Jody and the Chocolate Recipe!

Jody Shepson is a friend I've know since we were in high school, oh just a few years ago!  She lived just around the corner from me.  We lived on Salem Drive in Saratoga Springs, and she lived on Springwood Drive.  Jody's sister Cindy was in my sister Ginny's class in high school, a year behind me. 

We grew up in Saratoga when it was a simpler place, in a time before laptops, blogs, or I-phones.  There were no malls at exit 15 of I-87.  The big news was when a MacDonald's came to town in the late 60s!  Downtown was a simpler place too.  There were no national retail clothing stores as there are now.  We knew the shop-owners and they knew us.  They were our neighbors and friends.  We'd walk home from high school and stop at stores on timeless Broadway -- Patricia's, Erlangers, Mabou, Soave Faire (still there), The Economy Shop, Glickman's, Starbuck's (not the coffee), Covkin's...  Woolworth's, J.J. Newberry's, and Western Auto were the only chains, and they'd been there forever.  Farmer's Hardware was a great store where you could buy hardware, household items, and also pick up your new telephone from Ma Bell.  It was the only place in town to get a phone.   There was even a choice of grocery stores then:  A&P, Grand Union, Central Market (now Price Chopper).  We loved to go to the elegant and classic Community Theater, which is now home to a number of shops and businesses (makes me sad - I wish someone would win the lottery and convert it back to our beloved theater!). 

As kids, we rode our bikes everywhere, or walked.  We were outside all the time.  That all seems eons ago. It WAS decades ago!  I remember fondly those simpler times. 

Facebook has allowed us to stay connected, or reconnect, to people from our past.  Jody moved away from Saratoga a number of years ago, but it seems I know her better now because of her frequent (and hilarious) postings on Facebook.  Through her posts, I've learned that Jody is an enthusiastic and accomplished cook. 

Early on in my blog's life, I posted Jody's favorite recipe for Chocolate Slab.  Today I bring you two more chocolate-focused recipes that Jody's shared.  Don't get the idea, though, that she limits her culinary endeavors to all things chocolate.  Nope.  She often mentions the great dinners she's made for her husband, as well as his colleagues and students.  She also writes enthusiastically of meals she's had out (especially liking Thai food).  I'm hoping that there are a lot more recipes from Jody coming our way.  I'm saving another recipe she's shared for a future post; don't want to give it all up at once!  Below you will find recipes for two dishes she's mentioned recently on Facebook:  Country Chocolate Pie, and Rum Chocolate Mousse.  I asked, and she shared recipes and photos.  Thanks Jody!  And remember, friends, that I'd love to feature your favorite recipes, too, and photos to go along.  I might not make you famous, but you will be appreciated!

Shep, Jody, and the pups!

COUNTRY CHOCOLATE PIE

2 eggs
½ c flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ c melted butter
1 c walnuts
1 c semi-sweet morsels

Pour into unbaked pie shell.

Bake at 350 for 35-50 minutes. 
 
 
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Jody's husband Shep and his Mousse Plane!



RUM CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
(Jody shaped this into an airplane for her husband's birthday!)

Cook over very low heat until dissolved but not colored brown: ¼ cup sugar
2-4 tbls rum
Melt in a double boiler
¼ lb semi-sweet or sweet chocolate

When the chocolate is melted, stir in
2-3 tbls heavy cream

Add the syrup to the melted chocolate and stir until smooth. When the mixture is cool but not chilled, fold into

2 stiffly beaten egg whites

Then fold very gently into

2 cups whipped heavy cream

Chill in glasses 2 hours before serving.
 
 
Recipes and photos from Jody Shepson

Fool-proof Make-Ahead Gravy and an Easier Thanksgiving

Make Ahead Gravy

Go ahead. Make your Thanksgiving Day!

This recipe comes to us via good friend Jody Shepson. It's her most-shared recipe from an old issue of Women's Day magazine, discovered in the waiting room of her dentist's office many years ago. Women's Day notes that it is their most requested holiday recipe. You can make this well-ahead of time and know that the one most complicated and uncertain task of your Thanksgiving dinner is going to be perfect and done before the turkey is even purchased! This recipe can change Thanksgiving forever!

Jody's words: "I was always gravy challenged. My mother or mother-in-law handled the Thanksgiving gravy, I never really learned all the secrets of good gravy, and in my mind, it was a very stressful, last minute thing that did NOT have guaranteed results. That flour shaker thing and the skimming of the fat, stirring….what if the bird didn’t produce enough drippings, what if it’s too floury or watery, no flavor, too greasy……to me, gravy was always a very scary thing. And….it’s the thing that ties the whole meal together. Once I started hosting the Thanksgiving meal, I would assign the gravy to someone else; but there was never any sense of confidence about how the all-important gravy would turn out. Then…I was sitting in the waiting room of Dr. Palmer’s dental office one April day, while some of my kids were having their teeth cleaned. I picked up the November Woman’s Day magazine, which happened to be on the table next to me, and leafed through the Thanksgiving recipes and tips. I came across this recipe for “Make-Ahead Gravy” that’s foolproof and delicious. I read it excitedly and vowed to remember it when Thanksgiving rolled around again. (Of course, I did not do that) Luckily, computers had been invented, so I searched on “Make-Ahead Gravy” and there it was. I tried it, and the vat of rich, perfect gravy was an incredibly beautiful sight to behold. I’ve given this recipe to countless friends and family members, and even a few strangers. I’ve also gotten more thank yous for this recipe than any other! One friend writes every single year, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, to tell me she’s just made the gravy, and to thank me once again for taking the last-minute stress out of Thanksgiving. It’s just so wonderful to have that pot of gravy simmering on the stove, smelling great, and to not have to worry about all the stirring and skimming right before dinner. I also make a batch every now and then and freeze it in small containers. It’s great to thaw one out and make hot turkey sandwiches with very little effort. There’s still the mashed potato stress, but they’re not nearly as scary as gravy used to be!!"

Makes: 8 cups Time: About 3 hr (mostly unattended) Planning Tip: Make up to 3 months ahead and freeze in an airtight container. Refrigerate 2 days to thaw. Reheat in a saucepan, whisking often.

4 turkey wings (about 3 lb) 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered 1 cup water 8 cups chicken broth 3/4 cup chopped carrot 1/2 tsp dried thyme 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 Tbsp stick butter or margarine 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Have ready a large roasting pan.

2. Arrange wings in a single layer in pan; scatter onions over top. Roast 1 1/4 hours until wings are browned.

3. Put wings and onions in a 5- to 6-qt pot. Add water to roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on bottom. Add to pot. Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate remaining 2 cups), the carrot and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours.

4. Remove wings to cutting board. When cool, pull off skin and meat. Discard skin; save meat for another use.

5. Strain broth into a 3-qt saucepan, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables; skim fat off broth and discard (if time permits, refrigerate broth overnight to make fat-skimming easier).

6. Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups broth until blended and smooth.

7. Bring broth in pot to a gentle boil. Whisk in broth-flour mixture and boil 3 to 4 minutes to thicken gravy and remove floury taste. Stir in butter and pepper. Serve, or pour into containers and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 6 months.

Per 1/2 cup: 52 cal, 2 g pro, 6 g car, 0 g fiber, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 4 mg chol, 516 mg sod

Photo credit: http://www.womansday.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/wd2/recipes/make-ahead-turkey-gravy-recipe2/279879-1-eng-US/Make-Ahead-Turkey-Gravy-Recipe_slideshow_image.jpg