Desserts
Tangerine Balsamic & Blood Orange Dark Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
1 stick (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter
4 Tbs. + 1 tsp. Blood Orange extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
6 oz. 60%+ dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbs. Tangerine Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
5 large eggs, whisked
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 325. Using a teaspoon of the blood orange extra virgin olive oil, grease a 9 x 13″ baking pan. Line the pan with a strip of parchment, cut to overhang the long sides of the pan.
Directions
In a large bowl set over a double boiler, slowly melt the butter with the dark chocolate. Stir constantly until completely melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the blood orange fused extra virgin olive oil, eggs, tangerine balsamic, orange zest and sugar. Mix until well combined. Whisk together the flour and cocoa powder and add to the wet ingredients. Fold until there are no visible dry spots.
Scrape the batter in to the prepared baking pan. Bake on the center rack of the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out with very moist crumbs adhering. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then lift out using the parchment and cool completely before cutting.
Makes about 24 brownies
Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
3 Cups all-purpose flour 3 tbsp. Grated lemon zest
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
4 Large cold eggs plus 1 cold egg yolk
2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup Vanilla Soy Milk
1 Cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans or line with parchment. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly in a large bowl and sift together. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the sugar, lemon olive oil, lemon zest and vanilla on high speed until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat for 3-5 minutes until mixture is thick and pale yellow. In a small bowl, combine the soy milk and sour cream. Stop the mixer and pour in half of the soy milk mixture. Beat until blended. Repeat with half of the flour, followed by the remaining soy milk mixture and then the remaining flour. Scrape the batter into the two loaf pans.
Bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool the pans on a rack.
Lemon Glaze
1 Cup powdered sugar
Grate of one lemon and the juice of that lemon.
Combine all three ingredients. Add more powdered sugar if the glaze is too runny.
While pound cake is cooling on the rack, drizzle the glaze on top of cake while it’s still warm.
Strawberry Balsamic Reduction
1/2 Cup Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Pour the vinegar into a small saucepan and place over medium heat. When vinegar heats to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and reduce vinegar by half, 1 – 2 minutes. Combine the honey, lemon juice and vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk in warm vinegar. Serve with the lemon olive oil pound cake.
Red Wine and Aged Vanilla Balsamic Poached Pears with Honey Cinnamon Mascarpone
For The Pears
4 medium, firm pears such as Bosc or D’Anjou peeled, cored and halved
A bottle of fruity red wine such as Malbec or Pinot
1 cup Aged Vanilla Balsamic
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup granulated sugar
For The Mascarpone
1 8oz. container mascarpone
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a medium, heavy saucepan mix the red wine, balsamic, sugar, cinnamon stick and star anise. Bring to a simmer and reduce by 1/3 (about 15 minutes). Place the pear halves in to the hot poaching liquid and simmer for 25 minutes or until the pear halves are vivid red and tender when pierced with a knife tip. Chill the pears in the poaching liquid. Meanwhile, make the honey-mascarpone. Using a stand mixer or in a medium mixing bowl, whip the mascarpone, honey and cinnamon together until light and airy. Serve the chilled pears with a dollop of mascarpone.