Christmas- Stuffed Mushrooms, Scallops, & Molten Chocolate Cake

No one stepped up to the plate and did a post with the recipes from our traditional Christmas dinner at the Luhrs house. I don't have mom's recipes so I can't take charge on that one. I did make a dinner at our house though. Seafood became our tradition the year we pigged out on crab cakes in Baltimore. I won't include the crab cake recipe in the post because this year I cheated and bought frozen ones.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS (from the Gooseberry Patch Family & Friends Cookbook)
24 large mushrooms
1/2 c parsley, chopped
1/2 c thyme
3/4 c butter, divided
16 bacon slices, crisply cooked & crumbled
8oz package cream cheese, softened
2 oz fresh Parmesean cheese, grated & divided

Rinse and pat dry mushrooms. Remove stems & finely chop. Set caps aside. In a medium skillet, saute mushroom stems, parsley, green onion, & thyme with 1/2 c butter. In a a large bowl, combine bacon, ceram cheese & half of the Parmesean cheese. Add sauteed mixture and stir well. Brush mushroom caps with melted butter on both sides. Arrange caps, hollow side up, in oven-proof dish. Fill caps with stuffing and sprinkle the reserved Parmesean cheese on top. Broil 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through.

BAKED SCALLOPS
This is sort of a mishmash of several recipes in an attempt to emulate the fabulous scallops served by the Avenue Lounge Supper Club in Wausau, WI.

10-14 large scallops (depending on size)
3/4 cup bread crumbs
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp parsley flakes or the real stuff if you have it
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp lowry's seasoning salt
1/2 cup melted butter

Place scallops in a casserole dish. Cover with melted butter & turn to coat. Combine all other ingredients and sprinkle over scallops to cover. Bake at 425 10-15 mintues until scallops are cooked through.

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKES
Serves 2 but can be doubled or tripled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins
1/3 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for ramekins and serving
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Pinch salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two 6-ounce ramekins, then dust with sugar. Place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 20-second increments, stirring after each, until melted. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, sugar, espresso powder, and salt. Add chocolate mixture; whisk to combine. Add flour, and whisk just until combined (do not overmix). Pour batter into prepared ramekins. (Recipe can be made ahead up to this point.)
Bake until a toothpick inserted 1/2 inch from edge of ramekins comes out clean, and a toothpick inserted in center comes out wet, 10 to 12 minutes (do not overbake). Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Run a knife around inside of ramekins to loosen. Invert cakes onto serving plates. Dust with sugar; serve immediately.

NOTE: I don't own ramekins. I make this in pyrex custard dishes. It can also be baked in muffin tins.