Hearty lunch for four and a decadent dessert!

Last Saturday my sister and I went out to Lakeway to see my paternal grandparents, we took lunch and a tasty little dessert with us too! We are very lucky because for the entire time we've been back in Texas (10+ years now) we've lived close enough to both my paternal grandparents and maternal grandparents and until December a great grandmother to see them all regularly. This past Saturday we took lunch out and ran a few errands with my grandparents in Lakeway.

Mimi (Maternal Grandmother), Jackie (Little Sis) & Nana (Great-Grandmother)

Me, Jackie, Dodie (Paternal Grandmother) & Papa (Paternal Grandfather)

Me, Nana, Mimi & Jackie

Jackie & I took a hearty Lentil Stew and Personal-Sized Decadent Dark Chocolate Cakes, they were quite the hit, so much so that I have since made the cakes for my boyfriend (who also enjoyed them).

Lentil Stew with Spicy Sausage
*Adapted from Cooking with Curtis Stone*

2 Shallots, peeled and sliced
2 Cups Baby Carrots, chopped
3 Bay Leaves
2 14 oz Cans of Tomatoes
1 Cup Red Wine
2 Cups Castelluccio Lentils
3 Cups Chicken Stock
4 Cups Chicken Broth
5 oz Spicy Sausage (I used a cured Spanish Chorizo)
Salt, Pepper & Garlic Powder to taste

1. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pot, sweat onions and carrots with bay leaves until soft. Add the tomatoes and reduce until the mixture begins to stick to the pot. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

2. Pour in wine and stir to deglaze, then allow it to reduce by half. Add the lentils, stock and broth and cook an hour.

3. Fry the sausage in a frying pan, then add to the stew. Return to the stove for an additional twenty minutes.


Decadent Dark Chocolate Cakes

3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2/3 Cups Unsweetened Dutch Cocoa Powder
5 Tsp Instant Coffee (powdered, not prepared)
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter,Softened
2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
2/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Egg Substitute
1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2.5 oz 80% Cocoa Bar Dark Chocolate
Powdered Sugar for Dusting
Raspberries for Garnish

1. Sift flour, cocoa, instant coffee, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
2. Place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer, add sugars and cream. Add egg substitute and vanilla, beating until well blended. Slowly mix flour into the sugar/egg mixture. Divide evenly among ramekins; arrange on a pan. Cover and refrigerate four hours (or up to two days).
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. Let ramekins stand at room temperature for ten to fifteen minutes. Uncover and bake for 21 minutes, or until cakes are puffy and have a slight crusty on the top.
5. Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with raspberries, serve immediately.