Chocolate Mousse & Salted Caramel Trifle

What do egg yolks, baby pacifiers, butter, salt, and Dr. Spock all have in common - they come and they go - in and out of favor.  What was good for the goose of 1950 is not necessarily good for the gander of 2015 and one thing that the experience of living and eating long does is help you gain a bit of perspective to calmly ride the waves of favor in health, attitudes and cuisine.  That's why I was never too concerned when eggs were called the devil, when butter wore the horns of evil for many years for I knew the trident of "no-no-no' would pass on from those products to others as scientific investigation and experimentation have led us from one fad to another.  The influential "they" will decide eventually, when people just become tired of eating tofu, or pretending to like green slimy shakes that moderation was always a moderate guide anyway.  My hat goes off to those who are committed to a righteous cause, nutritional or otherwise, who exhibit the will power to follow what they consider a just cause....but if your cause is "just cause" and this is one of those moderation times, and this recipe, the extreme that sets the average at moderate, try this dessert and be grateful that fresh cream has had a resurgence.  Lovely, luscious chocolate; creamy, caramel, smooth and silky; layers that ribbon through one another and round about chunks of chocolate cake to glaze the inside of a glass container with whispy promises of the chocolate divine!  Of course this was often one of my daughter's birthday favorites, she being a connoisseur of all things delicious. My Israeli friend's mother made something similar, she called parfait but which I would have called trifle - either way, you will definitely want more than a trifle and it is one dessert that is simply "pairfait" (perfect)!
     Can we now talk about salt....as in the salt in butter, as in the salt in doughs and pastries, as in the salt in caramel - can you believe that there was an entire generation committed to the notion of "no salt is good salt"; in fact, my "Better Homes and Gardens" recipe book of the 1980's took all salt out of the baking recipes, and not long after, the word "butter" became taboo and margarine slipped in as the healthier choice in cookbooks of the times.  I tried to care enough to resist using the $.08 a pound butter we could get off the U.S. Navy ships that visited Tunis and regardless of what anyone said I was such a fan of the depth of flavor and richness that salt lends to sweets as well as savories when a friend asked me why the biscuits he made were so bland, I knew the answer. The day my doctor told me I needed more salt in my diet, I readily agreed I could make that sacrifice. So hold on for the ride, keep your moderate perspective, especially as you watch this dessert come and go.  It's a perfect way to go!

Chocolate Caramel Trifle:

1 chocolate cake, broken into small pieces and left to dry out on the counter for several hours.

Chocolate Mousse:

  9 eggs, separated

  2/3 cup sugar

  6 oz. milk chocolate bar

  4 oz semi or bitter sweet chocolate bar

  1 cup whipping cream

  1 tab. vanilla extract

 -Cream egg yolks with sugar by beating on medium high speed      -Melt chocolate in microwave (at 30 second intervals on high speed until melted) or in saucepan over lowest heat. Allow to cool 10 minutes.
 - Stir chocolate into egg yolks with mixer running on low speed with 1 tab. vanilla.

 - In a clean medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites until very     stiff  (about 5 minutes)– set aside.

 -Whip cream in another medium mixing bowl until soft peaks form.

 -Add whipped cream and egg whites to chocolate mixture,  and fold mixture together gently until chocolate is blended in (a few strikes of white may remain).

 - Chill about 30 minutes, until slightly set up.

Caramel Sauce:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 square butter

1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. fleur de sel salt or kosher salt

-Over medium heat, combine butter, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar,

 and karo syrup, until boiling, stirring frequently.

-Cook, stirring constantly, to softball stage.  Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. vanilla and salt.  Let cool to room temperature.

To Assemble:  In glass trifle dish, crumble half of the cake, to cover the bottom of dish. Spread half the chocolate mousse over the cake crumbs. Drizzle with half the caramel sauce. Repeat layers. Garnish with piped whipped cream and/or chocolate leaves.  Sprinkle top layer of caramel with a pinch of salt, if desired.

Persnickety P.S.:
**  I generally use a prepared chocolate cake mix and whip up my own, but buying already baked brownies or chocolate pound cake "takes the cake" for ease, though these make for a richer, sweeter dessert.  For a lighter dessert, use chocolate angel food or chocolate chiffon cake.

**To add another variety of texture, crush whole oreo cookies and sprinkle the crumbs as another layer on top of the caramel layers.  Zahra's favorite way! 

