Modified Aruba Radisson's Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse Filling and Chocolate Ganache icing. Version II

 This recipe has some minor modifications from the original Aruba Radisson Cake, the mousse and Ganache are scaled back, less waste and the 8 oz chocolate to cup of heavy cream stated in the original recipe is omitted and the stabilizer of gelatin and water is added to the mousse mixture.

Also, the 3 layers are now a 5/6 layer cake that easily could fit into a NY/NJ deli dessert case.

Chocolate Cake

15 oz flour

3.5 oz cocoa powder, dark is best.

21 oz sugar

.5 ounces Baking Powder

3/4 oz Baking Soda

7 oz shortening, Crisco or Butter

Cream butter and sugar, then add rest to mixing bowl.

ADD:

9.5 oz of milk

6 eggs

Mix well scraping down sides.

Get ready 3  8 or 9" baking pans.

Butter or no stick spray bottoms and sides and coat with flour.

Pour batter into pans and bake at 325 for about 45 minutes.

Cool for 15 minutes in pans.

Remove from pans and place on plates that have wax paper over them and continue cooling.

Once cooled fill the cake with the below.

The layers will be high enough to easily cut them in 1/2 and you then can have a 5/6 layer cake.

Chocolate Mousse Filling for Cake

8 ounces semi sweet chocolate

2 ounces sugar

1/4 cup water

4 egg yolks

2 cups heavy cream

Melt the chocolate in a microwave.

Combine the sugar and water in a pan and boil, stirring often until the sugar is dissolved.

Beat the egg yolks until creamy in a mixer with a whip attachment until fully.

Pour the water and sugar mixture into the bowl slowly, which the mixer is running.

Transfer to a 2 QT container.

Beat heavy cream until fluffy.

Add the cooled chocolate.

Combine all items, the egg and water mixture and the heavy cream

NEXT

Mix 2 oz hot water with 1/4 ounce unflavored gelatin and add to the above. (if the mousse seems thick you can omit this step.)

Lay our our cakes, 3 of them and fill evenly with the mixture. Once stacked on top of each other move on to the Ganche.

Chocolate Ganche for the Icing

2 cups heavy cream

12 oz semi sweet chocolate

Add to a microwave safe bowl and melt, let cook until able to spread and frost cake. It the Ganche is not too warm to spread place it in the refrigerator until cooled.

Braised Boneless Pork Ribs

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
3 tablespoons oil, divided
2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups chicken stock

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pat the ribs dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the ribs on all sides, working in batches if needed.

Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the Pan and reduce the heat to medium.

Add the onions, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flavor, about 3 minutes.

Deglaze  the pan with the vinegar, and then add the and bay leaves.


Add the ribs back to the pan and add enough stock to reach halfway up the sides of the ribs.

Bring the pan to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven.

Braise until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

During the last half hour, uncover to allow the liquid to reduce and the pork to brown.

Oven BBQ Brisket

1 5 lb Brisket, trimmed of most fat
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
3 large onions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon Worcester Sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Corn Starch

Place all items large rectangle baking pan.

Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 4-5 hours or Crock Pot for 8 hours on low.

Strain sauce with a gravy strainer into a pan.

Add Corn Starch to warm water and mix well.

Add the above mixture to the sauce and heat until thick.

Pour mixture over and serve.

Tomatoe Soup

8 oz celery
8 oz carrots
8 oz onions
6 oz flour
2 quarts chicken stock  (I use 2 quarts of water then add chicken base to the pot)
1 28 oz can tomatoes, whole, diced does not matter
1 large can tomato puree
8 oz heavy cream OR 1/2 and 1/2

Add celery, onions and carrots to food processor and mince.

Place vegetables in large pot with the oil and sweat for 15 minutes, stirring often.

Add flour, mix well and continue stirring for 5 minutes so the flour is cooked.

Add in chicken stock and both types of tomatoes.

Blend well, I use an immersion blender to puree all the vegetables and tomatoes but you could use a blender or food processor but may need to do a few batches to get the same result.

Simmer for 45 minutes on the lowest setting.

Add heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2.