Chocolate & Raspberry Black Bean Crepe Cake

a beautiful disaster...

Impress guests with this 16 layer chocolate cake in more ways than one! First off, it's really quite beautiful, but does require a good part of an afternoon to make and a little skill cooking the crepes. That said, it's totally something that can be learned with some practice. I got pretty good at making them by the end! Additionally, your guests will never know that there's a cup of black beans in the crepe batter. You absolutely can not taste them.

This crepe cake should be served chilled and at your home. We tried to travel with it yesterday and it was a beautiful disaster. I hadn't chilled it at all and the layers went in opposite directions as soon as we made our first turn out of the driveway. I was so defeated. So, take my advice and serve this impressive cake well chilled and at your home. Or, build it when you get to wherever you are going! Here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Serves 8
Black Bean Crepes
2 C Whole Milk
2 Large Eggs
1 Stick Unsalted Butter, divided
1 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour
1/3 C Cocoa Powder
1/4 C Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 C Prepared Black Beans

Chocolate Mousse
1 Package Dream Whip
2 C 2% Milk, divided
1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Package Jell-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

Raspberry Sauce
2 Pints Raspberries
1 T Granulated Sugar
1 T Chambord (Raspberry Flavored Liquor)

Topping: Chocolate Sauce

Directions
Prepare the black beans as directed in my previous posts. A little less than 1/2 C dried will yield 1 C prepared.

Make the crepe batter: Melt 3 T butter; reserve the remaining stick to cook the crepes. Combine the milk, eggs, melted butter, flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and beans in a blender. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Make the mousse: While the crepe batter chills, make the mousse. Following the directions on the Dream Whip box, make the whipped topping (see side panel). Then, follow the directions on the back to make the Chocolate Mousse. Cover and chill the mousse while making the raspberry sauce and crepes.

Make the raspberry sauce: Set aside ~10 raspberries to garnish the cake. Put the remaining raspberries, sugar, Chambord, and 3 T water in a small sauce pot. Cook over medium-low heat until the raspberries break down and the sauce begins to thicken, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool.

Cook the crepes: While the raspberry sauce is cooking, make the crepes. Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium low. Add 1/2 T reserved butter to the skillet and turn the pan to coat the bottom. Then, pour in ~1/4 C crepe batter, again turning the pan to spread the batter to the edges in an even layer. Cook the crepe until set, about 1 minute. Carefully flip the crepe and cook another minute. Transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter to make about 16 crepes.

Build the crepe cake: Once everything is ready, it's time to assemble the cake. On a cake stand, lay one crepe in the center, top with ~2 T chocolate mouse spreading it evenly over top, and then top with ~1 T raspberry sauce spreading that evenly over the mousse. Stack a crepe on top and repeat by adding more mousse and raspberry sauce. Repeat this process until all of the crepes have been used up. Top the last crepe with any remaining mousse and raspberry sauce. Decorate with the reserved raspberries and chocolate sauce. Chill, then slice to serve. Enjoy!

Hard Raspberry Lemonade Swirl

the beach is calling...

My husband and I are going on a Caribbean cruise in about 2 weeks. We are SO excited and ready to go! We are porting out of Puerto Rico and will be visiting the islands of St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados. This will be our second cruise (first was to Alaska), so we have a lot to look forward to even in terms of what the boat has to offer. I suppose the only caveat (mostly in my husband's mind) is that we are going with my family. Don't get me wrong! We love my family, but we will be on a boat with them for 7 days. I know it will be perfect...there's always alcohol if not every moment is.

So, in terms of preparing us for this trip I've created this drink. Yes, there's alcohol. Yes, it's beachy. Yes, we will have something similar as soon as we get to Puerto Rico. Make this frozen, fruity cocktail before your next tropical trip. Or, maybe it's just in your mind, let's go there. Here's how...

Ingredients - Makes 4 Frozen Cocktails
1 (12 oz.) Frozen Lemonade Concentrate, slightly thawed
1 C Vodka (suggest Chopin)
1 (12 oz.) Bag Frozen Raspberries, slightly thawed
1 C Chambord
Ice
Optional Garnish: Fresh Raspberries, Lemon Wedges, and/or Little Umbrellas

Directions
In a blender, combine the lemonade concentrate, vodka, and 4-5 C ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a pitcher and set aside.

In the same blender (no need to rinse out), combine the frozen raspberries, Chambord, 1 C water, and 2-3 C ice. Blend until smooth.

