mousse

Citrus And Cardamom Rum Babas

26.05.2008 53 Comments

I have been under a shower of SHF citrus entries this past week and although I need to (happily) bathe in over 100 entries in the coming days, nothing would make me happier. Thank you in advance to all of you who participated and remember I will accept a few stragglers if you come to the party with an extra box of lemon sour candies! Before I proceed with these lovely Rum Babas, I need to announce the winner of the Cherry Blossom Extract: Congratulations to Suzana of Home Gourmets ! Please email me with your mailing address so both Rachael and I can get the 2 bottles on your way.
When I was little, I loved going with my mom to the bakery in town after church on Sundays, helping her select the little mini pastries that would end up on a dessert tray after lunch at my grandparent’s. There always was a selection of different flavored eclairs and cream puffs, a couple of mini fruit tarts and Napoleons and a couple of mini rum babas. I used to repeat that name on the way there and on the way back to the house: "baba au rum…baba au rum…baba au rum…" I just found its resonance funny and comforting, thoughts of roundness and "plentiness" and exotic places. Except for one thing: even though I was already allowed to drink a little wine drowned with a lot of water on Sundays, I was not allowed more than one bite of the rum babas because they were drenched in alcohol…and drenched they were (no wonder our baker was a happy man!).

As soon as I started working in bakeries and put in charge of babas production, I figured I was old enough to eat them too. I had my share of this traditional pastry: a yeast based cake, with a very spongy and delicate texture all bathed in a orange and rum flavored syrup. Nothing else…no gilding the lilies with whipped cream or fruit. Although it is a little more on the bready side than a cake, there is nothing heavy about it….pure rum air….try not to inhale half a dozen minis at once! It had been a long while since I had made some but the arrival of a lovely birthday present prompted me to change that situation.

Last year, my buddy Inne and I started to discuss the pastry work of Hidemi Sugino, Japanese pastry virtuoso. I have loved and admired his creations for years and when she mentioned she had a friend who could get the book in Japan and bring it back to her so she could then send it to me, I know I let out a loud "Yes!". Lucky me, it came in the mail for my birthday along with some plates I used here and here. Thank you Inne! I don’t read Japanese but thankfully in this book, the recipes are translated in English. Allright, so translated may not be the right word as the English used is really wrong in some sentences but you get the gist of it fairly quickly. I was relieved to see that the original measures in grams had been kept although there are equivalences given in spoons and cups. I can’t tell you if this part is accurate because I had no time to double check and I must add that I used the grams, my personal preference in baking.

His Citrus Babas caught my eye the first couple of minutes I started looking at the mouth watering desserts put together for the book. The dough was mixed with a citrus puree, the baked babas soaked with an orange syrup and topped with an orange liqueur flavored pastry cream. The citrus puree called for whole citrus to be poached and puree, skin, pulp and rind. Where it might work beautifully for the kumquat recipe used, I thought not so much if I did a mix of grapefruit, lemons, lime and oranges since kumquats are out of season here now. I kept the rinds of the lemon and limes and used all the citrus fruit pulp. I changed the syrup to incorporate some rum and since I had half a batch of Lime and Mascarpone Mousse left, I topped the finished babas with a dollop of these.

Citrus Babas:

Printable Recipe

Makes 8 small (I used square silicone molds)

For the babas:
3 gr. instant dry yeast
20 gr. lukewarm water
5 gr. sugar
100 gr. all purpose flour
2 gr. salt
1 large egg
60 gr. milk
40 g. butter, melted and cooled
50 gr. Citrus Compote, pureed

For the Citrus Compote:
100 gr. of mixed citrus fruit of your choice (I used a mixture of lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit and some of the lemon and lime rinds)
100 gr. sugar
100 gr. water
6 whole cardamom pods

Use the flesh and some of the rinds of the fruits, add the sugar and water and put all in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Let cool. Remove the cardamom pods. Puree until completely smooth.

For the syrup:
100 gr. orange juice
100 gr. rum
70 gr. sugar

Bring all the ingredients to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer the syrup to a wide, shallow pan.

For the mousse filling:
Half a recipe Lime and Mascarpone Mousse

Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and sugar and let stand until foamy. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and the milk together.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the yeast mixture, flour, salt, add the egg mixture and butter. Mix until all the ingredients are combined and you get a soft dough. Let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume.
Punch the dough down and add the citrus compote. Mix until well combined.
Drop the dough by tablespoons full in babas molds or muffin tins or whatever you have available. Let rise until nearly doubled. Bake at 400F for about 15 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. Unmold the babas.
Soak the babas into the syrup, upside down first and then flip them over. Let them soak a minute and transfer to a wire rack to drain the syrup. Reserve the syrup. You can keep the babas in the fridge until plating time, well covered.
To plate: top each babas with a dollop of mousse, drizzle with the reserved syrup and add some mint and lemon rind or zest if desired.

