Happy Easter!

I am probably going to take some flack for this, but I'm doing an early Easter post. I got in the Easter mood on Sunday. It was my first day off in a while. I had planned to have D decorate his Easter Bunny Hutch, which he did. I think he did a nice job with it. I let him use the leftover decorators icing from the Blue & Gold cupcakes we made last week. We used that as a base for the green tinted coconut "grass."

I also managed to make colorful 24-karate gold Easter eggs, for my Easter Egg Ferris wheel. D wasn't interested in helping me with these for whatever reason. No matter. Don't you just love my cute little Easter Egg Ferris Wheel!! I bought it last year at either Michael's or Joanne's and it just sat in my basement. I really wanted to use it last year but I never got time to color the eggs. I really loved the 24-karat gold Easter Egg Coloring Kit I got this year. It was so great. My only complaint is that since the metallic gold paint is essentially yellow, you can't get all the colors right. When I added blue food coloring to the metallic paint it turned green and the purple (i.e. mixing red and blue) just became black. I don't know how this could be avoided unless the company just made a clear metallic paint and packaged that along with the faux gold. It really didn't bother me to much but you'll notice I don't have any purple or blue eggs in my Ferris Wheel.

Another thing we did Sunday was make Jello Jiggler Easter Eggs and Jello Jiggler Jelly Beans. It seems to me that for a family that doesn't eat Jello any other time of the year, we get obsessed with Jello at Easter time. In fact, D was thumbing through my old "Magic of Jello" cookbook. I have no idea where I got this Jello cookbook. It might have come from my mom or maybe I bought it on Ebay and blocked it out of my mind. I'm really not sure but sometimes he wants to make a recipe out of it. This time, it was a fairly easy and not too disgusting recipe for something called "Jell-O Refreshers". They were pretty good, actually. I ate one and he ate two (on different nights) which is a rarity for him. Once we have a dinner or dessert rarely does he go back for the leftovers on another night. I, on the other hand, could eat the same thing every night as long as it is something I love. But I digress..... I really wanted to give you this "awesome" (ha ha) recipe for this dessert. It is really easy to make and not bad at all. I'm going to guess that kids would love it since D did.

I'm starting to think that maybe I should have titled this post the Happy Jello post instead of the Happy Easter post because now I'm gonna tell you all a big secret. . . we visited the Jello Museum in LeRoy, New York about 3 or 4 years ago. OMG! Yes, it is true. We were visiting B's family in Rochester so we were only about half an hour away. D couldn't wait to see the Jello Museum, he was so excited. It was interesting and very inexpensive. If you are ever in that area, you should stop in at the Jello Museum and have a look. Just don't tell anyone. . .

Jell-O Refreshers

Prep time: 5 minutes

Chill time: 3 hours

1 pkg (4 serving size) Jello Gelatin Dessert, any flavor (we used black cherry)

1 cup boiling water

1 cup cold carbonated beverage (we used cola)

(1) Dissolve the Jello in boiling water. Cool to room temperature

(2) Add carbonated beverage and chill in dessert dishes (we used wine glasses) until set, about 3 hours.

Makes 4 servings

SUGGESTED COMBINATIONS:

- Lime Jello with ginger ale

- Orange Jello with root beer

- Cherry Jello with cola

TIP: Cool down the gelatin mixture to room temperature before adding the carbonated beverage if you want to maintain the carbonation.

The Creative Cook

Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart

I attended a neighborhood womens' wine tasting event last night. The theme was France. Therefore, I felt compelled to make a French dessert. I found a recipe by Paul Grimes that was in Gourmet Magazine. It looked awesome. It tasted really good, too. My friend V told me that it was really rich and chocolaty but not too sweet. That was her take on it. I agree. A few of the elements of this recipe did not work for me. I would make it again with some changes. First of all, I don't own a 9-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and probably never will. I do own a ceramic 9-inch round fluted tart pan so I opted to use that. It was heavy to tote around to the event but it didn't change the taste of the tart in any way. The next thing I want to mention is the crust. I think it needed several more than the 9 chocolate graham crackers that the recipe calls for. Next time I am going to use 12 chocolate grahams and another tablespoon or two of the melted butter. I had read in the comments of the recipe that the crust "fell short" so I guess this is what they meant. It just didn't fill the pie pan to make a real crust around the sides. I don't think it mattered much except for the "look" of the tart. Then when I started making the glaze, I realized it wasn't thin enough. It didn't really spread well. Again, next time I would definitely make the glaze thinner with more cream and corn syrup. It tasted fine though. It was not a difficult dessert to make. I made it when I got home from a day at work. Fortunately for me the event didn't start until 8:00 pm so I had some time to let the tart sit. I think everyone at the event was on a diet so there was a lot left of the tart. I sent some home with V for her husband and daughter. I was even able to take a piece home for B and D to taste. It is something like a brownie or a flourless chocolate cake with a rich dark chocolaty taste. Give this recipe a try when you have a "yen" for chocolate. I guarantee it will hit the spot.

CHOCOLATE-GLAZED CHOCOLATE TART
Serves 8 to 10
Active Time: 30 Minutes
Start to Finish: 2-3/4 hours (includes cooling)

FOR CRUST:

9 (5- by 2-1/4-inch) chocolate graham crackers (not chocolate-covered), finely ground (1 cup)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

FOR FILLING:

1-1/4 cups heavy cream
9 oz bittersweet chocolate (not more than 65% cocoa if marked), chopped
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

FOR GLAZE:
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1-3/4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon warm water

EQUIPMENT: a 9-inch found fluted tart pan (1 inch deep) with removable bottom

MAKE CRUST:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle.

Stir together all ingredients and press evenly into bottom and 3/4 inch up the side of tart pan. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack 15 to 20 minutes.

MAKE FILLING:

Bring cream to a boil, then pour over chocolate in a bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Whisk together eggs, vanilla, and salt in another bowl, then stir into melted chocolate.

Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake until filling is set about 3 inches from edge but center is still wobbly, 20 to 25 minutes. (Center will continue to set as tart cools.) Cool completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour.

MAKE GLAZE:

Bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in corn syrup, then warm water.

Pour glaze onto tart, then tilt and rotate tart so glaze coats top so glaze coats top evenly. Let stand until glaze is set, about 1 hour.

COOK'S NOTE: Tart is the best the day it is made but can be made, without glaze, 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before glazing.

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook