Photo: Cynthia L. Nobles/The Advocate newspaper, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
From Denny: Love brownies and vanilla ice cream? Enjoy this brownie that is so much like a chocolate souffle and serve it warm with melting ice cream, smothered in a homemade chocolate sauce. There is a lot of chocolate in this recipe, so stock up before the world chocolate prices go up! This is a dessert that would appeal for entertaining during the holidays, making you their favorite relative!
Photo: Patrick Dennis/The Advocate newspaper, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
From Denny: This is an easy recipe to throw together when you are pressed for time or too tired to make something more elaborate. The slow cooker crock is to the rescue. Make this easy topping - which only takes a couple of hours to cook on Low on its own - while you prepare dinner and get the kids organized for school the next day or help with homework. Remember strawberry shortcake every summer and how easy it is to put together in a snap? Well, this recipe is just as easy. While the slow cooker does its work just hop on over to the grocery store and pick up those same pre-made individual sponge cakes and your favorite vanilla ice cream. This simple cooked topping involves only two apples, a handful of coconut, a small handful of sliced almonds, butter and brown sugar. Serve on your most decorative dessert plate. Build with a foundation of an individual sponge cake, a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream and then topped with the hot apple-coconut topping. Garnish with more almonds and sprinkle with coconut...
From Denny: This is too easy. You can grill this entire dessert indoors on a grill pan. All you do is grill the fresh pineapple until it caramelizes nicely and gets those all important status grill marks.
Brush both sides of the prepared pound cake with butter. We use clarified butter at our house because it helps your heart by skimming off the artery clogging milk solids and the resulting clear golden oil can also can be used at a higher heat.
Grill the buttered pound cake. Top with vanilla ice cream and top with your favorite yummy chocolate sauce. Summer is so easy with winning easy recipes like this classic!
A real Wow! version of Baked Alaska Image by Anne Davis via Flickr
From Denny: A classic dessert that is always a show stopper for guests and family alike. It's also the perfect ending to a romantic dinner during the Love Season of Valentine's Day. Our favorite domestic diva, Martha Stewart, shows us how to create this rich, decadent chocolate dessert. This simple version is a chocolate baked alaska using chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream. Could it get any better for lovers - or lovers of chocolate?
In this segment Martha also demonstrates making ice pops from white hot chocolate and more. Cold or hot, Martha thinks hot chocolate reflects the fickleness of human emotions.
Baked Alaska with chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream
From: Martha Stewart
Serving Size: Makes 9
Ingredients:
For the cakes:
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
Salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup warm water (about 100°)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs, room temperature, separated
For assembling
Vegetable oil cooking spray
6 cups chocolate ice cream (3 pints)
For the meringue
12 large egg whites, room temperature
3 cups sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar
Preparation:
These mini meringue-coated chocolate ice-cream-and-cake concoctions are stunning desserts for a crowd.
Preheat oven to 350°. Make the cakes: Sift 1 1/3 cups sugar, the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt into a bowl. Combine oil, water, and vanilla.
Whisk egg yolks with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. With machine running, slowly pour oil mixture into yolks, and then add sugar mixture.
In a clean mixer bowl, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed, gradually adding remaining 2/3 cup sugar, until medium stiff peaks form. Mix one-third of the whites into cake batter, then gently fold in remaining whites.
Divide batter between two 12-by-17-inch parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Bake until cakes are set and spring back when touched, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool.
Assemble the baked Alaska: Coat six 11-ounce bowls or ramekins with cooking spray; line with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang. Cut out 6 cake circles to fit in bottoms of bowls (we used a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter), and place in each bowl. Top each with 1/3 cup chocolate ice cream, smoothing surface.
Cut out 6 cake circles to fit on top of ice cream (we used a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter), and place on ice cream. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes.
Top each cake with 1/3 cup ice cream, smoothing surface. Cut out 6 cake circles to fit on top of ice cream (we used a 4-inch round cookie cutter), and place on ice cream. (This should fit just at the top of the bowl.) Cover assembled cakes with plastic wrap overhang, and freeze for at least 4 hours.
To remove from bowls, open plastic wrap, flip cakes onto a baking sheet, and remove plastic wrap. Freeze cakes while making meringue.
Preheat oven to 500°. Make the meringue: Heat egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water, whisking often, until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes.
Cover each assembled cake with 1 cup meringue. Bake until meringue is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, hold a small handheld kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle 3 to 4 inches from surface of meringue.
Move flame back and forth until browned and caramelized. Make ahead. Assembled dishes can be frozen for up to 3 days.
Meringue-covered cakes can be frozen for up to 4 hours.
*** Martha's other two recipes in the video can be found at her site:
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