Rania's Recipes: Hearts Of Palm Salad & Double Chocolate Cheesecake
If you're looking for some recipes to impress your sweetheart on Valentine's Day, check out these two dishes from Rania Harris!
Hearts of Palm Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Salad ingredients
- 1 – 15 ounce can hearts of palm – drained and cut into thick slices
- 1 – 15 ounce can artichokes – drained and cut into halves
- 1 pint grape tomatoes – halved
- Toasted Pine Nuts
- ½ cup Golden raisins
- Bib lettuce to line the salad plates
Lemon Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
- ½ cup good olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Crumbled Goat Cheese
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Directions:
Combine the salad in ingredients in a salad bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour enough dressing on the salad to moisten. Toss well.
Line six salad plates with Bib lettuce and top with the dressed salad.
Finish the salad with crumbled Goat cheese to taste. Season with fresh cracked black pepper.
Serves: 6
Double Chocolate Cheesecake
Crust:
- 2 cups crushed chocolate cookies
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup melted butter
Filling:
- 1 ½ pounds cream cheese - softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate - melted
- 3 cups sour cream
Glaze:
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate - finely chopped
Directions:
Crust: Form a crust with the cookies, cinnamon and butter press into greased 10" spring-form pan.
Filling: Beat the cream cheese until smooth - add sugar add the eggs, one at a time, beating well add the cocoa and vanilla. Add the melted chocolate. Fold in the sour cream and combine well.
Pour batter into the prepared crust bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. It might seem a little liquid, but will firm up as it cools. Cover and chill overnight
Glaze: Bring cream to a boil in a heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add 4 oz chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Pour glaze over top of cake. Using a metal spatula, smooth glaze evenly over top. Refrigerate until glaze is set, at least 2 hours.
Using knife, cut around sides of pan to loosen cake. Remove pan sides, cut into 16 wedges and serve.
Serves: 16