Cooking with Chef Diane

Sponge Cake

Preheat oven to 350F Prepare 1 – 10″ cake pan (see slideshow) 6 eggs 6 oz. sugar 6 oz. cake flour, sifted twice (and will sift a third time, into the bowl) 1 T. vanilla extract To make chocolate sponge cake, replace 1/2 ounce of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder, and sift together with [...]

Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 385F Prepare a cake pan (see slideshow) Use the lemon and orange you are using for the zest, for the juice. 8 oz. unsalted butter 8 oz. sugar 8 oz. light brown sugar 7 oz. eggs (3-4 each) 1 # carrots, grated 4 oz. crushed pineapple 1 oz. lemon juice 1 oz. [...]

Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding can be sweet or savory. This is a recipe for a sweet bread pudding, but for savory just omit the sugar and spices. For savory you can add such items as sundried tomatoes, fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, tarragon, etc. Sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, truffles or truffle oil, etc.. Use your imagination, [...]

How to prep a cake pan

Chicken Cordon Bleu

The ingredients: 1 boneless skinless chicken breast 3-4 oz. swiss cheese, I prefer gruyere 3-4 slices ham, sliced thinly (I prefer prosciutto) 1/2 shallot, finely minced 1 garlic clove, finely minced 1-2 oz. white wine 1 T. dijon mustard 1/2 c. chicken broth 1-2 oz. cold, unsalted butter salt and pepper chopped parsley for garnish [...]