It’s the same menu each year, but with jazzed up recipes

I’m a discussion leader for Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and on Sunday, I had a luncheon for the members of my group.

Because I have a different group of women each year, I always prepare the same menu for this end of the year fellowship. It’s easy and fool-proof.

I serve chicken salad, baby greens and fresh strawberries tossed with a fruit vinaigrette, Sister Schubert’s dinner rolls, and a homemade dessert. This year I tried two new recipes for a flourless chocolate torte and strawberry lemonade.

Here’s how I make chicken salad: I buy rotisserie-cooked chickens from Sam’s Club. I mix the chopped chicken with light mayonnaise, chopped red grapes, toasted pecans, a teensy bit of dried onions, and several grinds of McCormick’s pepper/garlic seasoning.

I usually buy a raspberry vinaigrette to pour over the salad greens, but found a new product I wanted to try. I bought Wish-Bone Bountifuls Berry Delight salad dressing. It’s a sweet and tangy vinaigrette made with bits of blueberries, raspberries, cranberries and cherries.

Using a recipe from a magazine as inspiration, I made a strawberry lemonade punch. I poured a small amount of the mixture into stemmed glasses and placed the glasses in the freezer. When the guests arrived, I added ginger ale just before serving.
Here’s how I made the strawberry lemonade: In a large pitcher, empty the contents of a can of frozen lemonade, adding the recommended number of cans of water. The recipe called for a jar of strawberry syrup, but since I didn’t have that, I had to improvise. I found a jar of strawberry preserves in the refrigerator, which I warmed in the microwave, then added to the lemonade mixture.

Here’s the recipe for the torte.

Flourless chocolate torte
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, plus extra for greasing
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 large egg whites, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Grease the paper and sides of the pan, then dust with cocoa powder.

In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and the 3/4 cup butter. Set over barely simmering water and melt, then whisk until well blended. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, with a mixer set on medium-high speed, beat together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt until pale and very thick. Gradually pour in the chocolate mixture and continue beating until well blended.

In deep, clean bowl, using a mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until medium-firm peaks form. Scoop half of the egg whites onto the chocolate mixture and fold them in gently. Fold in the remaining whites just until no streaks remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake the torte until it puffs slightly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out very moist but not liquid, about 35 minutes. Do not overcook. Let cool on a rack for 30 minutes.

Run a small knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert onto a flat plate. Lift off the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Using a thin-bladed knife, cut the cake into small slices, dipping the knife into hot water and wiping it dry before each cut. Makes 10 servings.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Dessert