Chocolate & Raspberry - Anything Better?

I made something really easy this week. Why? Well, first off, because it's delicious and I was in the mood for something really decadent with chocolate and raspberries.

 Secondly, because time is short. Many authors, including me, are heading to the Malice Domestic mystery conference in Bethesda, Maryland (or Washington D.C. as some of us prefer to think of it). What a fabulous area. The Smithsonian, the zoo, the history! 

What a fun conference. It starts early on Friday.

[Before all this, I'm heading to Salt & Pepper Books in Occoquan, VA Thursday with MLK author pals, Krista, Lucy, and Sheila. I'll have lots of photos from that event on the site next week and perhaps...some other news...can you stand the wait?  :)  ] 

Back to Malice Domestic...

There are panels and there's a banquet where the Agatha Awards are presented. Last year, THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE won the best first novel.

This year...

Krista's THE DIVA HAUNTS THE HOUSE is nominated for best novel, and Krista, Lucy (Roberta), and I (Daryl) are all nominated for best short story.  Whee.

Win or lose, we're going to party. By the way, I posted a blog on Fresh Fiction on April 19 about what to do if you're going to the convention for your first time. Take a peek. I hope the tips are helpful. {Note: I also posted them as  "note" on my Facebook page if you can't log in to Fresh Fiction.}

Hey, if you are going to attend the conference, please make sure you say hello to all of us! We love meeting our readers.

So here's what I made. Chocolate Raspberry Decadence.

First, I made is a gluten-free chocolate cake. Easy, right out of a bag from Pamela's. I love her bakery goods. You can make any chocolate cake for this, of course, if you don't have to eat gluten-free.  Then, have on hand raspberries, raspberry jam, and mascarpone cheese.

Mascarpone cheese is an Italian cheese that is like cream cheese but richer. It's easy to spread. It's milky-white and often used in desserts like Tiramisu and cheesecake. Sometimes it's used instead of butter or Parmesan cheese when making risotto. I use it to make homemade ice cream.


So here's the simple recipe:

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY DECADENCE

(per serving)
1 slice chocolate cake
2 -3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
6-8 raspberries
2-3 tablespoons raspberry jam

Directions:

Place a slice of chocolate cake on a dish. Lather with mascarpone cheese. Place the raspberries on top of the cheese. Heat the jam for about 5-10 seconds in the microwave. Drizzle the hot jam over the berries and cheese. Savor.

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Say cheese!

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