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I thought that adding one more citrus post to this month of May could not hurt and wish to dedicate these Citrus Babas to my mother for Mother’s Day. I know I am a day late but I thought that she would forgive me if I made one of our favorites, a baba…all pretty and citrusy. Plus, she was spending the day with my dad, brother and her granddaughters. Mom, I love you! Everyday, you show me the importance of giving of oneself, giving love and friendship, lending an ear and a welcoming hand and I can only hope to be half as good as you are. You radiate love and laughter to all around you and I strive to make you proud although I make you worry sometimes and sometimes I make you laugh. I know I make you scratch your head and I know I make you raise your hands or roll your eyes…but I know that you and you only understands me when I sing you Sinatra or Singing In The Rain. Mom, you are my lucky star….I love you!

Lemon Rhubarb Mascarpone Mousse Cake

03.05.2008 70 Comments

Yes, another rhubarb post…it’s the season and I just can’t get enough….Sorry folks! When Marcela was planning her visit, one of her wishes was to get some rhubarb and Meyer lemons so we could bake something with them. She also wanted to keep the seeds of the lemon to grow her own tree back in Argentina. We searched everywhere for both to no avail and decided to stick with our original plan to make macarons instead. She did a fabulous job with the latter and I hope that macarons have no secret for her now and I got to tell you, buttercream and dulce de leche go really really well together!!

After dropping her off at the airport, B. and I headed for the farmers' market downtown and guess what I found by the bucket….rhubarb!!! Arghhhhh…..Wish I had it growing in the backyard but one has to do with what they have, right?! I need to add that since I mentioned I had found Loquat trees everywhere downtown, one of my clients told me she had her own tree and I was most welcome to head over her house and pick what I wanted. I did this afternoon and stopped at three bags full. Do you think I have enough fruit if you add the four pounds of strawberry that Marcela and I picked at a local farm yesterday afternoon?!!! There are going to be some fruity desserts coming up!!

This is the dessert I wanted to make for her had I found rhubarb before her arrival….alas, or as B. would say "Yum, more for me", this mousse cake is going to be dessert for us tonight. So here is to you Pip, as a thank you for a wonderful time in your company and especially last night at the restaurant where I don’t recall ever laughing so hard in my life…and it involved another woman kissing my husband….

For the mousse I used the same recipe I used for the Raspberry and Mascarpone Mousse Cakes, back in March. I replaced the lime with lemon and added cooked rhubarb to the mousse base. I don’t really have a recipe to cook the rhubarb but I usually go for 1 cup of fruit to 1/3 cup sugar, cooked over low heat until the rhubarb softens and I still get chunks of fruit in there. The cake ring surrounding the mousse looks complicated and involved, but really it isn’t. It is made with an almond cake batter very similar to ones used for jelly rolls called "ribbon sheet cake" or Joconde and a tuile cookie batter (also known as tulip paste) piped onto the baking sheet before you pour in the cake batter so while baking it leaves an imprint on your cake. If it were rocket science I would not be doing it….trust me. It is not more time consuming than baking a cake and I find the whole process tremendously more fun given the end result.

I went for stripes but you can easily make squiggles, lace patterns, dots, smileys, etc….It is best to prepare both the mousse and the cake early in the day if you plan to serve this for dinner as the cake needs to cool and the mousse needs to set, and you can keep them in the freezer for a month or so if you decide to make them way in advance. For a velvety effect on top, I mix powdered sugar and cherry pink food coloring on top and dust the cakes with it right before serving. Do not do this in advance as your powdered sugar will melt and sink in the mousse due to its moisture content.

Lemon Rhubarb Mascarpone Mousse Cake:

Printable Recipe

For the tulip paste:
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature
4 ounces all purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 Tb cocoa powder.

Cream the butter and powdered sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and add to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated. Do not overmix. Use right away or store in the refrigerator, taking it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it.
Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a ruler set on top of the sheet as your guide, pipe lines with the tulip paste onto the parchment paper, or any shape you desire. You can also smooth a large amount of the paste on the paper and using a ruler set on the rim of the pan, use a decorator comb to drag on the batter to form lines. When I make somewhat straight lines, this is the method I use, and I use the pastry bag method for lace patterns and others. Set the baking sheet in the freezer until the tulip paste is firm. Keep frozen until you are ready to pour the cake batter on top.

