Dessert
Chocolate Cake 200 gr. (7.1) ounces) dark chocolate 150 gr. (5.3 ounces) butter 4 eggs 200 gr. (7.1 ounces) sugar Melt chocolate and butter. Meanwhile, mix sugar and egg yolks. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt. Once chocolate and butter are melted, slowly add them to the egg yolks and sugar and blend them well. Then slowly add beaten egg whites. Pour the mixture in a tin with a diameter of about 25 cm (10 ins) and bake at 200° C (392° F) for about 20 minutes. You can serve it sprinkled with icing sugar or with whipped cream.

So this is not low fat I take it?? :wink: :applaud:

No, I'm afraid it's not low fat, but it's easy to make... besides being one of my favourite cakes. I admit I have a sweet tooth and could live of sweets (and coffee).

Chocolate is a favorite of mine. Sounds a little like what we used to call a snacking cake. Moist cake without the heaviness of icing. Yumm! Thanks for starting this off.

I'm a chocoholic myself so I'm with you on that Frances! Sweets are my definite downfall. As soon as I get the opportunity, I'll post a recipe or 2 of mine in here!

Angel Hair Pasta and Almond Pie Pie Crust 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) salt 2 egg yolks 6 Tbs butter (unsalted), cut into small pieces and room tempterature Filling 7 ounces blanched almonds 3 1/2 ounces candied citron 9 Tbs granulated sugar 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa 1/2 tsp lemon zest 1 pound angel hair pasta 8 Tbs butter (unsalted) 1/4 cup dark rum Pie Crust Mix the flour, confectioner's sugar, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl or on a pastry board. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. Put the egg yolks and butter in the center and work the flower in to them. Knead this into a smooth ball of dough. Don't over work the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Filling Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, add 1 tbs of salt, and drop in the pasta all at once, stirring until the pasta is submerged. If you have a smaller pot, you can use less than 4 quarts of water, but you must constantly stir the pasta for one minute. Put the almonds, citron, and granulated sugar into a food processor and chop to a medium fine consistency. Place this mixture into a mixing bowl and add the cocoas and lemon zest, and mix well. When the pasta is cooked to just before al dente drain and let cool. Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease an 8 inch springform pan with butter and dust it with flour. Turn upside down and tap gently around the sides and on the bottom to loosen any excess flour. Dust a pastry board with flour and roll out the pastry dough into a large circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Using the rolling pin, lift the pastry onto the springform pan, letting it fall into the pan, covering the bottom and sides. This pastry lining should be level with the top of the pan. Don't worry if the pastry breaks. You can patch it. Put 1/3 of the pasta into the pan, letting form a random layer. Don't tamp the pasta down or try and lay it out in an orderly way. There should be gaps and spaces. Set aside 1/3 cup of the almond mixture. Sprinkle half of the remaining mixture over the pasta. Dot with 1/3 of the butter. Put in another third of the pasta, then sprinkle with the remaining half of the almond mixture. Dot with another third of the butter. Add the remaining pasta, sprinkle with the reserved almond mixture, and dot with the remaining butter. Place the pie in the oven, on the top rack. After 15 minutes remove it from the oven and cover it with aluminum foil. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25 more minutes. Take the pie out of the oven and remove the aluminum foil. Immediately sprinkle with the rum. Let it cool completely before serving. Note: This pie will keep in the refrigerator for 10 days.

I would have never thought of pasta for dessert, but that recipe sounds really heavenly.

Rice Cake 3 cups milk 3/4 cup Arborio rice 4 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup chopped pistachios 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/4 cup candied orange peel, finely diced 1/4 tsp. vanilla 2 TB. butter, room temperature Zest of 1/2 lemon. Confectioners sugar. In a saucepan, bring milk just to a boil. Add rice, reduce to low, cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Stir the eggs into the cooled rice mixture. Add the remaining ingredients, except the confectioners sugar. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch round cake pan. Pour the rice mixture into the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool to lukewarm and unmould onto a serving dish. Before serving, dust with confectioners sugar.

Croccante - Italian Praline 1 cup sugar 1 TB. light corn syrup 1-1/2 cups whole or slivered blanched almonds, toasted. Butter a baking sheet and set it aside on a heat-protected surface. Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a wide, shallow pan. With a metal spoon, stir continuously until the mixture looks like wet sand. Set the pan over low heat and allow the mixture to melt and caramelize. Stir the mixture occasionally for 15-20 minutes. The mixture should be golden brown (240 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly stir in the almonds. Pour the hot croccante on the prepared baking sheet and spread it out with a spoon. Allow the croccante to cool and harden. After the croccante has cooled, break it into coarse pieces to us as a candy. To use as a garnish or flavoring, chop it finely with a knife. You can also use a food processor but don't reduce it to too fine a powder. Store croccante in a container in a cool, dry place.

Thanks for sharing your recipies, Frances. They have all been new to me. The rice cake in particular sounds very unique and great dessert to have with an Italian meal. I need to get on the stick and write up a few more recipies. So, many of mine are thrown together without regard to the measurement of the ingredients, so I need to do a little research.

Think that my grandmother - who was an excellent cook - used to write down her recipes without noting the exact quantity of each ingredient needed for each recipe, only rough guesses.

Gaff - that's my problem as well. I've made some pretty decent dishes, but I just make them up as I go. I'll just grab whatever's in my cabinets/freezer/fridge and throw it together sometimes. I don't measure unless I'm baking or following an unfamiliar recipe. :oops:

Cherry Clafouti About 4 cups (600 g) fresh black cherries 2 large eggs + 1 yolk 1/2 cup (100 g) blond cane sugar 1 oz (30 g) cornstarch 1 oz (30 g) all purpose flour 7/8 cup (200 ml) whole milk, cold 1 vanilla, seeds removed 1/2 cup (100 ml) heavy cream Biscuits roses, grounded (optional) A few unsalted pistachios, chopped coarsely Preheat your oven at 350 F (180° C). Wash the cherries. Beat the eggs and yolk with the sugar. Add the vanilla seeds and mix. Dilute the cornstarch in the cold milk. Add the flour and cornstarch to the previous preparation, with the cream. Mix well until homogeneous. Grease small ramekins (or a larger dish) and sprinkle with sugar. Remove the excess. Divide the cherries between them and pour the cream over. Sprinkle with biscuits roses powder and place in the oven for 40 to 45 min, until golden. Remove. Eat lukewarm or cold. When ready to serve, sprinkle chopped pistachios on top.

That sounds quite tasty, but I'm trying to figure out what Biscuits roses are. Is that an Italian cookie?

Rose biscuits are typical of Reims, France. The are similar to sponge fingers.