Greek Salad Supper

Greek Salad - fresh, firm tomatoes, sweet crunchy cucumbers, tangy feta cheese, and puckery olives. The best ones taste so fresh, with crisp vegetables still vibrant with an inherent sweetness "from the vine" and tossed with a vinaigrette just before you eat it so that the vegetables are truly just dressed as opposed to saturated.  One of our memorable family adventures entailed driving from Rotterdam, in the Netherlands to Amman, Jordan, a journey of 2 1/2 weeks and a wonderful way to show our children Europe, so we thought. Several years later, they say it's still too soon to ask but they realize that it should have been an adventure of a lifetime: however, Europe was particularly hot that summer, seven of us shared space in a car that comfortably seats five, everyone was allowed only 2 changes of clothing for the entire trip.....and by the time we made it to Greece, they were just looking for a McDonald's. An iconic picture we have of them sitting in the shadows of the Parthenon, shows them with their chins in their hands, wondering if they were having fun yet.  Eating time seemed to liven them up and the greek salad served alongside gyro and souvlaki helped bring them around.  We discovered the best way to make the decision as to "what's for dinner" while traveling was to assign each family member a day to choose the restaurant or cafe where we would eat, which made everyone happy except for our son who ate only plain rice, (which was a no-go if a garnish of parsley had been added) or pizza with no lumps in the sauce.  Greek Salad did nothing for him (no vegetable passed his lips until he was 18) and it's a miracle he survived that trip.  This recipe takes the basic Greek Salad to new heights resulting in a complete "supper" that is ridiculously abundant and succulent with beautiful colors. Anything and everything that happily teams with the basic salad ingredients is included and is my husband's favorite dinner.  The potato salad is lean, cleanly uncomplicated and enhanced with grilled shrimp (careful on the grill - 2 minutes per side usually does it) This is a beautiful and impressive dish to take to a BBQ dinner, so fresh and light - and doesn't require a 2-week car trip to Greece!

Greek Salad Supper
5 red potatoes
2 tab. each minced parsley and green onion
2 tab. olive oil
1 tab. red wine vinegar
salt and freshly group pepper to taste
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 - 10 iceberg lettuce leaves to line serving platter
2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges or 12 - 14 small tomatoes left 
        whole or cut in half
1 avocado, halved, peeled and sliced
1 English cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch spears
1 large green pepper, seeded and sliced into 1/2 inch spears
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 pound cheese, cheddar, provolone, or jack, cut into 1/2 inch 
         by 3 inch lengths
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in wedges
1/4 pound ham, cut into 1/2 inch by 3 inch lengths
fresh lemon wedges
1/2 pound medium raw shrimp, (fresh or frozen)
      peeled and deveined,  marinated in olive oil, garlic 
      and lemon juice for 30 minutes, and then grilled, 
      2 minutes on each side.

-Cook, peel and dice potatoes and while still warm, toss with parsley, green onion, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper: stir in mayonnaise.  Chill until ready to serve.

-Arrange lettuce leaves on large platter.  Mound potatoes in the center, arrange tomato wedges, cucumber, green pepper, onion, ham, cheese, avocado, eggs and black olives on the lettuce bed around potato salad.  Arrange grilled shrimp on top of potato salad and garnish with a dash of paprika. Chill salad until ready to serve.  Serve with dressing and lemon wedges.  Makes 6 servings.

Vinaigrette Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper

-Combine ingredients and let sit at room temperature 1 hour.
Serve alongside salad.

Persnickety P.S.:
     **A loaf of crunchy country type bread goes nicely with the salad.
     **Lemon juice may be substituted for the vinegar in the salad dressing - more Greek in nature 
         - but more tart than vinegar.  If using lemon juice start with 3 tablespoons, then dip in a piece
         of lettuce, taste and add more lemon juice if desired.

Peanut-Peanut Butter-Hidden Treasure Chocolate Chip Cookies

We are all intimately acquainted with the chocolate chip cookie (invented 1930) and everyone is entitled to their favorite version for as my mother always said, "in taste there is no dispute":  thick and chewy, thin and crispy, thick and cakey, thin and crunchy, lots of chips, semi-sweet, milk or white, with walnuts, with oatmeal, perhaps raisins.... Our favorite is "hidden treasures" thus named because the chips are coated with batter and hiding in the interior of the cookies, which you discover when biting into the slightly chewy yet crispy texture. This recipe is precisely a treasure and if you are somewhat skeptical and convinced they won't measure up to your high standards, may I plead with you to keep an open mind and try them - (I know, you've heard that one before, as when someone is trying to convince you that rabbit tastes just like chicken - just try it!)  The development of this recipe involved late night empty tummies - perhaps not so much empty as craving - while watching the Barcelona Summer Olympics on T.V. and one too few eggs for the standard chocolate chip cookie recipe and ultimately, a gain of 15 pounds over the course of two weeks of olympic watching - I don't remember if that was on one body or three and am afraid to consider the answer.  Since peanut butter has come on the scene (invented 1895) most of us have been persuaded to consider the combo with chocolate a staple (thank you Reeses).  I added the peanuts and peanut butter to this recipe on an inspired whim. See how you think these cookies measure up and if you can't be swayed to call this recipe a "treasure" or find that the results are not to your preferred texture, don't try to convince me.  My mind's already made up and as Mom said, "to each his own."  I wonder if she would consider this recipe a treasure?

Peanut-Peanut Butter-Hidden Treasure Cookies

1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4  cup whole roasted peanuts
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup raw sugar for dusting, mixed with 1/2 tsp. sel de mer or
         coarse kosher salt

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-In a large mixing bowl thoroughly cream butter, shortening, peanut butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. 

-Mix in salt, soda, and flour, until well blended.  Stir in peanuts and chocolate chips.

-Roll dough lightly into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and gently push down on each cookie.  Sprinkle small amount of raw sugar on the top of each cookie.  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until golden around the edges and slightly puffy on top, and beginning to crack.  Remove from oven and place cookies to cool on a wire rack.

-Makes 2 dozen cookies.