Crusing with Kelly: Favorite foods

Geez, where do I start? There was so much food that there's no way I could have eaten it all. So let's start with my favorites:

Hands down, the best thing on the cruise was the melting chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Baked in a ramekin, the chocolate cake was molten and dusted with powdered sugar. It was just the right amount of sweetness and made with very rich chocolate. I had it three times on the cruise; the other desserts such as Grand Marnier souffle couldn't hold up. Here's the best estimation of the recipe I can come up with:

Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 (8-oz.) packages semisweet chocolate squares, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup butter - do not use margarine
5 large eggs, separated1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
Grease a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. Melt chopped chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Whisk together egg yolks and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually stir in warm chocolate mixture, whisking until well blended.Beat egg whites at high speed with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form. Fold one-third beaten egg white mixture into chocolate mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. (Do not overbake!) Let stand in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes before removing sides of pan.

Another winner on the ship was the lobster tail served on the formal evening alongside with grilled jumbo shrimp. It was served alongside a butter sauce, brocoli and rice. The lobster meat was savory and the smokey flavor from the grilled shrimp were a welcomed accompanment. Another item I really liked was the veal parmesan, a breaded veal chop topped with cheese and marinara sauce served over angelhair pasta. Tasty.

I wouldn't mind a little cruise sunshine today ...

Tomorrow: Grand Turk food finds