Swirl the drinks by layering the two frozen cocktails together. In a tall glass (maybe a hurricane), pour the frozen lemonade 1/4 the way up. Spoon in the frozen raspberry mix about 3/4 the way up the glass. The raspberry mix is more dense, so it will sink to the bottom, but that's what creates the swirl. Top the final 1/4 of the glass with the frozen lemonade and a spoonful of raspberry mix. Serve with a colorful straw and garnish as desired. Sail away with me to the Caribbean. Enjoy!

Spinach Salad w/ Lemon-Pepper Chicken, Candied Walnuts, & Raspberry Vinaigrette

a red, red raspberry

I was a creative writing English major and one of my favorite poems we studied was A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns. I like the rhythm and rhyme and, of course, the idea of loving someone to the end of time. While Burns chose to liken his love to a red rose, I'm loving this season's red raspberries. They have been especially beautiful and tasty.

For this recipe I'm building out a spring salad. There are many pieces to this recipe and you don't have to make each piece. Feel free to buy rotisserie chicken or candied walnuts, but if you have the time, I suggest making each item. It really doesn't take as long as you would think! The star of the salad is the dressing, so if anything, just make that to top your favorite salad. Make this recipe for your luve. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4

Lemon-Pepper Chicken

~2 lbs. Chicken Breast, pounded to 1/2 in. thick

2 Lemons

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Candied Walnuts

1 C Whole Walnuts

1/4 C Powdered Sugar

1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1/8 tsp. Kosher Salt

Raspberry Vinaigrette

1C Fresh Raspberries (~1 Pint)

1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar

1 T Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp. Honey

1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Salad

5oz. Package Baby Spinach

1/2 Small Red Onion, thinly sliced

1 Large Green Apple, cubed

4oz. Goat Cheese, crumbled

Directions

Start by making the chicken: In a large resealable bag add the zest of 1 lemon, juice of 2 lemons, 2-3 T olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and the chicken. Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the chicken. Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for 2-4 hours.

When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the bag to a plate, discard the bag and marinade. Season with a little more pepper on each side. Then grill (or cook in a skillet) until cooked through. Rest the chicken on a cutting board for 5 minutes, then thinly slice.

Make the candied walnuts: Follow the directions from this Food Network recipe, but be sure to use my measurements. Based on the comments, I've upped the cayenne pepper. Allow the nuts to cool completely before assembling the salad.

Make the raspberry vinaigrette: In a blender combine all of the ingredients except the salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend together once more. Set aside until the salad is assembled.

Assemble the salad: Arrange 4 dinner plates with the spinach. Top each evenly with the red onion, apple, thinly sliced lemon-pepper chicken, goat cheese, and candied walnuts. Finally, pour the vinaigrette over the salad. Be sure not to over-dress, there will be more than enough dressing. Serve immediately with any extra dressing at the table. Enjoy!

Boozy Berry Brunch Parfaits

it's 5 o'clock somewhere...

It's berry season again and with that comes flavor and affordability. Because of these facts it's the only time of the year I buy fresh berries. Raspberries are especially good right now - firm, yet sweet - they provide the perfect flavor and texture for these brunch parfaits. Of course, you can substitute your favorite berry, just be sure to accompany it with complementary flavors of preserves and booze.

These raspberry-yogurt parfaits are sweet and tangy. Tangy because I use plain Greek yogurt. This adds protein as well, giving you energy to make it through the day. Macerating the raspberries in Chambord (raspberry liquor) isn't necessary, so leave it out if you must, but it persuades the raspberries to release their sweet juices and it's what makes these parfaits boozy. Who says the drinks get to have all the fun at brunch? I don't. Here's how to make these...

Ingredients - Makes 4 Parfaits
2 Pints Fresh Raspberries
1/4 C Raspberry Preserves
1/3 C Chambord (raspberry flavored liquor)
3 C Plain Greek Yogurt (suggest Chobani; any % fat)
2 C Granola or Corn Flakes
Optional: Fresh Mint Springs for serving

Directions
Wash and dry the raspberries thoroughly. Reserve 3 berries to top each of the 4 parfaits; 12 total.

Macerate the berries: In a bowl, mix the remaining raspberries, raspberry preserves, and Chambord. Stir together, then set aside for about 10 minutes. Stir again, mashing the fresh berries a bit.

Build the parfaits: Put 1/3 C of yogurt in the bottom of a tall glass. Top with 3 T of the boozy berry mixture. Top that with 1/4 C granola or cereal. Repeat this layering once more. End with a dollop of yogurt and top with 3 of the reserved raspberries and a sprig of mint, if desired. Repeat to build the remaining parfaits.

To serve: Either serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour. Refrigerating much longer will result in squishy granola/cereal. Whatever time it is at your brunch table, rest assured, it is 5 o'clock somewhere. So, enjoy!