For the ribbon sheet cake:
4 ounces finely ground almonds (I used slivered)
3 ounces powdered sugar
1 ounce all purpose flour
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 egg whites
1 ounce granulated sugar
1 ounce melted unsalted butter

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the almonds, powdered sugar, flour and 2 eggs until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl with a spatula and add the remaining 2 eggs and the yolk until well combined. Set aside.
Whip the egg whites in a separate bowl until they appear foamy, add the granulated sugar in a steady stream and whip until you get a glossy meringue. Fold the meringue mixture into the egg/flour mixture. Stir in the melted butter and fold until all the ingredients are well incorporated but without deflating your meringue base.

Remove the baking sheet with the tulip paste from the freezer and pour the cake batter on top. Bake at 450F for about 6-8 minutes or until the sponge becomes to color. Remove from the oven, let cool a few minutes and invert your cake onto a piece of parchment paper. Peel the baking paper. Let cool before using. You can keep it wrapped in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for a month. Bring it back to room temperature before you fit it in the pastry rings. Line 6-8 pastry rings (depending on their size, mine are 3 inches wide) with parchment paper, cut 1.5 inches wide strips of cake and cut them to fit around the inside of your rings. Divide the mousse inside the rings and let set.

For the mousse:
1 egg, separated
2 TB sugar
2 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
75 ml. heavy cream
1 tsp. powdered gelatin (1/2 sheet) + 1 Tb water
zest and juice of one lemon
1 cup cooked rhubarb

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, stir and let sit to bloom. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the sugar, add 1 egg yolk and whisk until well incorporated. Heat the gelatin for about 10 seconds in the microwave and quickly whisk it in the mascarpone batter. Add the lemon juice and zest. Whip the egg white until stiff, fold into the mascarpone mixture. Add the cooked rhubarb. Whip the heavy cream to medium stiff peaks, and fold into the mascarpone. Divide it evenly and carefully among the pastry rings. Store in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours or overnight.

Granted it takes a tad longer than a baking brownies but it is just as fun and as good, and if you like playing with shapes, batters and let your imagination run wild, this is a good project to tackle in the kitchen. The end result is so tasty you won’t be disappointed!

Raspberry And Lime Mascarpone Mousse Cakes

27.03.2008 63 Comments

We celebrated Easter with B.’s family, a small and quiet gathering on the beach, very much unlike the gatherings in my family back home. There was plenty to share and although I offered to bring something for dessert, my sister-in-law said I could take the day off, she’d take care of it. Doesn’t she realized that it really does not bother me and I am actually looking forward to making something? I am sure those of you who like to cook and bake have found themselves in this position. When you love food, it’s not work, it’s a pleasure. Oh well, I still wanted to make something for us and took the opportunity of the "Exchange Dinner" we host each year to make these Raspberry and Lime Mascarpone Mousse Cakes.

What is the "Exchange Dinner" you ask? Well, I came to the US as an exchange student about 11 years ago and I was an exchange student doing my Masters here for one year. Long story short, I met B. here a few weeks before I was supposed to go home "forever" and although I did go home, it was not too long before we each were making a couple of overseas trips "to figure this one out"….As you can see we figured it out pretty fast and I moved here permanently a few months after we met. This little tidbit is essential to the dinner in question: as an exchange student, I remember that one of the holidays that made me the most homesick was Easter (most of us make it home for Christmas). The weather is gorgeous, the flowers are all in bloom, everybody is in a chirpy mood, and we feel a little or a lot out of place. We are filled with mixed emotions: the semester is nearing its end, we’ll have to buckle down on our dissertation, pack soon and say goodbye to friends and yet, we realise how much we miss everybody back home and how we wish we could hope over for a nice Eater celebration. Being a professor at the College, B. has the chance to meet the exchange student from my old University and we try to help them get set up the best we can and to give the a crash course on American matters, and the South specifically. I remembered the way I felt over Easter and decided a few years ago to host a little gatherings around that time for the two students who are now in the shoes I wore a while back. So there it is, the "Exchange Dinner".

Nothing screams Spring more than light and fluffy lime mousse studded with raspberries, especially when it is set on a light base of Angel Food Cake. Our guests had never tried that type of cake before so it was quite a lesson in American desserts that they got that night…that was to be expected when you dine with a baker and a History professor, we can be so nerdy sometimes!! The girls loved it and both asked for the recipe to make back home. The desserts itself calls for only four slices cut out from the cake so you might be tempted to buy a box mix or one already made. Resist! There is nothing like homemade Angel Food Cake and it is actually easy and fun to make also. The lime mousse is the same one I used here, inspired by a blogger I have been reading for a long time, Mercotte. When I was unmolding the cakes, I kept thinking I had seen them before on someone’s blog, not the exact same one but the same concept and look. Light bulb moment as I was hopping in bed: Bea had made them, also inspired by Mercotte. Ah! Tout s’explique! (it all comes together now). I guess that if the three of us ever meet, she’ll know what to make us for dessert!

