Home for Dinner: Fresh Tastes, Quick Techniques, Easy Cooking - Couverture souple

CHOCOLATE TRIFLE

An elegant dessert that is quick to make and easy to eat. Buy a chocolate cake that can be thinly sliced to make the rounds, or make this as one large trifle.

1 plain chocolate cake
2 oranges, peeled and separated into segments
1/2 cup orange liqueur
11/2 cups whipping cream
8 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Candied orange rind (below)

Slice cake 3/4 inch thick and cut out eight rounds using 3-inch cookie cutter. Fit each round into individual glass bowl.

Place a few orange segments on each piece of cake. Pour 1 tbsp liqueur over each serving and let soak for 1 hour.

Bring cream to boil in small pot. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Remove from refrigerator and whisk until cream holds soft peaks.

Spoon whipped cream onto oranges, completely covering them. Garnish with candied orange rind.
SERVES 8

CANDIED ORANGE RIND
Combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in small pot. Boil for 3 minutes or until slightly syrupy. Add slivered rind of 1 orange (do not include white pith) and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until translucent. Lift out rind with slotted spoon and dry on parchment paper.
HONEY GARLIC SPARERIBS

Honey garlic spareribs were a staple of our Chinese take-out dinners when I was growing up, so this is a re-creation of what is a comfort food for my family. Back ribs are meatier than side ones and a better choice for this dish.

3 lb back spareribs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup rice wine or white wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp Asian chili sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock or water

Trim spareribs and cut into racks of three ribs each. Place in roasting pan and season with salt and pepper.

Combine honey, rice wine, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, sugar, hoisin and chili sauce and pour over ribs. Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate for up to 8 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Stir stock into marinade and bake ribs for 1 hour or until tender, turning every 20 minutes and brushing with marinade. If marinade becomes too dry, add more stock or water; if it is too thin, reduce on stove over medium-high heat (the sauce should be thick but pourable).

Place ribs on platter. Pour sauce over ribs.
SERVES 4

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