VPWL

Chocolate Fondue Cups

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This turned out to be a really fun way to do fondue for dessert.

Ingredients:

  • 3 c semi-sweet chocolate pieces (18 oz)
  • 1 ½ c heavy cream
  • ¼ c honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 10 oz packages Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells
  • Anything that would be good dipped in chocolate: small marshmallows, strawberries, banana slices, mandarin oranges, cherries, etc.

Directions:

  1. Place defrosted puff pastry shells on ungreased baking sheets with “top” facing up.
  2. Place pastry shells about 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
  3. Bake puff pastry shells in a preheated 425°F oven for 18 – 20 minutes.
  4. Remove and cool on rack for 5 minutes.
  5. Cut around “top” and remove. Press down pastry inside the shell.
  6. Heat chocolate pieces, heavy cream and honey in a heavy sauce pan over low heat until the mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally.
  7. Remove from heat stir in vanilla extract.
  8. Spoon chocolate into pastry shells on dessert plate.

Serve with fruit, etc next to shell.

Serves: 12

Source: Peppperidge Farm

Comment: You may substitute orange, coffee or raspberry flavored liqueur for the vanilla.

Roasted Winter Vegetable

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You can do this with any root vegetable, including the ones no one uses very often like turnips, rutabaga.  Kids will eat them because roasting brings out the sugar and they are slightly sweet.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ lbs carrots, peeled
  • 1 ½ lbs parsnips, peeled
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded
  • 5 Tab olive oil
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 3 Tab flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:Preheat oven to 425°.

  1. Cut vegetables in 1 to 1 ¼ inch cubes. They shrink so don’t cut too small.
  2. Place all the vegetables in a single layer on 2 baking sheets.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well
  4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all vegetables are tender, turning once with a spatula.
  5. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.

Comments: The more surface area you have directly touching the roasting pan or the hot air of the oven, the more caramelization you’re going to get, because it’s the outside of a piece of food that gets the most intense heat. So this means two things: 1) don’t pile your vegetables on top of one another — lay them out in one layer. And 2) how you cut your vegetables really matters. Tiny pieces will have more exposed surface area relative to their insides than big chunks.

Serves: 10 – 12

Source: Barefoot Contessa Family Style 2002

Gourmet November 2013

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VPWL GOURMET 2013-2014

CELEBRATE WORLD OF FLAVOR MONTH

November, 2013

Hors d’oeuvres
(Do not do this!!! It was expensive and not very good!)
National Fast Food Day
El Pollo Loco: Guacomole, Salsa, Salsa Rojo, Chips
Olive Garden: Hot Artichoke Dip
Chick-fil-A: Chick-n-Minis

First Course
National Pomegranate Month
Arugula, Orange, Pomegranate, & Goat Cheese Salad

Entrée
National Roasting Month
Cornish Hens with Sweet Vermouth Garlic Glaze
Roasted Vegetables


Dessert
National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
National Fun with Fondue Month
Chocolate Fondue Cups

Wine Suggestions
Celebrate a Wine Festival(See attached)

For cocktails: Flor Prosecco
For dinner:  Choose one of the Pinot Noirs below or have a Pino Noir tasting.
The Bucket #4, Russian River Valley 2012
McKinlay, Willamette Valley 2012
Hartley Ostini, Hitching Post Hometown, Santa Barbara 2012

WINE HOLIDAYS/FESTIVALS – NOVEMBER

Alexander, Dry Creek, & Russian River Valleys Wine & Food Affair
Barbados Food & Wine & Rum Festival
Big Sur Food & Wine Festival
Boca Raton Wine & Food Festival
Decanter Bordeaux Wine Encounter
Denver International Wine Festival
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Flavor! Napa Valley
France: Nouveau Beaujolais wine released – 3rd Thursdayy
Holiday Harvest Wine & Food Festival
Holiday Valley Beer & Wine Festival
Hospitality de los Carneros Festival
Howell Mountain Harvest Celebration
Long Beach Wine Blast
Madera Holiday Spirit Wine Festival
Merano Wine Festival & Culinaria
Portland Great American Wine Festival
San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival
Santa Barbara Wine of Dreams Festival
Seeing Red Wine Festival
SLO Wine’s Rockin Harvest on the Coast
Sonoma County Wine & Food Affair
Spokane Holiday Wine Fest
Temecula Harvest Celebration
Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival
Veneto Prosecco Festival
Vino Novello Festival
Walla Walla Fall Release Week Festival
Willamette Valley Wine Country Thanksgiving
Yosemite Vintners Holiday
November 15 is National Clean Out You Refrigerator Day
November 16 is National Fast Food Day
November 16 is Have a Party with your Bear Day
November 16 is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month
National Pepper Month
National Raisin Bread Month
National Banana Pudding Lovers Month
Greens and Plantains Month
National Fun with Fondue Month
National Good Nutrition Month
National Roasting Month
National Georgia Pecan Month
National Diabetes Month
National Apple Month
National Spinach and Squash Month
National Sweet Potato Awareness Month
Good Nutrition Month
Vegan Awareness Month
National Cookie Week
National Culinary Week
National Men Make Dinner Day (1st Thursday)
National Peanut Festival
National Pomegranate Month
National Roasting Month
National Split Pea Soup Week
National Slaughter Month
Switzerland: Onion Market (Zibelemarit)

 

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