Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

Yield
1 (8-inch) cake or 8 parfaits

Ingredients
* 1 (18.25-ounce) package devil's food cake mix without pudding
* 2 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
* 1 (10-ounce) package peanut butter morsels
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
* 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
* Garnish: chopped roasted peanuts


Preparation
Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour into 2 lightly greased 8-inch round cakepans. Bake according to package directions. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely.

Combine 2/3 cup whipping cream and peanut butter morsels in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until morsels melt and mixture is smooth; remove saucepan from heat. Stir in vanilla extract, and cool 25 minutes.

Beat 1 1/3 cups whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stir one-third whipped cream into peanut butter mixture. Fold into remaining whipped cream. Spread between cake layers; cover and chill.

Bring remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1 tablespoon butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Add chocolate morsels; remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until morsels melt and mixture is smooth.

Pour glaze over cake; garnish, if desired. Serve warm, or chill and serve at room temperature.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse Parfaits: Cut cooled cake layers into cubes. Layer 8 Parfait glasses evnly with two-thirds peanut butter mixture, cake cubes, and half of cocolate mixture. Top with remaining peanut butter mixture and chocolate mixture; sprinkle each parfait with chopped peanuts, if desired.

source by:myrecipes.com
recipes by:Southern Living
Photo: J. Savage Gibson; Styling: Trinda Gage

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Cranberry Jam Tart

Notes: You can make the jam mixture (step 1) and the dough (step 2) for this tart up to 3 days ahead; cover separately and chill.

Yield
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
* 12 ounces fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
* About 1 3/4 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup apple juice
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 3/4 cup raspberry jam (about 6 oz.)
* 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature
* 2 large egg yolks
* 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt


Preparation
1. Sort cranberries, discarding any stems and bruised or decayed fruit; rinse and drain berries. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium heat, stir cranberries, 1 cup sugar, apple juice, and lemon juice occasionally until berries have broken down and released their juices and mixture is bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in jam and cook 1 minute longer. Whirl mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. Press through a fine strainer into a bowl, extracting as much liquid as possible with the back of a spoon or a spatula; discard seeds and skins. Cover and chill until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days (see notes).

2. With a mixer, beat butter with 3/4 cup sugar until smooth; beat in egg yolks. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Divide dough into two slightly unequal portions. Wrap the larger portion in plastic and flatten into a rectangular shape. Press the smaller portion over bottom and up sides, to rim, of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable rim. Chill wrapped dough and tart shell until firm, at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days (see notes).

3. Spoon jam mixture into tart shell and spread level.

4. Unwrap the second portion of dough and place on a lightly floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough into a shape that closely approximates an 8- by 10-inch rectangle. With a knife or fluted cutter, cut dough into eight 1- by 10-inch strips. Arrange four strips over filling about 1 inch apart. Place remaining strips over tart at a 45° angle to the first set of strips. Trim edges flush with dough in pan. Sprinkle top of tart lightly with sugar.

5. Place tart on an uninsulated baking sheet and bake on the lower rack of a 350° regular or convection oven, rotating tart halfway through baking time, until top is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 604 (37% from fat)
Protein: 5.1g
Fat: 25g (sat 15)
Carbohydrate: 94g
Fiber:2.8g
Sodium: 380mg
Cholesterol: 115mg

source by:myrecipes.com
recipes by:Sunset
photo:James Carrier

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Maple Nut-Filled Dates

After a day of skiing, Leslie Freeman wanted a bite of something quick, rich, and sweet. She came up with these cheese-filled dates, which make a great appetizer or après-ski snack. She uses Bellwether Farms' flavorful, creamy crescenza cheese, made in Sonoma County. You can substitute another soft cheese, such as teleme or brie. PREP AND COOK TIME: About 15 minutes

Yield
Makes 20 date halves; 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
* 10 Medjool dates
* 1/4 cup soft cheese (see note above)
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/4 cup maple syrup


Preparation
1. Cut dates in half lengthwise and remove pits. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon cheese into the cavity of each date half. Arrange dates on a serving plate.

2. Melt butter in a 1- to 2-quart pan over low heat, then increase heat to medium and cook until butter is foamy and starting to brown. Add nuts and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add syrup and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

3. Lift nuts from the syrup with a slotted spoon and press a few pieces into the soft cheese in each date. Drizzle syrup over the dates and serve warm.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 114 (35% from fat)
Protein: 1.8g
Fat: 4.4g (sat 1.5)
Carbohydrate: 18g
Fiber: 1.3g
Sodium: 41mg
Cholesterol: 5.1mg

source by:myrecipes.com
recipes by:Leslie Freeman, Boise, ID, Sunset
photo:Christina Schmidhofer

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