Raspberry Chocolate Cake

1 cups plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 3/8 cups of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of Raspberry jar (seedless)
4 large eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
confectioners sugar and fresh raspberries


Preheat oven 350

Butter and flour 9 inch road cake pan or spring form pan.
In a large bowl mix the cocoa and sugar, melt the butter and jam in a saucepan over low heat, making sure not to burn, stir in sugar and cocoa mixture.

Cool 5 minutes

Add one egg at a time to the mixture and blend until smooth.  Add flour, salt and vanilla and blend until mixed well.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, reduce the meat to 325 and bake 45 minutes or until toothpick test insertedin center comes out clean. or moist crumbs.  Cool for 1 hour, turn onto a cake plate and let stand another hour.

Warm more jam and brush onto cake, top with fresh raspberries and dust with confectioners sugar.

Holiday Peanut Butter Pie

Pie crust:

1 1/2 chocolate graham cracker crumbs
7-8 tablespoons of butter melted
1/4 cup sifted confectioner sugar

Filling:

1 cup  creamy peanut butter
1 cup confectioner sugar
8 oz Mascarpone cheese (room temp)
1 1/2 vanilla extract or almond
1 cup heavy cream, whipped till firm
1/4 cup mini chocolate morsels
1/4 cup pecans which have been chopped and toasted
1/4 cup English Toffee bits

1 jar of Chocolate sauce (heated to so your able to pour)

Preheat oven 350

Add melted butter  and 1/4 cup confectioners sugar into the crumbs and mix well.  Place crumbs into a 9 inch pie pan.  Bake crust for 12 minutes, then remove from oven and cool.


In a large bowl cream peanut butter, 1 cup confectioners sugar, Mascarpone cheese and extract. 
Mix at medium until mixture is combined well. Slowly add cream and chocolate morsels and evenly spread into crust.

Sprinkle the pecans and English toffee bits over the top of the pie.  Drizzle all chocolate sauce over the top of the pie and chill until firm and ready to serve.

Holiday Crostini Steak

1 pound of lion boneless strip steak
1 french baguette
1/4 cup oil oil
1 jar of mustard  (specialty mustard)
1/4 cup blue cheese
Parsley


Broil the steak as you like, after cooked cut thinly

Cut French Bread into 24 slices and brush both sides of each with olive oil.  Place toasts on a baking sheet under the broiler until golden on each side.

Spread each slice with mustard, on one side only, then layer with a piece of steak and then with crumbled blue cheese and parsley serve at room temp. 

Black Bean and Corn Salad side dish

1 can 15 oz of black Bean,  rinse and drain
1 jar jar spicy corn relish
1 ripe avocado, peeled, cored and cut up
3/4 to a cup of cherry tomatoes or sliced regular tomatoes
5 oz Monterey Jack cheese cut into cubes
2 tablespoons of cilantro chopped

Combine all ingredients together and serve.   This is a nice Thanksgiving side dish

Scallops

1 1/2 tablespoons salt free butter
1 teaspoon of garlic oil
2 slices of Proscuitto chopped
24 Large Scallops
1 shallot chopped
4-6 tablespoons of mustard
3/4-1 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of chives
2 tablespoons of parsley

Melt butter and  heat oil on low heat in a large saute pan, begin to saute Proscuitto until crispy but not burned, remove and set to one side.

Pat scallops dry, to prevent oil spitting back at you, and saute until golden.  Remove the scallops from the pan and cover to keep warm.  In the same pan add, shallots and saute until soften, use more oil if it becomes reduced.  Add mustard and stir for about 40 seconds lightly whisk in the heavy cream together with the mustard mix.  When nicely blended add the proscuitto and Scallops and all juices.

Warm slowly and season to taste with salt and pepper if desired, sprinkle with chives and parsley.