Fresh Basil and Sweet Corn Couscous Green Salad

 One of my new favorite salads!

Loaded Fresh Basil and Sweet Corn Couscous Green Salad

recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS

Fresh Basil Dressing:

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup mayonnaise (see note)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped shallot or green onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch black pepper

Salad:

1 box (5.8 ounces) roasted garlic and olive oil couscous (see note)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

12-15 cups chopped romaine lettuce (see note)

6-8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled or chopped

1 cup dried cranberries or cherries

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (thaw frozen corn before using)

1/2 cup freshly grated or peeled Parmesan cheese (see note)

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

INSTRUCTIONS 

For the dressing: combine all the ingredients in a blender together and process until smooth. Refrigerate until needed. Dressing can be made several days in advance (flavor gets better with time).

For the salad: make the couscous by bringing the chicken broth and olive oil to a simmer in a saucepan on the stovetop. Stir in the couscous and the seasoning packet (if using the roasted garlic variety). Cover the saucepan and let sit for 5-7 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool to room temperature before using.

In a large serving bowl, add the romaine lettuce, cooled couscous, cranberries, bacon, cheese, corn, and pine nuts.

Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine (or serve dressing on the side).

NOTES

Mayo: the mayo helps bind the dressing so it doesn't separate (and so it isn't too thin). I often use the full 1/2 cup mayo but sometimes I use 1/4 cup mayo + 1/4 cup sour cream.

Couscous: If you can't find or don't want to use roasted garlic couscous from a box, you can use bulk or bagged Moroccan (small) couscous without any seasonings. Use about 3/4 cup. Bring 1 1/4 cup chicken broth to a simmer, add the couscous + 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous and let cool completely before using.

Romaine: you'll need about 3-4 romaine hearts (like the ones at Costco) or 1-2 large heads of romaine.

Parmesan: I like to use a vegetable peeler and peel off shreds of Parmesan but it can also be freshly grated (use the large holes of a box grater).

Pine Nuts: You can buy toasted pine nuts from Trader Joe's.

Copycat Magleby's Chocolate Cake

You all know how much I love a big slice of Magleby's chocolate cake...well for Mother's Day this year I helped my youngest make this copycat recipe (can't take any chances on messing up dessert, amiright?). This is a legit chocolate cake and I will be making it again, hence the post on the blog.

Copycat Magleby's Chocolate Cake adapted from The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup salted butter

1 cup water

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup white sugar

2 cups flour, sifted spooned

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups salted butter, 3 sticks, softened

3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

5 & 1/4 cups powder sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 2 9-inch cake pans with butter, then coat with flour. Then trace the bottom of the cake pans onto parchment paper, cut out the circles, and put them in the bottom of the pan.*

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 cup butter over medium heat. Stir in the water and cocoa and whisk until combined. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for about 30 seconds. Remove pot from heat and let sit aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the white sugar, flour, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

In another medium bowl, whisk together 2 eggs. Slowly sprinkle baking soda and baking powder over the top while you whisk. Beat until there are no lumps. The mixture may foam, and that's ok!

Stir in the vanilla and 1 cup brown sugar.

When the chocolate mixture in the pot has cooled enough to handle, stir it into the flour mixture. Then add the egg mixture. Each time mix only until combined.

Lastly, fold in the sour cream. DON'T over mix!!

Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans (I use a scale). Drop the cakes on the counter from a few inches above to get out some of the air bubbles.

Bake for about 34-40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove from the oven when a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then carefully loosen edges with a knife and invert onto a cooling wrack. Let cakes cool completely.

Wrap the cakes securely in plastic wrap and freeze for about an hour or 2. (This is only so that it's easy to frost the cake. If you are in a hurry and presentation isn't an issue, frost as soon as they are cool!)

Make the frosting:

Cream the butter well. Add the cocoa and powdered sugar in increments, adding the cream in between. Beat well after each addition. Add the salt and vanilla.

Smear a bit of frosting on the bottom of a cake plate. Place 1 frozen cake on top, then cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting (I like to use an offset spatula).

Place the other cake on top, then frost the outside and edges. If you don't want your cake plate to get frosting all over it, line it with strips of parchment paper that you can pull out when the cake is completely frosted.