Home Cooking

MVB enjoys "home cooking" this week with a pair of games at the Middle School against Wilmington and Lynn Classical. 

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Alabama, football royalty, takes a personal and local approach in literally catering to its player's appetites. 

Not sure what the Boosters' Club is cooking up this year in fundraising. Many moons ago Navy wives put together a cookbook with their favorite recipes. 

In The Bear, a Hulu drama, comments were made about how often great restaurants had relatively limited dessert offerings. 

Here are my top three: 

1) Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. Some consider it more of a 'seasonal' dessert. I do not agree.

2) Dessert crepe with vanilla ice cream topped with a special blended sauce:

• Brown sugar
• Chopped (not finely) almonds
• Melted butter
• Amaretto (alcohol would mostly burn off during prep)

3) Chocolate trifle - concoction made with chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream. Cannot consider a dessert menu without homage to chocolate, Ellen's favorite dessert. I often go to AI for recipes

Chocolate Trifle

Ingredients

• 1 chocolate cake or pan of brownies, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 packages chocolate instant pudding, prepared with milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
• 1 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies or toffee bits
• Optional: 2–3 tbsp coffee or espresso to drizzle over the cake
• Optional: raspberries or sliced strawberries for acidity

Method

1. Bake and cool the cake or brownies completely.
2. Make the chocolate pudding and chill it.
3. Whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft-medium peaks form.
4. In a large glass bowl, layer:
   • chocolate cake
   • a light drizzle of coffee, if using
   • chocolate pudding
   • whipped cream
   • chopped chocolate
   • cookie or toffee crunch
5. Repeat the layers until the bowl is full.
6. Finish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
7. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

The overnight rest is important: the cake softens slightly, the chocolate flavors deepen, and the whole thing becomes cohesive without turning mushy.

If you want the version I’d make for company, I’d use brownies instead of cake, dark chocolate pudding, whipped cream, Heath bar pieces, and raspberries. The fruit and bitterness keep the dessert from becoming cloying.