Crème Brûlée

Yields: 12 (5oz.) ramekins

• 1 qt. heavy cream
• ¾ c.. sugar
• 2 vanilla beans , split
• 7 egg yolks

Boil the cream and ½ of the sugar, and split vanilla beans.

Let cool 15 off of the heat.

Take out the vanilla beans and scrape their interiors back into the cream.

Ribbon remaining sugar and egg yolks.

Blend the two mixtures.

Strain.

Fill ramekins only ½ way.

Place into a water bath.

Bake 300 F approx. ½ hr. or until set.

Remove and cool completely.

 

Silky Chocolate Mousse

• 1 egg
• 6 egg yolks
• 2/3 c. simple syrup (1:1 / sugar: water)
• 1 ¾ c. heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

Heat egg, yolks, and simple syrup over a double boiler until very hot.

Remove from the heat and whip until thick.

Incorporate 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chocolate to form a ganache.

Fold the ganache into the whipped egg mixture.

Fold in remaining cream.

Top off the cooled ½ filled, baked crème brûlée ramekins.

Chill. Top with sugar, caramelize.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz.)
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir or beat into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, if using.

Drop dough in 2-tablespoon (1/8-cup) portions, 2 inches apart, onto buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

Bake in a 400° oven until cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center (break one open to check), 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.

With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool. If hot cookies start to break, slide a thin spatula under them to release; let stand on pan to firm up, 2 to 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

 

Note: Nutritional analysis is per cookie.

 

Yield: Makes about 28 cookies

Smooth & Sweet Strawberry Sorbet

• 2 pints Strawberries (cleaned and stemmed)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Bring the sugar and water to a boil and immediately take off the heat. Cool.

Combine the strawberries with the sugar & water syrup and process in a blender.

Taste the mixture. (Note: It should taste a bit sweeter than normal. Ice cream and/or sorbet taste less sweet when frozen but need the sugar content to keep them smooth. Otherwise, less sugar will result in an icy texture.)

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Classic's Own Fresh Lemonade

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (8 large lemons)
• 5 cups water

Stir together sugar and 1/2 cup boiling water until sugar dissolves. Stir in lemon rind, and let steep for 10 min.

Add lemon juice, and 5 cups water.

Strain through a fine strainer.

Chill.

Serve over ice.

Yield: Makes 8 cups