Idea Alley

Slake chocoholics with Ganache Pie

Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Attention chocolate lovers. This recipe is one you'll want to clip and save.

"[This is a] pie recipe that I have made many times," writes Teresa Maurer. "I have had the wonderful Mermaids ganache pie, and my recipe is different but I get a lot of requests to make it."

Teresa's Outrageous Ganache Pie

Crust:

1 cup chopped nuts (sliced or slivered almonds are Maurer's favorite, but pecans and walnuts are also good)

1 cup honey graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

½ cup butter, melted

Ganache filling:

1 (8-ounce) package semisweet chocolate such as Baker's

1 cup heavy cream

In a bowl, stir together nuts, crumbs and sugar. Then pour in butter and stir again. Press into bottom and sides of an 8- or 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 325 degrees for 7 minutes or until light golden brown. It may look a little bubbly, but this is fine. Cool on a rack in the pan. Be careful not to overbake the crust. It will continue to cook as it cools.

Break the chocolate pieces up and put them in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute and check whether it has softened. Repeat in short increments until you can stir the squares easily with a spoon. Then pour the whipping cream in, straight from the container. Use a wire whisk to blend the cream and chocolate until the mix is smooth.

Pour filling into cooled crust and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Topping options: Maurer says, "Though it is fine to serve plain, before I put it in the fridge, I usually make a little design with almond halves or slivers and/or a few whole raspberries."

Raspberry sauce: 1 pound fresh (or frozen thawed) raspberries plus 2 tablespoons of sugar or to taste. Puree the berries with a hand-held blender. Push the puree through a strainer to remove seeds. Whisk in sugar to taste, and put desired amount on each piece as you serve it.

Makes enough to serve 8 chocoholics or up to 16 others.

Beverly Thompson shares this recipe in response to a recent request for spaghetti like that served at the long-closed D & D Cafe on Main Street in Little Rock.

Thompson's recipe is for Tom and Andrew's spaghetti, another popular and often-requested dish. Tom and Andrew's Barbecue was located in downtown Little Rock, first on Louisiana Street in the 1920s and later on West Capitol Avenue until it closed in 1966.

Tom and Andrew's Spaghetti

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 cans (size not given) diced tomatoes

2 cans tomato paste

2 tablespoons minced garlic

Cooked spaghetti

Saute beef and onion until beef is no longer pink. Drain. In a pot, combine drained beef, spices, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water (equal to each can) and garlic. Simmer on low for a few hours or until thickened. Add the cooked spaghetti and continue cooking until the noodles have taken in the flavor of the meat sauce.

Thompson also shares this recipe for chili for topping hot dogs.

Blue Goose Chili for Hot Dogs

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

1 envelope McCormick chili seasoning mix

1 can diced tomatoes, plus 1 can water

1 can tomato paste, plus 1 can water

Cook the beef and onion until beef is no longer pink. Drain. Return to pan and add the remaining ingredients and simmer several hours.

Send recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to Kelly Brant, Idea Alley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; email:

kbrant@arkansasonline.com

Please include a daytime phone number.

Food on 06/29/2016

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