Barley and Mushroom Salad

1/2 red onion
olive oil
2-2/3 c low-sodium vegetable broth
2/3 c pearl barley
4 oz raw shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp salt

Vinaigrette:
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp brown mustard
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

For vinaigrette: Whisk together vinegar, honey and mustard. Slowly add oil while whisking, until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel onion and coat with oil. Place on baking sheet and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Chop coarsely.

In a medium-sized pot, bring brother to a boil and add barley. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until barley is tender, 35-40 minutes. Drain any excess liquid and spread barley on a baking sheet to cool.

In a saute pan over medium heat, cook mushrooms with 1 Tbsp oil until tender. Mix sauteed mushrooms into cooled barley, along with onion, parsley, salt and vinaigrette. Adjust seasoning as desired.

Notes:
Untried.
Recipe from Chef Martin Breslin, Harvard Dining Services, as printed in Wegman's Nature's Marketplace magazine.

Cucumber Salad

4 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, sliced
1/2 red onion, peeled, thinly sliced (rinse and drain to diminish intense flavor)
3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 c white wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours. (Optimal time: 4-6 hours.) Adjust seasoning as needed and serve chilled.

Notes:
Untried.
From "Fast Fresh + Simple" by Hope Cohen

White Chocolate Truffles with Green Tea Ganache

1/3 c heavy cream
3 green tea bags
24 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
1 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan and place tea bag in it. Remove from heat; cover and steep 5 minutes. Gently squeeze excess cream from bags back into remaining cream. Discard teabags.

Meanwhile, place 8 oz white chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Bring cream to a boil again and whisk into melted chocolate until smooth. Refrigerate until thick and stiff, about 3-4 hours.

Chill a baking sheet and line it with wax or parchment paper. Use a melon baller or spoon to shape chocolate into 3/4" balls on baking sheet. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until chilled, 1-2 hours.

Temper remaining white chocolate and, using a fork or candy dipper, dip chocolates one at a time. Place on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate until set.

To decorate: melt dark chocolate in microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave for 10-30 more second if necessary to melt completely. Scrape chocolate into a small plastic sandwich bag and snip off a small piece of one corner. Pipe decorations onto each truffle. Refrigerate until set.

NOTES
From "Chocolate Astrology" by Joy Nagy.
Untried.

Chocolate Martini

1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 c chocolate syrup
1 1/2 oz plain or vanilla-flavored vodka
2 1/2 oz light creme de cacao
crushed ice
chocolate shavings, optional

In a small bowl, mix sugar and cocoa powder. Pour chocolate syrup onto a small plate or saucer; dip the rim of a martini glass into the syrup and then the cocoa. Place in freezer to chill.

In a martini shaker, combine vodka, creme de cacao, and 3/4 shaker crushed ice. Shake until a light frost appears on outside of shaker. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.

NOTES
From "Chocolate Astrology" by Joy Nagy.
Untried.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

2 c hazelnuts
1 1/2 c sugar
12 oz almond paste
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch salt
4 large egg whites at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake until skins are blackened and nuts are lightly browned, about 15 min. Transfer warm nuts to a kitchen towel and rub briskly to remove skins. Coarsely chop 1/2 cup of nuts and set aside.

Combine remaining hazelnuts with sugar in a food processor and grind to a fine powder. Add almond paste and process until well mixed. Add cocoa and salt and process until mixed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

With the processor running, pour egg whites and chopped hazelnuts into the batter. Process until just mixed.

Spoon heaping tablespoonfuls of batter 1 1/2" apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 18-20 min or until cookies are firm on the outside but still chewy inside. Let cool 5 min on baking sheet and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

NOTES
From "Chocolate Astrology" by Joy Nagy.
Untried.

Chocolate Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

Cake:

2 c sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter at room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
3 large eggs, separated
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 c sour cream

Glaze:

1/2 c heavy cream
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp dark rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease two 9" round cake pans, then line with parchment paper. Grease and flour parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar, then beat until mixture has increased in volume and is light and fluffy (about 8 minutes). Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and chocolate.

Keeping mixer on, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream to the batter, beginning and ending with flour and beating until just combined.

In a separate bowl, using clean beaters, beat egg whites at medium speed until peaks are stiff but not dry. With a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 whites into batter until well mixed. Gently fold in remaining whites until just blended. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake about 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes in pans, then invert onto racks to cool completely.

To make glaze: bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum. With a spatula, spread 1/3 glaze over each cake layer. Set one layer on top of the other and drizzle remaining glaze over the sides.

NOTES
From "Chocolate Astrology" by Joy Nagy.
Untried.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 dash salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan; boil 2-5 minutes, stirring, until sauce begins to thicken. Store in refrigerator.

NOTES
From Food.com.
So easy to make, so delicious. Much better than store-bought.