Raspberry Mousse Cake: serves 4

4 slices angel food cake (1 inch thick), recipe below
Lime Mascarpone Mousse
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 piece raspberry fruit leather (I used these), cut 4 thin strips
1/2 recipe Blood Orange Syrup

Angel Food Cake:
18 egg whites
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift cake flour and confectioners sugar together and set aside.
In a large clean bowl, whip egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. Gradually add sugar while beating, and continue to beat until very stiff. Add the lemon extract.
Slowly fold in the flour mixture. Pour into a 10 inch tube pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Remove it from the oven and invert the pan and set it over a longneck bottle (water or wine). It is necessary to invert the pan when making angel food cake because while it cools, the weight of the cake is enough to collapse it. Upside-down, the weight of the cake will keep the cake tall. Elevated cookie cooling racks also work fine, like these. Release the cake from the pan when it is completely cooled.

For the dessert, cut 4 slices from the cake and with a 3 inch pastry ring cut 4 rounds out of the cake slices. Cut strips of parchement paper about 2 inches taller than the rings (you’ll need 4 or you can use 3 inch in diameter rings cut from pvc pipe) and place them inside the rings,place the rings on a baking sheet. Put the cake rounds at the bottom and divide the rapsberries among the rings.

Lime Mascarpone Mousse:
1 egg, separated
2 TB sugar
2 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
75 ml. heavy cream
1 tsp. powdered gelatin (1/2 sheet) + 1 Tb water
zest and juice of one lime

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, stir and let sit to bloom. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the sugar, add 1 egg yolk and whisk until well incorporated. Heat the gelatin for about 10 seconds in the microwave and quickly whisk it in the mascarpone batter. Add the lemon juice and zest. Whip the egg white until stiff, fold into the mascarpone mixture. Whip the heavy cream to medium stiff peaks, and fold into the mascarpone. Divide it evenly and carefully among the pastry rings, trying not to disturb the rapsberries. Let sit in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. Slowly remove the rings, and peel off the parchement paper very carefully. Pour some blood orange syrup on top and let it slide down the sides.

To decorate, twist the raspberry fruit strips and anchor them down in the cakes.

I have been watching the Click photography event for some months now but I always seem to miss the deadline. When I read the theme for March was "metal", I did let the idea sprout in my mind for a while, not sure of what I could enter if I decided too. Then, I thought about the most used metal item in my kitchen, my whisk. I am one of those weirdos who like to whisk egg whites (except 18 for angel food cake, let’s be honest), whipped cream, batters and such by hand. So here it is my first entry, my whisk for Click, created by Jai and Bee.

Chocolate Caramel Mousse – Date Night

25.03.2008 69 Comments

I was trying my best to pretend Christophe was not around the house….avoiding his mischievous glance on my way to the kitchen, grazing my hand on the shiny cover and yet preventing myself from leafing through the pages filled with gorgeous photographs and fun recipes. One night though, I found myself alone in the house and tempted by the promises of silky chocolate mousse, I gave in. I have always been pretty forward with my beaus (ask B. and he will tell you that the first thing I told you was "You’re sexy" instead of "You’re sweet" when we met – he’d tell the truth), and when there is chocolate, well I guess you don’t need a visual…except Christophe was not going to get the best of me this time and leave me wondering again if he was the man for me. After making his Chocolate-Caramel Mousse, I think we might go steady for a while.

I was really intrigued by Christophe’s mousse, particularly the ingredients and since there was just the two of us in the kitchen that evening, it was all quiet and calm and I thought we would get along better….no distraction meant that we could dance to the sound of bubbling caramel and not have a care in the world for a short while. The mousse I usually make is rich and yet nothing extravagant: melt chocolate, add butter, add egg yolks, whip egg whites with sugar, add whipped cream, fold and eat. But this is Christophe and we are on a date…His mousse is lighter due to his use of 2% milk, less egg, milk chocolate to add a touch of sweetness and very little butter. It is almost liquid when you pour it into a cup, dish or other but sets up to a beautiful silky cloud of paradise. I see some of you ready to come tell me about the danger of eating raw eggs. Stop right there. I will continue to eat the way and foods I was raised upon, including vats of egg filled mousse if I can (if it works for 97 year-old Grandpa Rene, I’ll take my chance) I respect your opinion, really I do, but do you really know what tomorrow holds? Yeah…neither do I….except maybe "more mousse!" 🙂

