Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes and Weekend Round-Up Part 2

Cook's Notes:Indulge a bit in these decadent Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes. It's a holiday today. Add a touch of bittersweet chocolate mixed with semi sweet chocolate for a deep, dark chocolaty flavor. The addition of essresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor without giving it a coffee taste. The molten cakes pair well with vanilla ice cream or sweet whipped cream topping, and raspberries or strawberries. 
Recipe makes 6 jumbo muffin size cakes and was adapted from cookingclassy.com

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I tested with Valrhona)
• 1 stick of butter, plus 2 tablesoons, divided
• 1- 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. espresso powder 
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• optional 1 TB. Amaretto
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Vanilla ice cream, sweetened whipped cream, raspberries, chocolate sauce or caramel sauce for serving

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter 6 wells of a jumbo muffin pan or six 6 oz. ramekins with 1 TB softened butter (cover well as you don't want these to stick), set aside.
• Place chocolate and 1 stick of butter plus 1 tablesoon butter in a medium microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat in microwave in high power for 30 seconds, remove and stir. Return to microwave and heat 30 seconds longer, stir well. If it's still not melted continue to heat in 15 second intervals until melted. Let cool slightly. 
• Stir in powdered sugar, espresso powder and salt (it will be thick at this point) then mix in eggs, egg yolks, Amaretto, and vanilla and stir until fully incorporated. Fold in flour mix until combined. 
• Divide batter among prepared muffin wells, filling each about 2/3 full (about 1/2 cup in each. If using custard cups transfer them to a baking sheet to bake). 
  

• Bake in preheated oven until edges are set but center is still soft, about 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 1-2 minutes (run a knife around edge if they don't seem loose), invert onto a cutting board. Then tranfer to a dessert plate and serve warm.
  

Weekend Round-Up:Part 2 Tucson Area

 

Step into...
De Grazia Gallery in the Sun. It is is on the National Register of Historic Places. This legendary landmark of Southwestern art and architecture was designed and built by acclaimed Arizona artist Ted De Grazia. The 10-acre foothills site of the Santa Catalina Mountains includes the adobe gallery with permanent and rotating exhibits, chapel with interior murals, gift shop, cactus courtyard, the artist’s home, and his grave.
De Grazia built the gallery so his paintings"would feel good inside." Opened in 1965, it is the home to more than 15, 000 De Grazia originals, including oil paintings, watercolors, ceramics and sculptures. The gallery stands as a testament to a man who loved the Southwest, customs, traditions and its people. His work is unique. It reflects and documents all that De Grazia saw and experienced including cultural and religious events. 

Some of his notable works include 

For more information on this gallery and the Renaissance man check out blog posting from last year. http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/search?q=+de+grazia

Tucson Botanical Gardens is a five -and-a-half-acre urban garden, a tranquil oasis in the heart of the city. Built from the historic nursery and home of the Porter Family, the shaded Historic Gardens and the Porter House Gallery offer visitors the opportunity to enjoy eleven rotating exhibits annual. These exhibits focus on emerging and established local and regional artists whose themes interpret the flora, fauna, and landscape of desert regions.

Paths lead through a diverse selection of residentially scaled specialty gardens, including a Zen Garden, Prehistoric Garden, Barrio Garden, Butterfly Garden and Children’s Garden. Stunning colorful benches made with handmade tiles were scattered throughout the gardens. 

The Stonewall Foundation Tropical Exhibit is home to orchids, bromeliads and jungle vegetation.

During the months of October to April, the exhibit hosts Butterfly Magic, a display of live tropical butterflies with species representation from five continents. This exhibit captured my immediate attention with butterflies everywhere. I could not take enough pictures!!

This specimen called Achilles Morpho was quite spectacular when its wings spread open to reveal a beautiful azure blue.  

Perhaps someday you will have an opportunity to experience the sights of the Tucson area. The southwest is a unique region and certainly a contrast to the Midwest for me.  

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Celebrate An Afternoon at De Grazia Gallery with Almond Macaroon Meringue

Almond Macaroon Meringue

Cook's notes: It's light, airy and melts in your mouth. A perfect sweet valentine for that special someone. The recipe serves four. Be creative, use martini  or some type of parfait glasses to serve Almond Macaroon Meringue.  

Ingredients:

• 8 crushed macaroon cookies- the soft kind (use food processor)
• 1-cup milk
• 3 large eggs (separated)
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ package (envelope) of Knox unflavored gelatin (about ½ TB.)
• 2 TB. milk
• 1 cup of heavy cream whipped
• 2 TB. Amaretto
• ½ tsp. almond extract

Directions:

• Scald 1 cup of milk in saucepan-cool slightly (off burner).
• In a bowl beat egg yolks and sugar until fluffy.
• Pour 1 TB. scalding milk into egg yolks then whisk egg mixture and milk together in saucepan.
• Cook on stove till mixture coats back of wooden spoon.
• Soften gelatin in 2 TB. of milk and add to custard mixture in saucepan.
• Cook on low heat 1-2 minutes (do not let mixture boil or it will curdle).
• Pour custard mixture in bowl, mix in 2 TB. Amaretto and ½ tsp. almond extract.
• Cover custard with wax paper for about 30 minutes to cool. 
• Beat egg whites in a separate bowl and whip the cream in separate bowl.
• Gently fold egg whites and whip cream mixture together with a rubber spatula.
• Fold custard into whip cream/egg white mixture with a rubber spatula.
• In each parfait glass (I used martini glasses) layer as follows: 1 TB.-2 TB. cookie mixture in bottom of glass, custard/whip cream mixture, more crushed cookies and ending with custard mixture. Sprinkle crushed almonds on top.
• Refrigerate until serving, top with raspberries.

