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Chocolate Mascarpone Fondue

Developed by Chef Trey Foshee

George’s at the Cove, La Jolla, California

Serves 6-8

½ pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped

½ pound milk chocolate, chopped

1¼ cups cream

1⁄3 cup sugar

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

2 ounces bourbon, orange liqueur or other favorite liqueur

1 cinnamon stick

Accompaniments

Pound cake, cubed

Assorted fresh fruits (strawberries, apple or banana chunks, cherries, pineapple )

Marshmallows

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl (or top of double boiler). Place over pot of simmering water on stove burner. Do not allow bowl to touch water. Heat until melted, smooth and warm, stirring often. Remove from heat. Pour into fondue or other pot and keep warm. Serve immediately, dipping the accompaniments of your choice. Recipe developed for Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, provided courtesy of Western Dairy Association.

30-second intervals until mixture is smooth. Proceed as directed above.)

Raspberry Truffles

1 cup (6 ounces) Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Chips

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

1 tablespoon rum

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

(for coating truffles):

Combine all ingredients except cocoa powder in top of double boiler over low heat, stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Chill at least 3 hours or until firm enough to handle. Form into 1-inch balls, using a scoop or teaspoon. Roll in cocoa until coated; refrigerate until ready to serve. Yield: 20 1-inch truffles.

(To make in a microwave: Combine all ingredients except unsweetened cocoa powder in small micro proof bowl. Heat at medium power, 50 percent or level 5, for 2-3 minutes, stirring well after each minute initially, then at 30-second intervals until mixture is smooth. Proceed as directed above.)

Crab Cakes with Avocado

6 pounds cooked crab meat
9 cups Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
9 California avocados, diced ¼-inch
3 cups finely diced red bell pepper 3 cups finely diced yellow bell pepper
1½ cups finely diced red onion 1¾ cups mayonnaise
¾ teaspoon or to taste cayenne pepper
¾ cup thinly sliced chive Vegetable oil, as needed
Chile oil, for garnish
Pieces of chive, about 2-inches long as needed for garnish
Slices of California avocado, as needed for garnish

Mix crab and next eight ingredients. Shape into 76 cakes, 3 ounces each; reserve and refrigerate. For each order, sauté two crab cakes in hot oil, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides and hot. Serve with 2½ tablespoons Violette Crème Fraiche. Garnish with dots of chile oil, chive and avocado. Yield: 76 3-ounce cakes.

Grilled Shrimp with Yogurt Cilantro Salsa

Makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 30 min. Cook Time: 30 min.

1½ cups (12-ounces) low-fat plain yogurt

¼ cup canned coconut milk

1 cup cilantro leaves, washed

2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped

½ cup each red, green and yellow bell pepper, diced

½ cup diced cucumber

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

¼ teaspoon salt

(8-ounce) can pineapple chunks in unsweetened juice, divided 16

large shrimp (20 pieces per pound)½ teaspoon Cajun Creole seasoning

(9-ounce) bag baby spinach leaves

Salsa: Mix yogurt and coconut milk in a medium bowl until smooth. Reserve 1 tablespoon each of the cilantro and diced peppers for garnish at serving time. Stir the remaining cilantro and peppers into the yogurt mixture along with the mint, cucumber, jalapeño, ginger, garlic, hot sauce and salt. Mix in 1 tablespoon of the canned pineapple juice; refrigerate salsa until serving time. Yield: about 2½ cups salsa.

Thread 4 shrimp and 4 pineapple chunks on each skewer. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning on each side. Place on heated grill and cook about 2 minutes each side or until nicely browned and shrimp is cooked.

To serve, divide spinach among serving plates and spoon about ½ cup salsa onto each plate. Sprinkle reserved cilantro leaves and diced peppers over salsa. Place shrimp skewer alongside salsa. Recipe created on behalf of 3-A-Day of Dairy by Chef Scott Campbell of SQC, New York, provided courtesy of Western Dairy Association.