The caramel part of the recipe? Well, that was Christophe little secret move…You have to earn your right to the mousse as you wait to let it set but oh my! that little bit of creamy caramel layer is just a great contrast in texture and flavor to the bittersweet chocolate layer. B, jealous of my little evening with Christophe, made the (bad) joke that we had invited Pierre Herme as the chaperon. Indeed, I layered the mousse and caramel cream on the diagonal, like I did with my adaptation of his Sensation Satine. I made enough caramel cream for only two servings but mousse for four people so I used empty and washed egg shells to pour it into and topped all with some crushed toffee. I ended up polishing both little jars which left B. with the eggs without caramel…sorry, bad pastry jokes are against the company’s policies(!).

Chocolate-Caramel Mousse: Serves 4

For the Caramel Cream Layer:

40 gr sugar
100 ml water
150 ml heavy cream at room temperature
1 tsp powdered gelatin
1 Tb water
pinch of salt

In a heavy saucepan, bring the sugar and water to 180C (358F) or to a dark amber caramel if you do not have a thermometer, over medium high heat. Be careful, if it turns too dark it will be bitter. Lower the heat and add the cream and stir until fully incorporated. Do not worry if it hisses at you and starts bubbling like crazy, it calms down after a few seconds. Remove from the heat. Pour the gelatin over the tablespoon of water and let it bloom for a couple of minutes. Stir it into the caramel and stir to dissolve. Pour into your selected dishes in the manner described here if you wish, or just let it be your bottom layer. Let set for 2 hours.

For the Dark Chocolate Mousse Layer:

1/2 cup (125ml) 2% milk
100 gr bittersweet chocolate (chips or chopped)
25 gr milk chocolate (same)
1 egg yolk
15 gr butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Bring the milk to a boil in heavy saucepan. Add the chocolate, let stand a couple of minutes. Stir gently until the chocolate is melted and fully incorporated. The mixture should be at 45C (128F) when you add the egg yolk, if it is colder it might seize. Whisk in the butter. Add the whipped cream and fold delicately. Pour into your dishes and tilt them in the manner described here if you wish, or just let it be your top layer. Let set for 2 hours.
Top with crushed toffee if desired before serving.

Frozen Rhubarb And Banana Charlottes

10.03.2008 83 Comments

What follows is a typical conversation you can hear at our house on a Sunday afternoon:
Me: Hey, what’cha got planned today?
Him: well, I found this electric saw (or drill, or vacuum,….) in the street and I thought I’d fix it up. You?
Me: I just picked some stuff up at the grocery store and I’d thought I’d play around a little.
Both at the same time: well, call me before you burn the house down!

We had a very similar conversation last week but this time I was on a mission. I was standing in the middle of the fruits and vegetables stands, starring at gorgeous stalks of deep red rhubarb when my friend S. called. "Remember my bridal shower next July?" Yesssssss….(can’t you just tell what’s coming?!) "Change of plans…it’s in two weeks otherwise I’ll have to throw a baby shower with it!" Yesssss "Can you think of something pretty, girlie, decadent, pink, red, white….?" Yesssss…I love S., she is the exact opposite of me in almost everything and in that regard she is the ultimate girlie girl, ultra pink and fuchsia, which makes me look like a Gothic tomboy (and if you know me, you know I am not which gives you a pretty good image of S.) Good thing I was holding pretty red rhubarb when she called and that she happens to love it too.
So here I was, back in the kitchen letting my brain do its usual selection of all the wild ideas running through my mind. A charlotte is always a pretty thing and since the weather has been very clement and her shower would be an intimate affair (12 ladies), I thought about a chilled/frozen filling. Bananas are one of my favorite ingredients for frozen mousses because they provide good body and sweetness without being too heavy. When cut in long strips and prepared just a bit, the rhubarb graciously replaces the traditional ladyfinger casing of a charlotte. While the leaves are toxic, the stalks can be used to your heart’s contents but they need a good dose of sugar as they are very tart and make cranberries look weak in that department.

When working with cold or frozen individual plated desserts you can use metal pastry rings but since they are not cheap and I tend to accumulate mini pans of all shapes and sizes I rely on a big stock of different pvc pipes. Yep, hardware stores are a cook’s treasure land sometimes! For a minimal fee you can select all the diameters you like and if you smile big enough (maybe throw in a little eyelash action for good measure) they might even cut the pipe for you. Since the pipe is almost indestructible, I am not worried about storage, bending or rust. To make sure the "rhubarb ladyfingers" would not stick to the plastic mold, I just lined them with parchment paper that I secured with tape. The rhubarb is cut in paper thin slices and barely softened in a low temperature oven for 10 minutes, to retain the color without caramelizing them. Once filled and frozen, the charlottes popped right out and all I had to do was to carefully peel the paper.

