Thyme in the Kitchen goes low brow - Dirt Cake

We have a restaurant here in Boise called Donnie Macs that features "Trailer Park Cuisine". We had an enjoyable "Friday Night Fun Night" a couple weeks ago. They have an old car hull in the middle of the restaurant with a table inside and we were lucky enough to get seated in the car. The kids loved it bouncing on the single wide seat w/o car seats or seat belts and hanging out the windows. By now you are wondering what my restaurant review has to do with Thyme in the Kitchen. Well, I thought I could add some low brow recipes to mix it up. Hopefully, I won't be banished from the blog but I suppose I might be chastised by Queen Dana. Sally Ryan gets credit for being my introduction to this Epicurean delight.

Flowerpot Cake (aka Dirt Cake)

Serves 10 to 12

1 medium-size flower pot (about 8 inches in diameter works well, or use two small pots about 6 inches in diameter)
1 garden trowel
3 large gummy or plastic worms
plastic flowers
1 16-ounce bag Oreo cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 4-serving-size boxes instant chocolate-fudge flavor pudding
3 cups milk1 12-ounce tub whipped topping, thawed

Crush cookies until they resemble potting soil, set aside. Cream butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Set aside. Combine pudding mix and milk until well blended, then fold in the whipped topping. Gently fold cream cheese and pudding mixtures together.
To put the cake together, layer 1/3 of the cookie crumbs followed by 1/2 the pudding mixture, 1/3/ of the crumbs, the rest of the pudding mixture and topping with the remaining cookie crumbs. Refrigerate 10 to 12 hours. About 1/2 hour before serving, remove from refrigerator and decorate with flowers. Serve by digging out portions with the trowel.

I have a couple more up my sleeve so stay tuned.

CHOCOLATE ORBIT (IDIOT) CAKE

This is another favorite of ours. It is easy to make, tastes great, and quests think you have outdone yourself. I have stolen the recipe from the Scharffenberger website and it appears they have stolen it from David Lebovitz. I was reading online about this cake. David Lebovitz wanted to name the cake in his book, Room for Dessert, the Chocolate Idiot Cake but he couldn't convince the editor. He argued that, "Any idiot could make it and it takes an idiot to mess it up."

It looks like there are a number of good recipes from the Scharffenberger website but this has been our tried and true. Obviously, the recipe calls for Scharffenberger chocolate which is a bit on the expensive side. I think they carry it at Trader Joes (we have yet to get one in Boise despite hundreds to thousands of Boisians lobbying for one). As I recall it was like 14$ worth of chocolate to make a cake. I have tried it with other chocolate and you can tell the difference. So, if you are feeling rich and decadent this is the recipe for you. A little bit goes a long way as it is very, well....... rich and decadent.

Recipe by David Lebovitz (from Room For Dessert)

9.75 ounces Scharffen Berger 62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate
7 ounces (two sticks minus 1 tablespoon) butter
5 eggs
1 cup sugar

Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan, and line the inside with a round of parchment paper.
Set a large bowl over a pan of simmering water to create a double boiler. Cut the butter and chocolate into small pieces and put them in the bowl to melt, whisking occasionally.
Whisk together the eggs and sugar in another bowl. Thoroughly whisk in the melted chocolate.
Pour the chocolate batter into the cake pan. Place it in a larger baking pan, and pour in warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake appears to have set and when you touch the center, your finger comes away clean.
Remove the cake from the water bath and cool completely before serving, plain or with gently whipped cream. This cake can be refrigerated for several days.
Serves 12 -14.

P.S. You can also make this for a topping or a bottoming. I find it is extra work and I just do a dusting of powdered sugar on the top which makes a nice contrast. I have done the Creme Anglaise and it is good.

Crème Anglaise

1/2 vanilla bean, split
6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk
6 egg yolks
Pinch of salt

makes 2 1/2 cups

1. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the milk in a heavy saucepan. Add the vanilla bean pod and the sugar and heat until the milk is warm but not simmering.
2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath--a bowl partially filled with ice, with another bowl nested inside it. Lightly whisk together the egg yolks in a separate bowl, then gradually add some of the warmed milk, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
3. Cook over low to moderate heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, always scraping the bottom, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.
4. Immediately strain the cooked custard through a fine sieve into the bowl set in the ice. Stir the creme anglaise with a clean spatula to cool it down. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Crème anglaise will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Oreo Balls

1 pkg Oreo cookies

1 - 8 oz. pkg cream cheese

Dipping Chocolate

Crush Oreo cookies til they become fine crumbs. (I put them in my food processor) Put into mixing bowl with softened cream cheese & beat til smooth. Shape into 1" balls. Place in a plastic container & freeze til firm. If you need to layer them, put wax paper or plastic wrap between layers.

Melt dipping chocolate on low heat. (I use Wilton's Candy Melts) Add 1-2 tsp shortening while melting. Dip ball into melted chocolate & place on wax paper to dry. Return balls to freezer or refrigerator. They soften quickly.

I get the colored Wilton Candy Melts from Michaels. Wal-Mart carries them also but usually only the white or brown chocolate. Wilton Candy Melts have the smoothest results.

Credit to "Genealogy Cuzin", Ellen in Illinois

Kraft Fantasy Fudge

This is the fudge my dad makes every year... we just made some last night--delish! We make it in the microwave and we use milk chocolate chips. 3 cups sugar 3/4 cup butter or margarine 2/3 cup evaporated milk 1 12-oz. (340 g) package semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme 1 cup chopped nuts 1 teaspoon vanilla

Traditional method:
Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts & vanilla beat till blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.

Microwave method:
Microwave margarine in 4-quart microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) 1 minute or until melted. Add sugar and milk; mix well. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes. Mix well; scrape bowl. Continue microwaving on HIGH 5-1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes. Stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares. Makes 3 pounds.

Thanks to Christmas-Cookie.com