Step into...

De Grazia Gallery in the Sun  

is on the National Register of Historic Places. This legendary landmark of Southwestern art and architecture was designed and built by acclaimed Arizona artist Ted DeGrazia. The 10-acre foothills site includes the adobe gallery with permanent and rotating exhibits, chapel with interior murals, gift shop, cactus courtyard, the artist’s home, and his grave. 

DeGrazia built the gallery so his paintings"would feel good inside." Opened in 1965, it is the home to more than 15, 000 DeGrazia originals, including oil paintings, watercolors, ceramics and sculptures. The gallery stands as a testament to a man who loved the Southwest, customs, traditions and its people. His work is unique. it reflects and documents  all that De Grazia saw and experienced including cultural and religious events. 

Some interesting facts about De Grazia include:

• In 1942 Ted went to Mexico City to further his art studies. While there, he met both Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco, two of Mexico’s greatest artists. He worked as an intern for both and actually helped them in their mural work at the Palacio Municipal and the Hospital of Jesus Nazarene in Mexico City
• In 1976 DeGrazia made national if not worldwide news when he packed up over 100 of his paintings on a packhorse and hauled them up to the Superstition Mountains. There with ten friends and witnesses, he piled them up into a pyre and with tears streaming down his face, he lit them ablaze. This was in protest to the unfair inheritance tax policies of the time. He vowed to never paint again, but an artist can only be true to himself. After three years, he once again began painting his oils.
• In 1960, UNICEF chose the painting, Los Ninos (the children), for their Christmas card. They sold over five million boxes of this card throughout the world, bringing worldwide attention to the artist. This painting continues to this day to be his most famous work of art. While Ted painted scenery and cultural and religious events, he will always be noted for his paintings of children, angels and horses.

Enjoy a tour of the gallery and the grounds. 

Artist's original home is now a gallery that hosts visiting artists during the winter months.

The gallery is located at the foothills of Tucson's Santa Catalina Mountains.

Weekend Round-Up

Some of the Best-Tucson Area Part One
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre  zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson it features two miles of walking paths that meander through desert landscape. It is one of the most visited attractions in the area.  The museum is home to more than 230 animal species and 1,200 varieties of plants. You need to set aside at least three hours to cover the area. Go early as it can be very warm by afternoon. 
There are always new discoveries no matter how many times you visit. 
Take for instance a new cactus I found called rainbow cactus. 

There are no shortages of cactus varieties here at the museum.    

How about this Devil Cactus pictured above 

and note the unusual texture and shapes of these tree trunks.

Down the road from the Desert Museum is
Saguaro National Park. It is located in southern Arizona on the outskirts of Tucson and part of the United States National Park System. The park preserves the desert landscape, fauna and flora contained within two park sections, one east and the other west of Tucson. The park was established to protect its namesake—the giant saguaro cactus. 

There is a six mile loop you can drive to enjoy the desert landscape which was fine by me since it was a warm day and the rattlesnakes were out. 

Mission San Xavier is located in a desert setting outside the city of Tucson. As you approach it the white structure looms large like what I picture the Taj Mahal to look like .

Mission San Xavier is the only mission in the nation still active preaching to the Tohono O'odham, a group of Native Americans who primarily reside in the Sonoran Desert .
Mission San Xavier is called the "White Dove of the Desert". The structure is an impressive example of Spanish mission architecture. The domes, carvings and arches distinguish it from other missions. 

For further information and lots more pictures check out my blog posting from last year. 

http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/search?q=+mission+san+xavier

Check back tomorrow for next posting with stops at De Grazia Gallery and Botanical Garden with some amazing butterfly photos. 

To the food part just in time for Valentine's Day 

Buttermilk Red Velvet Cake

Cook's notes:  Traditionally the cake is baked in two layers but a 13 x 9 pan can also be used. I sprinkled crushed pecans over the cream cheese frosting. I must say this was one of the best Red Velvet Cakes I have ever tasted. It was a moist and fluffy cake. Using 2 TB. of food coloring does give it a rich red color. No need to use a whole bottle of red which some recipes suggest. Store cake in refrigerator.

Ingredients:

• 2 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1- 1/4 cups sugar 
• 1 tsp. baking soda 
• 3/4 tsp.fine salt 
• 4 heaping tsp. cocoa powder 
• 1-1/4 cups vegetable oil 
• 1 cup buttermilk (fluid) at room temperature 
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature 
• 2 TB.red food coloring (1 ounce) 
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• Cream Cheese Frosting-recipe below 
• Crushed pecans or walnuts for garnish 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil and flour 2 round cake pans or a 13 x 9 pan. 
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. 
• In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. 
• Using a mixer blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed. 
• If using cake pans:Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake until the cake pulls away from the side and the center of the the cakes come out clean using a toothpick about 16-18 minutes. 
• If using a 13 x 9 pan bake 22 minutes.
• Cool cake in pans for 6 minutes and then invert each one onto a plate lined with wax paper and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely before frosting. 
• For a 13 x 9 pan leave cake in pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1-3 oz. package softened cream cheese
• 3 TB. softened butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup milk 

Directions:

• Beat all ingredients until smooth -add in more milk if needed for correct consistency.