After the stalks, I chopped up the remaining tidbits, cooked them down with some sugar until I had a deep red puree and just stared at it mesmerized. Just kidding! Although I just wanted to spread that delicious jam on fresh toast, I thinned it down a bit and used for the plating along with some of the frozen banana filling. I topped each charlotte with caramelized banana slices and a little rhubarb bow with strips cut in the soft slices. as a homage to S’s girlie-ness. She came over that night for dinner and loved it, from the presentation to the taste…Ouf! (that’s French for "big sigh of relief!)….Now I have got the think about that baby shower of hers!!

Frozen Rhubarb And Banana Charlottes:

Serves 4. The molds used are 3 inches tall and 3 inches across.

For the Rhubarb "ladyfingers":
12 to 15 rhubarb stalks, cleaned and cut to measure 3 inches
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat your oven to 200F. With a sharp knife and without peeling the stalks, cut them into thin slices (1/8inch thick). Keep the ends and trimmings for later. Set them onto parchment paper lined baking sheets (or silicone ones), and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.
Cut strips of parchment paper to fit inside the molds and carefully line the inside of the mold with the sliced rhubarb easier to do if you lay the mold on its side). Place the rings in the freezer for a couple of hours.

Frozen Banana Mousse:
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 cup pureed bananas
1 cup heavy cream

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy. Fold the banana puree into the yolk mixture. Whisk the egg whites until they foam and add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 Tb. at a time and continue to whip until glossy. Fold the whites into the banana mixture. Whip the cream to soft peaks and add to the banana batter. Keep about 1/4 cup of the mousse to use as a sauce for plating if desired. Spoon the mousse into the rhubarb lined rings and freeze overnight.

Caramelized Banana Slices:
Cut 2 bananas into thin slices. In a pan, melt 4 Tb sugar with 4 TB butter, and cook until the sugar is melted. Add the bananas and cook them until barely soft. Remove them from the pan and let cool. It is preferable to do these the day you plate up the whole dessert.

Options for plating:
Cook down the bits and pieces of rhubarb you have left from cutting the slices with some sugar (to taste) until soft and jam-like and let it cool completely. If it becomes too thick the next day, thin it down with a bit of water to use it as a sauce.

To Serve:
Carefully unmold the charlottes from the rings by pushing down gently from one end, peel off the parchment paper. Quickly set the room temperature banana slices on top, use some of the rhubarb jam and leftover mousse for sauces. Make a bow if you have it you (which I know you do since you all wrap presents so well) I got to tell you that was a rather sticky experience!!
You might have leftover mousse when you fill the rings. I just layered it with some cooked rhubarb and pop these in the freezer for an easy weeknight dessert.

Caramel Cardamom Mousse

03.01.2008 44 Comments

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends, good times and laughter. We did, kind of mellow some days, kind of crazy some others…waiting for that cold weather to come our way so we could cozy up in front of the fireplace. Well, after temperatures in the 60s and the 70s, we finally have some cold weather. Of course it occurs on January 2nd, Mother Nature scoffing at us now that Santa is long gone and New Year’s Eve is simply but a page turned. But you know what? It does not really matter anymore as I did not need the fireplace to make me feel cosy this Christmas season. Nope. I had the warmth of looking at cards every morning upon waking up, looking at my really weird looking Norfolk pine tree. Some were too kind to tell me it looked good….I did not care for it, but it was a gift and it got "prettified" as one of neighbors kids said.

Anyways, I was also blessed one Christmas Eve morning when I received a box full of cookies and gifts for the house, (look Lisa! the stars are giving my dessert some spice), a cookbook, The Sweet Life by Kate Zuckerman (see Veronica! already put to good use), and the softest fleece robe courtesy of my mother in law. The correlation with Cardamom Caramel Mousse? Well, that Christmas morning I felt really blessed that I could eat one of my friend’s cookies, while reading the other friend’s cookbook, and all wrapped up in my surrogate mom’s gift….Really, it just dawned on me that very minute: "gosh, this is pretty special"…and as I was lost in all things metaphysical (ya’ll know I am kidding, right?!), my hand stopped the pages of the book from turning by pushing on page 106, where Kate Zuckerman wrote the Caramel Mousse.

