Lorraine's Recipes

Here's the recipes as requested...enjoy with a really great glass of Pinot Noir out on the deck reading a great murder mystery as the sun makes its slow traverse across your home, crickets as the soundtrack, the earth exhaling heat and the breeze scented with freshly cut grass that you did not have to mow <ha>. If you have a couple of glasses of wine and a satiated tummy, you won't CARE who dunnit! Have a great party and see you next month. --Lorraine
Rosemary Cashews
 Rosemary Cashews
 2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary, chopped
 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
 1/2 t Cayenne pepper, ground
 2 t Brown sugar
 1 T Butter, melted
 1 lb Cashews
Preheat oven to 275. Roast cashews in oven for 10 minutes (or until fragrant and lightly golden). Mix rosemary, salt, cayenne, and brown sugar in a bowl. Pour warm nuts into bowl and mix ingredients together. Drizzle butter over mixture and stir. Let sit for a few minutes and serve warm. Note: I add a little more cayenne (we like it spicy) and sprinkle some malden sea salt flakes over the nuts for extra punch.
Chocolate Amaretti Torte
 Chocolate Amaretti Torte
 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (Ghiradelli is good)
 1 cup slivered almonds
 1 cup (about 2 ounces) baby amaretti cookies (I buy them in Tony's Market or any italian specialty food store)
 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
 2/3 cup sugar
 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (approximately 1 orange)
 4 large eggs
 About 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar OR unsweetened cocoa powder, for sifting onto top (optional)
Preheat oven to 250. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray and refrigerate the pan until use.
In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth for a total of 2 minutes and set aside. Don't over stir or chocolate will seize.
In a food processor, combine the almonds and cookies, pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add the butter, sugar and orange zest to the food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time. Add the nut mixture and the melted chocolate, pulse until blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the center puffs and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. De-"spring" and transfer to a platter, sift powdered sugar or cocoa powder over torte and serve.