Strawberry Cheesecake

(It's a girl) 

1 box strawberry cake mix
4 8 oz. packages cream cheese
5 eggs
1/2 C. whipping cream
1 pint fresh strawberries
2 T. butter
3/4 C. sugar

To make crust:
Blend cake mix, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons butter until crumbly. Press in bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Reserve one cup of this mixture for cake part.

To make cake:
Blend cream cheese, 4 eggs and 3/4 cup sugar just until blended. Add whipping cream and sliced strawberries. Mix until blended, then add reserved cake mix. Pour over crust and bake at 350°F. until center is firm to touch. Cool in pan for 30 minutes, then put in refrigerator overnight. Remove from pan and decorate as desired.

Chocolate Caramel Truffles Recipe

Truffles:
1 1/2 C. heavy cream
1/4 C. water
1 C. sugar
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Finishing:
1/2 C. unsweetened, Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 t. edible gold dust or luster dust (optional)

Put cream in small saucepan over medium heat and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat; keep warm while you make caramel.

Place water in medium saucepan over medium heat; add sugar. Stir constantly with wooden spoon or swirl pan frequently until sugar has dissolved and liquid is clear. Turn heat to high and boil rapidly, swirling pan occasionally (do not stir at this point) so the sugar cooks evenly, until it turns a deep golden brown. Remove pan from heat and immediately add warm cream - be careful, the mixture will rise and sputter, so you may want to wear an oven mitt on the hand holding the pan. Stir with wooden spoon to blend. If caramel has solidified, set pan back over low heat and stir until it melts again.

Place chopped chocolate in medium bowl and pour caramel over it. Let sit for 1 minute, then gently whisk mixture until it is blended and smooth. Cover and refrigerate until cold and solidified, about 2 to 3 hours.

To shape truffles, use a regular teaspoon to gently scrape out irregular "nuggets" from bowl. Shape gently into a ball and put truffles on parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate truffles 15 to 20 minutes, or until firm.

To coat truffles, sift cocoa into medium bowl. Whisk in gold dust, if desired, until evenly blended. Drop several truffles into bowl and quickly toss them in cocoa. Set each truffle into a small candy cup (or layer them in a storage container on sheets of parchment paper). Refrigerate, covered, until needed (they also freeze perfectly).

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. These truffles are soft enough to be eaten straight from the freezer, but are at their most sensuous, in both flavor and texture, after about 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.

Makes 50 to 85 truffles, depending on size.

Red Raspberry Ice Cream Cake with Raspberry Amaretto Sauce

For the cake:
6 C. red raspberries, frozen
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
About 2 dozen Italian-style ladyfingers (available at most large grocery stores)
1/4 C. Amaretto liqueur (optional)
2/3 C. sugar

For the sauce:
4 C. frozen red raspberries
2 T. Amaretto (substitute teaspoon almond extract if you prefer a nonalcoholic sauce)
3/4 C. of sugar

For garnish:
1 C. heavy whipping cream
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. almond extract

Prepare springform pan by spraying with cooking spray and then lining with plastic wrap. Let plastic wrap hang over the sides of the pan.

Thaw 6 cups frozen raspberries. Remove ice cream from freezer and soften.

Cut ladyfingers in length to be flush with top edge of plastic-lined pan; stand them, with rounded edge at the top, along the sides of the pan. Place additional ladyfingers in the bottom of the pan, squeezing them in tightly to cover completely, cutting to fit in small areas if needed.

Sprinkle Amaretto over all ladyfingers, if desired (omit this step for nonalcoholic cake); set aside.

Puree raspberries in a food processor with the sugar. Press through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Add softened ice cream to raspberry puree, and combine well. Pour ice cream mixture into prepared pan with ladyfingers. Freeze cake, covered with plastic wrap, until frozen hard, about 6 hours or up to one week.

To serve, remove cake from freezer and let soften in refrigerator at least 30 minutes and up to 45 minutes before serving time. Remove cake from pan, discarding plastic wrap.

Whip heavy cream with sugar and almond extract until stiff peaks form. Garnish cake by piping cream along edge of cake with a large piping tip. Top cream with fresh or frozen whole raspberries. You may further decorate center with unsprayed fresh flowers, if desired.

Serve cake with sauce. Pass extra sauce at the table.

To make the sauce:
In a food processor, puree raspberries with sugar and Amaretto (or almond extract) and force through a fine sieve into a bowl. Sauce may be made ahead, covered and chilled.

Makes 1 cup.

Makes 10 servings.

Shrimp Rolls Recipe

1/2 C. whipping cream
1 t. tomato paste
1 t. fresh lemon juice
few drops hot pepper sauce
salt
1/4 C, chopped cucumber
1/4 lb. shelled, cooked shrimp
4 small oval rolls
1/4 C. butter

In a bowl, whip cream until thick enough to hold soft peaks. Add tomato paste, lemon juice, hot pepper sauce and salt. Fold in gently.