I can see why her recipe is at the backbone of so many of her desserts and the applications and variations on it are almost endless. A hot caramel syrup is whipped into egg yolks to create a safe cream to which some gelatin and whipped cream is added. The end result sets rather quickly but the taste is out of this world and the texture…well…soft as a pillow…really. In her original recipe Kate uses cinnamon to spice up the taste, and although I have nothing against cinnamon, I will go for cardamom first if given the choice. I thought about infusing the caramel syrup for the mousse with some barely crushed open pods. I started looking at the variations given when I noticed that she had a cardamom one, but used just the pods in their original form. Granted they are fragrant on their own, but I feared that the flavor would get lost in the boiling syrup, (even with the 10 pods she uses) so I went for a tiny bit more complication (one day I might play with caramel in a simple way, maybe!). I opened the pods, let them boil with in the caramel, strained the caramel over a bowl and quickly added it to the egg mixture for the mousse. It won’t cool the caramel syrup long enough to weaken its emulsifying power for the mousse part.

Will I make the mousse again? You bet! The cardamom was such a good match for the caramel that it makes me want to experiment. The texture makes you believe it is light as air but if you’re here reading this you know better: cream, sugar, eggs…And tomorrow? Butter, flour, sugar and cream….My New Year resolutions: small quantities of lip smacking desserts because life is too short to have less than the best! I am not saying I never use a box or a can of anything once in a while, I’d be lying and non-human, but there is nothing like the real thing! The pictures in the book are so crisp and drool-inducing that I’ll probably feed off her concepts and try some other great associations she came up with. Now, how can see why Veronica and Anita kept pushing me to give it a look. If only we could share a Kate Z. baking session now!!!! Allright, on to the recipe:

Cardamom Caramel Mousse, adapted from the Sweet Life, by Kate Zuckerman:

Yields 5 cups

6 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1 packet unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup water, divided
1 cup sugar
5 cardamom pods, cracked open
2 cups heavy cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks and the salt. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup water, and let it sit while you make the caramel.

Combine the sugar, cardamom pods and 1/4cup water in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a rapid boil over medium high heat (prevents crystallization of the sugar on the side of the pan). Once boiling, uncover and cook the sugar until deep golden brown. Turn off the heat and carefully pour 1/4 cup water into the hot caramel. The syrup will bubble and spurt, so stand back.Make sure the water incorporates fully to the syrup. Return to the heat if you get caramel bits and stir until it is one smooth liquid.

Strain the pods and seeds in a container with a spout, it will be easier to add the to the yolks. Pour the caramel slowly and into a steady stream into the egg yolks with the machine running on medium high. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 10 seconds or into the (now empty) saucepan until dissolved. Add it to the yolk mixture and continue to whisk on medium high until it triples in volume and cools to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add it to the mousse base and fold the two gently together. Divide the mousse into cups, ramequins, dishes, etc…and let it set, covered in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Hay Hay ! Mousse Round Up

26.04.2007 6 Comments

Update 4/26: Let’s try this one more time: I figured that the picture file was too big so I had to downsize the pictures, not as pretty but more colorful!

As a host I want to thank you all for making my blog look so good…just look at this: 54 gorgeous entries! I can’t begin to tell you how thrilling it was to host such an event. Thank you all for trusting me with your precious entries.
I realized that a lot of people had never made mousse before or had very rich experiences. It was great to see all go beyond the norm or/and reveal a bit about themselves.
I have read every one of your great posts and forgive me if I have forgotten to comment. My head was starting to spin, and if you have received more than one round up notification email, that’s because I was on a sugar high…!
So without further introduction, here is the round up with entries appearing in the order they were went to me.

Voting begins April 24th and runs until sunday April 29th midnight. A winner will be announced May 1st. Anybody can vote just email me your vote at marinette1ATcomcastDOTnet. Good luck!

Entry # 1

Paul from Eatnz starts us off with a delicate and sophisticated Belgian Chocolate Mousse Mille Feuilles. Deep dark scoops of chocolate mousse layered with golden puff pastry and cognac flambéed orange segments.

Entry # 2
Barbara, from Winos and Foodies, mastermind and creator of HHDD, adds a dash of humor and pizaz while presenting her Dark Chocolate With Banana And Macadamia Nut Mousse.

Entry # 3
Arfi from Homemades tries her hand at a deep dark Chocolate Mousse for the first time. The results could almost make your sugar count run over!

Entry # 4Kieran, from Ice Cream Ireland is definitely an innovator with his intriguing Warm Lime Meringue Mousse.

Entry # 5Clare at Rainy Days And Sundays, tempts our tastebuds with a lovely Pistachio Mousse on Shortbread Stack in an attempt to recreate the flavors of her childhood.

Entry # 6Australia based Karen from Cherry Leader puts on the glitz and serves up White Chocolate Mousse Cake with Little Red Gems…now I would not mind wear all of it!

