Assorted fruitsuch as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cantaloupe or honeydew melon, if desired
Instructies
In small bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
On low speed, beat in honey and powdered sugar until well mixed.
Fold in basil.
Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours to blend flavors.
Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
Serve with fresh strawberries, blackberries or raspberries or bite-size pieces of cantaloupe or honeydew melon.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Make-Ahead Magic
You can prepare the dip up to 3 days in advance.
Festive Touch
Consider this your go-to holiday recipe to bring to parties. It’s incredibly easy and can be made ahead, and the flavor combination will bring a lot of wows!
In 2-quart saucepan, heat ½ cup butter and the water over high heat, stirring occasionally, until boiling rapidly.
Stir in flour; reduce heat to low.
With wooden spoon, beat vigorously about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition until mixture is smooth and glossy.
Onto ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by 28 level tablespoonfuls about 3 inches apart.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks; prick side of each puff with tip of sharp knife to release steam.
Cool away from drafts 30 minutes.
Line work surface with cooking parchment paper.
In small bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
Roll cream puffs, one at a time, in melted butter; shake off excess.
Roll in cinnamon-sugar.
Place on paper.
Using serrated knife, cut off top third of each puff; reserve tops.
In medium bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
Add powdered sugar and caramel topping; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Fold in salt.
Spoon or pipe about 1 tablespoon filling into each cream puff.
Cover with reserved tops.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and oil uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth.
Drizzle over cream puffs.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Make-Ahead Magic
Make dough as directed; drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with cooking parchment paper. Freeze until firm. Place frozen dough in an airtight container or resealable freezer plastic bag; freeze up to 2 months. To bake, place frozen puffs on cookie sheets sprayed with cooking spray, and bake as directed.After filling, cream puffs can be refrigerated up to 3 hours. Drizzle with chocolate just before serving.
Festive Touch
For a more decadent cream puff, drizzle with 2 tablespoons caramel topping in addition to the chocolate icing.
2tablespoonscoarsely chopped dried cranberries or cherries
CHOCOLATE FILLING
2boxes4-serving size each chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix
4cupshalf-and-half
2½cupswhipping cream
1jar11.5 oz salted caramel topping
1lbpound cake or white cakecut into ¾-inch cubes
¼cupalmond- or orange-flavored liqueur
Instructies
Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper.
In large microwavable bowl, heat bittersweet and semisweet chocolate uncovered on High about 2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth.
Spread melted chocolate onto cookie sheet until about ½ inch thick.
Sprinkle evenly with almonds, apricots and cranberries; press lightly into chocolate.
Let stand at room temperature 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours or until firm.
Cut or break half of the bark into large shards, 1 to 2 inches long.
Place in covered container; set aside in cool place until serving time.
Coarsely chop remaining bark.
In large bowl, beat pudding mixes and half-and-half with whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the chopped bark; set aside.
In chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold in ½ cup of the caramel topping.
Spoon 3 cups of the pudding mixture into trifle bowl or other large serving bowl.
Arrange half of the cake cubes on pudding; gently press into the pudding.
Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the liqueur and 2 cups of the whipped cream mixture.
Repeat layers with remaining pudding mixture, cake cubes, liqueur and whipped cream mixture.
Cover; refrigerate at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
Arrange reserved bark shards on top of trifle; drizzle with remaining caramel sauce.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Festive Touch
Save some of the shards of chocolate reserved for the top to serve on the side instead. Add a dusting of unsweetened baking cocoa or powdered sugar to individual serving plates before serving the trifle.
Kitchen Secrets
No time to make the chocolate bark? Substitute 16 ounces of premium chocolate-nut or chocolate-nut-fruit candy bars.To toast almonds, sprinkle in ungreased skillet. Cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until nuts begin to brown, then stirring constantly until nuts are light brown.
In 1-quart saucepan, sprinkle 2 teaspoons gelatin over pomegranate juice; let stand 5 minutes to soften.
Heat over low heat about 30 seconds or just until gelatin is dissolved.
Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar; heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat; stir in liqueur.
Cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, sprinkle envelope of gelatin over milk; let stand 5 minutes to soften.
Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes or just until gelatin is dissolved.
Stir in ⅔ cup sugar and the vanilla seeds.
Continue stirring over low heat about 2 minutes longer or until sugar is dissolved (mixture should not boil or steam).
Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream with whisk.
Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer.
Place cooling rack in refrigerator.
While holding stemmed glass (such as champagne flute or parfait glass) at an angle, pour about 2 tablespoons vanilla mixture into glass.
Carefully place glass in refrigerator, keeping angle by propping stem on rack and leaning glass against side of refrigerator.
Repeat, filling 7 more glasses as directed.
Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.
Keep remaining vanilla mixture at room temperature.
Carefully pour about 2 tablespoons pomegranate mixture into each glass, keeping same angle.
Return to refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm.
Carefully pour remaining vanilla mixture over pomegranate layer, holding glasses upright.
Refrigerate on flat surface at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Festive Touch Garnish these lovely desserts with a few pomegranate seeds.Kitchen Secrets To remove seeds from a vanilla bean, cut the bean in half lengthwise. Run the blade of a knife across the inside of the bean, gathering seeds on the edge of the knife. The vanilla bean seeds give a beautiful speckled appearance to the dessert and assure a rich vanilla flavor in the panna cotta. If you like, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract may be substituted for the vanilla bean—there’s no need to strain the milk mixture then.
In separate small bowls, place graham cracker crumbs and candy sprinkles.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and hazelnut spread uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring twice, until chips are softened and mixture can be stirred smooth.
Dip 1 marshmallow about one-fourth into melted chocolate on both flat ends, letting excess drip off.
Dip top end of marshmallow in graham crackers; dip bottom end of marshmallow into sprinkles.
Insert 1 candy stick into marshmallow.
Repeat with second marshmallow.
Insert the same stick halfway into second marshmallow (with crumb side up).
Repeat with remaining marshmallows and candy sticks to make 7 more pops.
Place pops, candy stick facing up, in pan.
Refrigerate 20 minutes or until set.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Kitchen Secrets
These pops are so easy to make—you can plan to give them on the same day, so the marshmallows are ultra-fresh. To store, keep pops in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.You can find candy sticks at specialty gift stores, candy stores or online. Lollipop sticks can be found where candy-making supplies are sold.
