Spiked Cherry & Chocolate Trifle (serves 6)
Ingredients:
One, store bought, chocolate pudding cake
One can whipped cream
2/3 cup Toasted almonds (optional)
4 cups fresh cherries
1/2 cup water
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 T brown sugar
1 T lemon juice
4 T sugar
6 T brandy
Drunken Cherries (makes 3 cups)
– great on yogurt or ice cream too!
Use a cherry pitter to remove seeds from cherries. Combine all ingredients and simmer until cherries are soft but not falling apart. This should take approximately 15 minutes. Cool and keep in fridge until ready to use! Should keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Can be frozen.
Assembly:
In a wine or martini glass layer cake, cherries liquid, whipped cream and almonds. Do again. Top with almonds and chocolate shavings.
Salmon Coulibiac (serves 4)
Serve with Hollandaise sauce -any easy versions can be found online or buy powder mix at store.
Ingredients:
4, 6 oz salmon filets (skim removed)
1 lb baby spinach
1 lb assorted mushrooms
1 package puff pastry
1 egg
4 cloves garlic, Minced
1 large shallot, diced
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 T unsalted butter
3/4 tsp dried thyme
Preheat oven to 425. Remove puff pastry from freezer. Sweat 2 cloves of garlic in 2 T olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Drain well and set aside. Chop mushrooms very small. Sweat 1/4 cup of diced shallots and 1 clove of minced garlic in 2 T butter (medium sauté pan). Turn up heat and add mushrooms. Cook until they are soft and moisture released has evaporated. Add 3/4 tsp. dried thyme and 2 T heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Trim salmon into squares by removing thinner part of filet. Season with salt and pepper.
Flour a cutting board. Roll out puff pastry with rolling pin until slightly thinner and smooth. Cute into fourths. Place mushroom and small amount of spinach in center square . Top with salmon. Repeat with spinach and mushrooms. Cut puff pastry one inch larger than salmon. Cut a square for the top that is slightly smaller than the bottom. Fold bottom of pastry over top to seal. Brush with egg wash and top with any puff pastry cut outs. Brush cut outs with egg wash as well. Cook on lower rack until pastry is golden (about 15 minutes). Cover with foil if becoming too dark. Serve with Hollandaise sauce for a deliciously indulgent treat!
For more recipes and a list of locations where you can buy Chef Jenn’s products, visit her website.
