Vanilla Gelato Bites with Chocolate and Hazelnuts Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Vanilla Gelato Bites with Chocolate and Hazelnuts Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
1 pint vanilla gelato or ice cream
1 (12-ounce) bag chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts (about 5 ounces)
Special equipment: bite-sized ice cream scoop and wooden popsticks
Place a small tray or a plate in the freezer. Remove the gelato from the freezer to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the chilled tray from the freezer. Scoop out 16 bite-sized balls of gelato and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and quickly insert a wooden popstick into each gelato ball. Return them to the freezer for at least 1 hour.
When the gelato balls have frozen with their sticks in place, place the chocolate in a double-boiler over very gently simmering water until melted. Next to the pot of chocolate, place the toasted, chopped hazelnuts in a shallow bowl.
Remove the gelato balls from the freezer, 4 at a time. Working quickly, hold the gelato ball by the stick and dip into the melted chocolate, then dredge it in the hazelnuts. Return them to the freezer and continue with 4 more gelato balls, until all the gelato balls are covered in chocolate and nuts. Freeze the chocolate-and-nut-covered gelato for at least 1 hour.
These are very fun, festive, and tasty. The ice cream scoop I used is a number 40 (holds 1 tablespoon, is 1 1/2 inches in diameter.)
Sex in a Pan – My niece Julia named this
————
SEX IN A PAN
————
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. butter
1 c. flour
1 lg. carton Cool Whip
1 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
2 sm. pkgs. chocolate pudding
3 c. milk
Mix nuts, butter and flour. Press in 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees
for
10 minutes. Cool.
Mix 1/2 of the Cool Whip, powdered sugar and cream cheese.
Spread on crust. Mix pudding and milk and spread over crust. Spread
other
1/2 of Cool Whip on top. Chill.
Champagne Salad – Jim’s Favorite Holiday Dessert
Champagne Salad
1 [8 oz.] pkg. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 [16 oz.] pkg. frozen strawberries
2 large bananas, sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (except that Jim makes me leave out the nuts!)
1 [8 oz.] Cool Whip
Soften and blend cream cheese with sugar. Mix together the drained pineapple, strawberries with their juice, bananas, chopped nuts, and Cool Whip. Combine the two mixtures. Put in 9×13 inch pan and freeze. To serve, thaw slightly and cut into squares. Can be refrozen. Note: You may slice the bananas into drained pineapple juice before adding to fruit mixture to prevent darkening.
You also don’t have to freeze it, you can just mix it up in the bowl and keep cold. Great either Way
Happy Holidays!
Applesauce Bread
Applesauce Bread Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup applesauce
2 large eggs
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 by 4 by 3-inch loaf pan.
Cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the remaining ingredients except the raisins and nuts. Mix well until blended. Stir in the raisins and nuts. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes.
Banana’s Foster
Bananas Foster Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse
4 ripe bananas, peeled
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur
1/2 cup dark rum
1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream, recipe follows, or good quality store bought vanilla ice cream
Cut the bananas in half across and then lengthwise.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add the bananas and turning, cook on both sides until the bananas start to soften and brown, about 3 minutes. Add the banana liqueur and stir to blend into the caramel sauce. Carefully add the rum and shake the pan back and forth to warm the rum and flame the pan. (Or, off the heat, carefully ignite the pan with a match and return to the heat.) Shake the pan back and forth, basting the bananas, until the flame dies.
Divide the ice cream among 4 dessert plates. Gently lift the bananas from the pan and place 4 pieces on each scoop of ice cream. Spoon the sauce over the ice cream and bananas, and serve immediately.
