UPTOWNflavor

Thanksgiving is just days away and if you are anything like me then you’ve waited until the last minute to decide which side dish you are bringing to your holiday gathering. Well fret no more. Below are two wonderfully elegant twists on classic recipes. They are guaranteed to have everyone asking, ‘what’s your secret?’

Not Your Mother’s Macaroni and Cheese

Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

· ½ lb dried cavatappi or elbow macaroni pasta

· 3 tbsp unsalted butter

· ½ cup all-purpose flour

· 3 cups whole milk

· 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

· 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

· ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

· 2 tsp. white truffle oil

· salt and freshly ground black pepper

· ½ cup bread crumbs

Preparation:
Add butter to a saucepan over medium heat, and cook until the butter begins to foam and bubble. Add the flour and stir for about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously until all the milk has been incorporated and the sauce begins to thicken. Make sure that there are no lumps in the sauce. This process should take 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the Gruyère and cheddar cheese, mixing until it has completely melted. Add half the Parmigiano Reggiano, and mix well. Next, add the truffle oil. Season to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the cooked and still warm pasta to the cheese sauce. Put all ingredients into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese and bread crumbs on top evenly. Place under a broiler until top becomes golden brown.

“Fête” Noire/Bete Noire – a rich and decadent chocolate cake:

Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

· 1 T. B&B® Liqueur

· 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate

· 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate

· 1 cup butter, soft

· 1 cup sugar

· ¹⁄³ cup water

· 5 eggs

· ¼ cup sugar

· ¼ tsp. salt

Preparation:
In a small pot, bring 1 cup sugar and water to a boil and set aside. Melt chocolates in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Remove and stir in butter with a rubber spatula.

Stir sugar mixture into chocolates in a slow steady stream. Stir in B&B Liqueur. In the bowl
of an electric mixer, whip eggs, remaining sugar and salt. Fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture one half at a time. Pour into a greased and papered 9″ cake pan. Place in a larger pan with 1″ of hot water. Bake at 275° for about 40 minutes Let cool for 20 minutes and turn out onto cake plate or cardboard circle. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve at room temperature.