Peel 1/4 of a cucumber. Slice a cucumber in half. Remove the seeds. Chop the cucumber into fine pieces. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Drain for 15 minutes in a colander. Pat dry with a paper towel. Fold into whip cream.

Cut the shrimp in half, down the center. Remove the dark vein if you haven't already. Dry the shrimp on paper towels and add to the cream mixture.

Cut the rolls in half. Spread a layer of butter on each side of the roll. Spread the shrimp on the rolls. Cut into halves and arrange on platters.

Garnish with a cucumber slice and a slice of lemon.

Chicken Salad Puffs

3 C. poached chicken diced

3/4 C. diced celery

1/4 C. diced green onion

2 t. relish

1/4 C. chopped almonds (optional)

1/2 C. mayonnaise

2 to 3 dashes Tabasco Sauce

salt and pepper

Cut the chicken into small pieces, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Chill until ready to assemble.

Puffs:

1 C. water

1/2 C. butter

1 C. flour

4 eggs

Add water and butter to a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add flour and stir. Stir over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Cool.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each egg is added. Mixture should be smooth.

Drop by tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400°F. for about 15 minutes, until puffed and golden. Cool.

When ready to assemble, cut the tops off the puffs. Add filling and put top back on. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Makes about 35 small puffs.

Chicken Wontons

12 wonton wrappers (3 x 3 1/2 inches), cut into quarters

Vegetable oil to brush on wontons, about 2 tablespoons

6 C. water

2 t. kosher salt, divided

1 lb. (about 3 medium) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, washed, patted dry

1/4 C. Major Grey's chutney

1/4 C. plus 2 T. plain yogurt

3 T. crunchy peanut butter

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 1/2 t. green curry paste

1/4 C. chopped green onions for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Place the wonton wrappers on a work surface and brush lightly with the oil. Mold the wontons, oiled-side up, into the bottoms of miniature (1-inch) muffin tins. Bake until light brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and remove from the muffin tins. Cool on a wire rack. Place on a baking sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to assemble.

In a medium saucepan, heat the water and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt over medium heat. Just before the water comes to a boil, add the chicken and simmer until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and pat dry. Cool the chicken slightly, then finely chop and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. In a medium bowl mix together the the chutney, yogurt, peanut butter, lime juice and curry paste. Add the chicken and mix well. Refrigerate until slightly chilled.

To assemble: Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the chicken mixture in each wonton cup and garnish with green onions. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 48 appetizers.

Cook's Note: The wonton cups can be baked up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container. The chicken mixture can be made up to 1 day in advance. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. The wonton cups can be filled up to 1 hour in advance.

Fancy Sandwiches Recipe

Tuna Salad:
2 6 oz. cans white tuna in water
1/4 C. finely diced celery
3 T. finely chopped green onions
1/3 C. mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients together. You may need a little more mayonnaise, you want a nice spreading consistency.

Cheez Whiz
White Bread Slices
Cream Cheese softened and mixed with 1 T. milk
Sliced Green Olives

To assemble:
Spread tuna on one of the bread. Spread another slice with the Cheez Whiz. Top with a 3rd slice. Press together lightly. Cut crusts off bread. Cut bread into 2 halves. Then cut each half into 3 pieces. Set them on their side so you can see the filling.

Fill your pastry bag with the cream cheese. Use a leaf tip or another that will make a flat decoration. Make a line of cream cheese down the center of the sandwich. Place an olive slice in the center.

Note: You can make these the night before. We used to put them in a shirt box lined with wax paper. Place another sheet of wax paper on top of them. Just let it loosely lay on top. Cover. A plastic container will also work. Just don't stack the sandwiches if you have done the cream cheese.

Rock-A-Bye-Baby Punch

 

3 qt. raspberry sherbet, softened

6 liters ginger ale, chilled

 

Just before serving, place sherbet in punch bowls, Add ginger ale, stir until sherbet is almost melted.

Peek a Boo Cry Baby Cookies


2 dozen

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg white
3/4 cup mixed orange and lemon peel, finely grated
1/2 cup sugar

In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar, add egg and vanilla till
blended.
gradually fold in flour, working by hand till blended.
chill in refrigerator -- 1-2 hours.
preheat oven to 350* -- grease and flour a cookie sheet --
on floured surface -- roll dough out to 1/4" thickness. cut into 2"
squares and transfer half to cookie sheet. brush lightly with beaten egg
white -- and place a small spoonful of mixed peel which has been
combined with 1/2 cup granulated sugar, in center of each square.
cut a 1/2" opening in remaining squares.
place on top of squares with filling.
pressing edges together to seal.
bake 12-15 minutes or till golden.
transfer cookies to rack to cool