We had a death in the family this past week. My great-uncle passed away in the middle of the week. Really, it's like losing a grandpa, because the family's pretty close. He'd been very sick for a while, so we knew it was coming, but at the same time, death is still death, and nothing makes it any easier to say goodbye to a loved one. I know it's been a normal-seeming week in my posts, chattering about movies and all, but I wasn't ready to sit down and type about this sort of thing. This blog has become an outlet for so much of my life and what's going on in my head, that I couldn't ignore here something that has been on my mind so much of the week in my daily life. I think I've found a way to honor him a little, that I think he would have approved of.
Bud was a gourmet, a foodie, and especially loved desserts. Every time we came to down to visit, he'd ask what desserts we wanted, and would have a selection of our favorites ready. He made wonderful chocolate chip cookies, and a delicious apple pie. Mom's favorite was tiramisu. He'd make it in a dish like a casserole pan, and she'd happily munch away on it after lunch and dinner (and sometimes for breakfast!) during the week we were visiting. She always laughed that the family visits were her yearly splurge, and she'd have to be good about her desserts leading up to the trips to FL so she could enjoy her tiramisu. It's amazing how many memories food can bring up.
My personal favorite that he made was Chocolate Bavarian Creme. A very fancy, rich chocolate pudding. Not really as light as a mousse, but lighter than a pudding. Great with berries, and apparently it's good for cake fillings too. Bud had special glass cups for it, and they'd be waiting for us in the fridge when we came down to visit. This is one version of the dessert, taken from Cooks.com. I don't know if it's similar to the recipe that he used, but I wanted to post one here.
Chocolate Bavarian Creme
INGREDIENTS
Other variations can be found here:
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 env. unflavored gelatin
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 1/4 c. milk
- 4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
- 1 c. (6 oz.) milk-chocolate pieces (reserve a few for decoration)
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Sweetened whipped cream for decoration
- Blend sugar, gelatin, salt, milk, egg yolks and milk-chocolate pieces well in top of a double boiler.
- Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and chocolate pieces are completely melted and blended into the mixture.
- Chill until the mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon.
- Whip the cream and vanilla together until stiff.
- Fold whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
- Spoon into an oiled 4 cup mold.
- Chill several hours or overnight before serving.
- Decorate with sweetened whipped cream and reserved chocolate pieces.
Other variations can be found here:
- Chocolate Recipes blog - another chocolate version (and check out their other recipes too!)
- Food Network- a plain version
- Allrecipe - a vanilla version
- Cooks.com - a strawberry version
- Bean's Bistro - a raspberry version
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