Recipe: Red Pepper Soup, Lamb Chops with Peppercorns and Mustard, Orange-Minted Peas

Red Pepper Soup
Source: Better Homes and Gardens

1/4 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Few drops bottled hot pepper sauce
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
2 small red sweet peppers, coarsely chopped (1-1/2 cups)
1 large tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon ouzo or anise liqueur or 1/8 teaspoon anise seed, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence or fines herbes, crushed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
Tarragon sprigs (optional)
1/4 cup dairy sour cream
Shredded lemon peel (optional)

For Lemon Sour Cream: Stir together the 1/4 cup dairy sour cream, the lemon peel, lemon juice, and hot pepper sauce in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot margarine or butter until tender. Add peppers; cover and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until peppers are soft, stirring occasionally.

Add tomato, liqueur or anise seed, herbes de Provence or fine herbes, and paprika. Add broth; bring to boiling. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Pour the soup into a blender container or food processor bowl (half at a time, if necessary). Cover and blend or process until smooth; return mixture to saucepan. Stir in the 1/4 cup sour cream; heat through, but do not boil.

To serve, spoon into soup bowls. Top each serving with about 1 tablespoon of Lemon Sour Cream; draw a knife through the cream to swirl. Garnish with additional lemon peel and tarragon sprigs, if desired. Makes 4 appetizer servings.

Lamb Chops with Peppercorns and Mustard
Source: Better Homes and Gardens

8 lamb loin chops, cut 1 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon cracked whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole green peppercorns, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard or horseradish mustard

Place lamb chops in a plastic bag; set in deep bowl. Combine cracked black peppercorns, green peppercorns, and white pepper. Set aside.

For marinade, combine half of the pepper mixture, the wine, oil, rosemary, and garlic. Pour mixture over lamb. Seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally to distribute marinade.

Place chops on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3 inches from the heat for 5 minutes. Turn and broil for 4 minutes more or until juices run clear. Spread mustard on one side of chops and pat the remaining pepper mixture into the mustard. Broil 1 minute more or until desired donesness. Makes 4 servings.

Orange-Minted Peas
Source: Better Homes and Gardens

2 cups shelled peas or one 10-ounce package frozen peas
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 tablespoon snipped fresh mint
1 teaspoon margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange or lemon peel
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cook fresh peas, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp-tender. (Or, cook frozen peas according to package directions.) Drain.

2. Stir in green onion, mint, margarine or butter, orange or lemon peel, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Heat through, stirring to melt margarine or butter. Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Bittersweet Chocolate Torte with Raspberries
Source: Better Homes and Gardens
This dense, brownielike dessert is so rich, you'll want to cut it into slivers to serve. Add the fresh raspberries at serving time

14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1/4 cup milk
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup seedless red raspberry jam
1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur (optional)
1-1/2 to 2 cups fresh red raspberries
Powdered sugar (optional)

Grease the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan; set aside.

Combine chocolate, butter, and milk in a heavy medium saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat and cool 20 minutes. Beat eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined. Add sugar and flour; beat on high speed for 10 minutes. Stir chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 35 minutes or until torte is slightly puffed on the outer one-third of the top. (Because this is a dense torte, the center will still appear underbaked.)

Cool in pan on a wire rack about 20 minutes. While cooling, the torte may fall about 1/4-inch in the center and may develop a brownielike, crusty surface. With a knife, carefully loosen the torte from the sides of the pan. Cool completely (about 2 to 3 hours). Remove the sides of the pan. Wrap the torte in foil, and chill for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, bring the torte to room temperature.

Melt raspberry jam in a saucepan; cool. Stir in raspberry liqueur, if desired. Spread jam atop torte. To cut, use a knife dipped in hot water. Top each serving with fresh raspberries. Dust the berries with powdered sugar, if desired. Makes 16 servings.