Rosie Is Published!

Please check out Rosie's article in the Albemarle Tradewinds.

Rosie Makes A Mean Crab Chowder.

Mr. Hawthorne came home with some nice crabs from Billy's Seafood. 

Put 'em in a big pot.  Add about an inch of water.  Cover, bring to boil, and cook for about 12 minutes.  Serve with melted butter and lemon and that's some mighty fine eatin'!

We had around seven crabs leftover and Mr. Hawthorne wanted me to make a Crab Meat Chowder.  I was more than happy to comply.  As he began picking the crabs, Mr. H. grumbled on about how he always gets the "shit detail."

Not my job!

 Rosie's Crab Meat Chowder

1 TB unsalted butter

1 TB olive oil

1 medium potato, small dice

1 small yellow onion, small dice

1 small red onion, small dice

1 1/2 stalks celery, small dice

2 TB unsalted butter

3 TB flour

2 cups fish stock (homemade preferably)

4 fresh bay leaves or 2 dried 

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

approximately 8-10 ounces crab meat  (meat of 7 large #1 crabs)

3 TB sherry, or to taste
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

fresh thyme

Melt 1 TB butter with 1 TB oil in stock pot over medium heat.  Add in vegetables and cook, stirring with a wooden spatula, for about 2 minutes.  Add in 2 TB butter and when melted, sprinkle in flour.  Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes to get the raw taste out of the flour.  Slowly add in fish stock, whisking constantly.  Reduce heat to low and cook until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.  Add in heavy cream and heat through.  Add in sherry, taste test, and season with salt and pepper.  Right before serving, add in crab meat and heat through.  Be gentle so you don't break up the lumps of crab meat.  Sprinkle fresh thyme leaves over top and serve.

 You want a very fine dice.

Crab meat in every spoonful!
That's how you make a crab meat chowder.

Rosie Makes Homesick Texan's Mexican Coffee Ice Cream Pie.

Every now and then,

I see a recipe I MUST recreate.

Such was the case when I read Homesick Texan's

recipe for Mexican Coffee Ice Cream Pie.
I HAD to make this.

I can't think of enough superlatives to describe this.

 It is, quite simply, To.Die.For.

There are three glorious layers.

The crust is a buttery chocolate and graham cracker confection.

There's coffee ice cream in the center,

accented with cinnamon and orange zest.

The topping is whipped cream
 with dark chocolate gratings over top.

Many thanks to Lisa Fain,
 of Homesick Texan,

for the recipe.

Chocolate and Graham Cracker Crust

1 package graham crackers, crushed

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick butter, melted

Heat oven to 350°.

Grease a 9-inch pie pan.

Mix the crushed crackers, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Stir in melted butter.

Pat evenly into prepared pan.

Bake 7 minutes and cool for 30 minutes.

Next, I made the Mexican Coffee Ice Cream.

Mexican Coffee Ice Cream

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup brewed strong coffee (espresso or dark roast)

1 tsp freshly grated orange zest

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a blender.

Pour into cooled crust.  

Cover and freeze overnight, or at least 8 hours.

You like Mr. Hawthorne's new blinky toy?

I left my pie in the freezer overnight,

since I didn't start this until afternoon.

For the topping, I'm making whipped cream.

Whipped Cream Topping

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla 

2 tsp sugar

pinch of cinnamon

dark chocolate, shaved or grated

Whenever I whip cream,

I always place the bowl and beaters in the freezer

for about 30 minutes.

Also, I used 3 TB sugar.

And probably 2 tsps vanilla, because I like it.

Whipped cream is ready to plop on pie.
Use an offset spatula to smooth out ice cream.

I realized at the last minute ...

 well, actually a few seconds after the last minute, 

that I was grating unsweetened chocolate over the top.

  I'd pulled the wrong bar out. 

 I switched to a dark chocolate midnight reverie.

This was nothing short of amazing.

Another trust Rosie moment.

Here's the recipe so you can cut and paste and make this, which I certainly urge you to do.

Mexican Coffee Ice Cream Pie

Chocolate and Graham Cracker Crust

1 package graham crackers, crushed

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick butter, melted

Heat oven to 350°.

Grease a 9-inch pie pan.

Mix the crushed crackers, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Stir in melted butter.

Pat evenly into prepared pan.

Bake 7 minutes and cool for 30 minutes.

Mexican Coffee Ice Cream

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup brewed strong coffee (espresso or dark roast)

1 tsp freshly grated orange zest

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a blender.

Pour into cooled crust.  

Cover and freeze overnight, or at least 8 hours.

Whipped Cream Topping

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla 

2 tsp sugar

pinch of cinnamon

dark chocolate, shaved or grated

Whenever I whip cream,

I always place the bowl and beaters in the freezer

for about 30 minutes.

Also, I used 3-4 TB sugar.

And probably 2 tsp vanilla, because I like it.

Rosie Is Published!

Please check out my October column

in the Outer Banks Voice.

Rosie Brings Some Pretty Inside.

I love my fall roses.

I had to bring the pretty inside.

Please enjoy Rosie's roses.