Woman's Day: Chocolate-Orange Tart

I remember when someone online (Facebook? Reddit?) mentioned this tart.  They were searching for the original recipe because theirs seemed wrong somehow.  And the more I thought about it, the more I remembered how much I love orange marmalade, and the more this tart sounded delicious.  So of course I found my way to the original recipe so that I could also partake.  And it's definitely worth it.

Note: I opted not to make candied orange peel this time around, so I can't vouch for that part of the recipe.  Mine came in a bag from Amazon.

Chocolate-Orange Tart
From Woman's Day magazine, September 2003

1¾ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (13 to 14 whole crackers)
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted, cooled and finely chopped
⅓ cup granulated sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1½ cups heavy cream, divided use
4 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, divided use
⅔ cup sweet orange marmalade
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Candied Orange Peel

Heat oven to 350°F. Have ready a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, chopped almonds, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl until moistened. Press over bottom and up pan sides. Bake 15minutes or until lightly browned around edges.

Heat chocolate chips and 1 cup cream in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, stir in 3 tablespoons of the liqueur and let stand 15 minutes.

Meanwhile spread marmalade over bottom of crust. Pour on chocolate mixture; refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Shortly before serving, remove pan sides. Beat remaining 1⁄2 cup cream and 1 tablespoon liqueur and the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Spoon into a pastry bag; pipe around edge of tart. Garnish with candied orange peel.

Candied Orange Peel

Using a vegetable peeler, remove orange part of peel from 1 orange in 2-inch lengths. Cut in long, narrow strips. Cook in boiling water 1 minute, drain, then cook in light corn syrup to cover about 2 minutes until translucent. Lift peel from syrup with a fork; roll in sugar and place on oiled wax paper to dry. To curl strips, twist them around wooden skewers before drying.

Food Network Kitchen: Copycat Zuppa Toscana

I've been on a bit of a soup kick lately.  Not sure exactly why since the sun is still intently cooking us here in Texas.  Maybe I'm subconsciously wishing for cooler weather.  Whatever it is, I figured I should try to make one of the most recognized soups there is - Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana.  It's been a while since I've had the original, but this version is perfectly delicious and satisfying.

Note: Original recipe called for 6 cups chicken broth and 2½ pounds of potatoes, but it wasn't enough broth and was too much potato, so I've adjusted below.  It also called for sweet Italian sausage, but hot is better.  I also added about 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt.  I know the white wine vinegar sounds weird, but you can't taste it, it just makes the soup better in a vague way.

Copycat Zuppa Toscana
Adapted from Food Network Kitchen

4 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
4 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds), unpeeled and cut into ¼-inch slices

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large white onion, diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken broth
6 cups curly kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon; set aside to drain. Add the Italian sausage to the drippings and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Add the potatoes, garlic, and onion to the drippings and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender and cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

 
Add the kale, heavy cream, bacon and sausage and cook over medium heat until the kale is tender, another 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar just before serving.

Makes 12 cups

Butternut Bakery: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Every once in a while I get a craving for some warm banana bread.  Straight out of the oven.  Ideally with pockets of melted chocolate.  And I keep trying new recipes to see what different ingredients do for the bread as a whole.  Looking for the perfect banana bread.  But if I'm really honest, they're all perfectly delicious, especially slathered in butter.

Note: The original recipe did not have pecans, but I added them because yum.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adapted from Butternut Bakery blog

1½ cups ripe and mashed banana (around 3 to 4 medium bananas)

½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup mini chocolate chips + a handful more for sprinkling on top

½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 325°F and grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.  In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugars until you reach a paste-like consistency. This may take some vigorous whisking for a minute or two. You can either use a whisk or an electric mixer with the paddle attachment.  Add in your mashed bananas followed by the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla.

Once all of your wet ingredients are mixed together, fold in the dry ingredients. Then, fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.  Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread it even. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top if you like.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let it cool completely before removing from the pan. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container.