GOURMET NIGHT'S ELEGANT ENDING

My friend Diva Leigh and I have been sharing "Gourmet Night" on Thursday evenings for the past five years. This weekly repast originated from a Thursday night Conversational Spanish class we elected to take in the summer of 2000. After class number 3 and a hefty scolding from the instuctor for our poor vowel pronuciation, we decided that "nos encontramos bien", or "we are just fine" without conversational Spanish. We left the class, went to a local restaurant known for fine wine and cuisine, and sat out on the veranda enjoying the summer evening. It was at that point that "Gourmet Night" was born. It has evolved over the years and taken on many faces, but the day of the week and time have never changed.

Scaled down from a three course meal complete with wine, appetizers, dessert and coffee, our girlish figures now prefer a single good glass of wine, a light salad and the delicious reward of dessert as a grand finale. Tonight's indulgence was the Frrozen Hot Chocolate from the Sweet Serendity post below. Diva Leigh and I transported that dessert from Sweet Serendipity to an Elegant Ending by making the frozen concoction with Frango Mint Chocolates. The mixture was poured into latte mugs that were chilled in the freezer, topped with cinnamon whipped cream and Guittard real chocolate sprinkles. All of this was accentuated with a chocolate hazlenut marshmallow and slowly savored in front of the fireplace.

Here is the Cinnamon Whipped Cream mixture to enjoy during your own Gourmet Night. Start a new tradition, because when desserts are consumed in moderation and with family and friends...the calories and fat don't count!

CINNAMON WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup of very cold heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon of best quality, fresh Vietnamese cinnamon
splash of real vanilla extract

Sift the sugar and cinnamon together. Pour the cream into the chilled bowl of a stand mixer and add the rest of the ingredients. Using the wire whisk attachment, whip on high speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, but not until stiff. Watch constantly while the mixture is forming because it can turn to butter quickly. Serve on Frrozen Hot Chocolate and Enjoy!