. Sift the cocoa, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and brown sugar into a large bowl.  Combine coffee and oil in a small bowl.  Beat the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula or whisk.  Stir in the crystallized ginger (if using), and quickly stir in vinegar.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick placed into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn the cake out onto the rack and cool completely.  Serve, dusted with confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder, with hot tea, cider, or mulled wine.

I can’t believe how good this recipe turned out.  It’s simple and delicious.  I served this for supper last night, and incredibly, the kids ate all their vegetables!   Use fresh Parmesan cheese for the last-step sprinkle.

Ingredients:

• 5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (from 1 medium cauliflower)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm.

Here’s a recipe I tried last night for company.  Really good, and really simple.  What makes it work is fresh rosemary.  I think dried rosemary would overwhelm the delicate sweetness of the fig sauce.  Made it for the in-laws last night with garlic roasted cauliflower and sweet potato fries.  Great supper.  Great recipe.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
15 fresh figs, halved
1 tsp sweet paprika, divided
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups red wine

2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Sprinkle chicken with ½ tsp paprika, salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large pan. Add chicken breasts and brown both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Add wine and figs, and sprinkle rosemary (reserving 1  teaspoon) and remaining ½ tsp paprika on top. Turn heat to medium, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.

Move chicken from pan to a plate, and let it rest covered.

Whisk the butter into the pan sauce, turn the pan to low-medium, and let reduce without a cover for an additional 10 minutes, until thickened.

Divide chicken breasts among plates, place figs on top, and drizzle sauce over the chicken and figs.  Sprinkle fresh chopped rosemary on top and garnish with a piece of a fresh rosemary sprig.

Way good!

Here’s a terrific old family recipe for chicken chowder, passed down through my wife’s family.  The only place I’ve seen it is on a stained recipe card.  But it’s really good.

Hearty Chicken Chowder

 Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, 3 pounds

5 cups water

1 cups sliced carrots

1 cup diced celery

1 medium onion, sliced

1 bay leaf

6 peppercorns

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 ½ cups milk

¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)

½ pound sliced mushrooms

2 teaspoons snipped chives

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup corn

¼ teaspoon dried (or ½ teaspoon freshly chopped) thyme

Shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1.  Place first 10 ingredients (chicken through ground pepper) in a soup pot; cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until the chicken is tender, (about 45 minutes).  Strain broth, reserving vegetables, discarding the bay leaf, and picking the chicken off the bones.  Discard bones.

2.  Mix broth and milk.  In a saucepan, melt butter; add mushrooms and chives and sauté until soft, 3-5 minutes; add flour and blend.  Gradually stir in broth, continuing to stir until the soup thickens.  Add salt and thyme, corn, chicken, and reserved vegetables.

3.  Simmer 10 minutes longer; then serve in heavy bowls, topped with cheddar cheese.

Have you ever tried to make your own duck sauce?  Tired of those nasty little plastic packets you get at the take-out restaurant?  Here’s a quick, easy solution:  make your own.  It’ll keep a while in the fridge, and I love making my own condiments.  They’re so easy, and sooooo much better than the stuff you get at the store.

Try this duck sauce recipe.  You’ll never go back…

Cape Charles is a lovely little Chesapeake bayside seaport just a peace down the DelMarVa peninsula on Route 13 from Chincoteague, where we spend time whenever we have time to spend.  Sting-Ray’s restaurant sits in an unlikely building on the northbound side of Route 13 about a mile south of SR184.  It looks like a souvenier joint and gas station, which it is.  But it is also a terrific pottery store, and the restaurant inside has been written up in all the southern-living-type magazines.  It is a true find. But since you’re likely not to get there any time soon, I thought I’d give you a little taste of heaven from this heavenly little surprise.  And thanks to my friends Lisa and Tony for reminding me just how wonderful this little dish can be.  Lisa, you make it this way, and I guarantee you Tony will love it.  And Tony, if you don’t love it, you need your taste buds examined.

The World’s Best Crab Imperial

Ingredients:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (one stick)
3 tbsp. flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 lb. jumbo lump crab meat, picked over for shell pieces
1 cup panko bread crumbs (don’t settle for just any   bread crumbs. It makes a difference!)
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp. sherry
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 400°.  Heat 5 tbsp. butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour, and cook, stirring, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk in cream, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in crabmeat, half the bread crumbs, bell pepper, onion, half the parsley, sherry, juice, Worcestershire, half the paprika, mustard, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Divide mixture evenly among 6 shallow 6-oz. ramekins; place ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix remaining butter, bread crumbs, and paprika until evenly combined; sprinkle seasoned bread crumbs evenly over each ramekin. Bake until lightly browned and bubbling in the center, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve hot with toast on the side.

The best cole slaw I’ve ever eaten was my mother’s.  She kept it simple, and extremely dry–in fact, she’d generally serve it as a dry salad with the dressing on the side.  One thing I can’t stand is cole slaw dripping in dressing so that when you finish your serving there’s a puddle of dressing left on the plate.  That’s why I hardly ever order cole slaw out.  There’s only two place I know that make slaw as good–my wife’s and Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach.  The thing is, I tend to make it drier than anyone I know, because I like it dressed like a salad.  If you haven’t tried cole slaw that way, do so.  Make it like this:

1/2 head  white cabbage, sliced thin

1/4 head red cabbage, sliced thin

1 small yellow onion, grated

2 medium carrots, grated

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 cup low-fat mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)

2 tablespoons white sugar (then adjust to taste)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar (then adjust to taste

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Toss all the produce ingredients together in a large bowl.  Mix the remaining ingredients to make up the sauce and adjust the sugar and vinegar to your personal preference.

Serve the cole slaw dry in a salad bowl, and the dressing on the side with a ladle (or, if you must, mix the dressing with the produce and toss well.  Just don’t use too much dressing.  This cole slaw recipe is meant to be served on the dry side.

Emeril Lagasse makes a wonderful spice rub he calls “Emeril’s Essence.”  I love it, and I use it.  But often, I add or subtract stuff, depending on what I’m making.  I am posting here a spice rub that started out as his “Essence,” but I have altered it just a bit to fit my BBQ pork recipes.  It is very similar, but I have added some ground ginger and chili powder to the rub–just a wee bit.  And if you want it to be the best rub you’ve ever tasted, take the time to find the smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder.  They make the world of difference in the flavor.  You can use regular paprika and chili powder, but the rub won’t have the same flavor or the same kick.  Here it is:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon light brown granulated brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fine-ground white pepper
• 1tablespoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Ellen came up with this one, from a magazine, and it has already become one of our favorites!  Salt & vinegar potatoes, hot and tasty.  Try these:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds small round red potatoes

kosher or flaked sea salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup malt or cider vinegar

Preparation:

In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil, in salted water.  Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain, then place the potatoes between a dish towel and gently smash the potatoes until they are flattened, but still in one piece.  Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil.

Brush the tops of the potatoes with oil, sprinkle with salt and place in an oven preheated to 450 degrees, and bake, flipping once, until they are crisp and golden on top, about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, toss with vinegar, sprinkle with salt, and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Yum!