Entry # 7
Brilynn from Jumbo Empanadas made a lovely combinations of two mousses and shares them with her family and us instead of her dinner guests (eat cake!) Check out her Chocolate and Lemon Mousse.

Entry # 8Bea at La Tartine Gourmande revisits an old French classic, Fraisier, with a deliciously bright and colorful Rhubarb Mousse and Strawberry Cake.

Entry # 9Deborah, from the relatively new kid on the block Taste and Tell serves up a grown up Strawberry Mousse with Strawberry Daiquiri Sauce. Makes you want to have it as a pre and after dinner drink!

Entry # 10
Valentina from Trembon In English tries a few different mousse recipes before settling on this Chocolate and Chesnut version…a feast for the eyes.

Entry # 11

Hong Kong based Canadian, Heather, at The Culinary Chase puts a savory spin on the theme with a healthy Smoked Salmon Mousse.

Entry # 12Cheryl from Gruel Omelet, prompted by her husband to divide and conquer serves up a velvety Neapolitan Mousse.

Entry # 13Jenny from All Things Edible makes mousse for the first time and comes up with a dessert fit to please her entire family with this Lime Curd Mousse Cake.

Entry # 14Brazilian Patricia at Technicolor Kitchen sends us these lovely Individual Passion Fruit Mousse in tiny chocolate cups, after thinking about 100 recipes she wanted to make. Aren’t we glad she settled on this one?!

Entry # 15
Rose from 64 sq ft Kitchen challenges her dislike for honey and comes up with this lovely and mouth Honey and Orange Frozen Mousse

Entry # 16
Eunice from Lemon Almond makes 2 types of White Chocolate Mousse with a lovely Chai spice mix just to make sure she does not pass on “the” one…glad she found her happiness as we have more to try!

Entry # 17
Morven from Food Art And Random Thoughts tries her hardest to find an egg and gelatin free mousse and finds her happiness (and ours) with satisfying Easiest Lemon Mousse You’ll Ever Make…don’t take my word for it go check it out!

Entry # 18
Seattle based Culinary Concotions by Peabody, will make you drool over your computer with 2 gorgeous mousses: Kahlua Chocolate Mousse and Vanilla Honey Mascarpone Mousse "because 2 is better than one"!

Entry # 19
Another mousse novice, Ellie from Kitchen Wench picks up an inventive cooking technique and come up with a Triple Chocolate Mousse adorned with the cutest sugar work.

Entry # 20Brigitte in Singapore, combats humidity to serve up her fresh lemon Ginger Mousse with Pistachio Tuiles. Thanks for braving the elements!

Entry # 21Anna from Morsels & Musings presents a jewel studded Muhallabiah Mousse with Pomegranate & Orange Blossom Syrup, for her second HHDD participation. Hope there will be many more!

Entry # 22Another new kid on the food blogging block is Brooke from bear necessities enters her first blog event with this scrumptious take on a pie favorite: "Key Lime Mousse".

Entry # 23Y from Lemonpi serves up a classy deep dark and velvety Chocolate Mousse, which also happens to be dairy free, and finds out that traditional is never boring when it comes to chocolate.

Entry # 24Melody from Fruittart uses a Donna Hay mousse base to give her limes a friend in this Mango Lime Mousse.

Entry # 25

Freya from the England based Writing At The Kitchen Table makes a healthy, diabetic and vegan friendly tofu mousse and kicks it up a notch with chocolate liqueur soaked fruit. Necessity is the creative factor in this Chocolate Tofu Mousse with Liqueur Soaked Figs.

Entry # 26Ales from Preserveless at thinks about the approaching summer days and makes a bikini friendly Yogurt Mousse & Raspberry Sauce Tiramisu. Look at those colors! I have my spoon ready!

Entry # 27Minko at Couture Cupcakes in Australia goes savory on us and offers Lemon Mousse Sauce. She uses shrimp as the dipper but I can see raw vegetables or other seafood too. The possibilities are endless with this recipe.

Entry # 28Vero from the delicious Swiss blog delimOOn helps fellow French readers to discover Donna Hay and the event with a versatile Grand Marnier flavored white chocolate mousse in her white chOcolate mOusse, sO simple.

Entry # 29Gilly at Humble Pie is inspired by a weekend trip to a local sugarbush and maple syrup harvesting to make the snow white and velvety Maple Mousse with Salted Butter.

Entry # 30
Anne from A Foodie Froggy in Paris, gives us these gorgeous Little Eggplant and Basil Mousses, in her attempt to reconcile anybody reluctant to try eggplants.

Entry # 31
Mia from Cloudberry Quark has a hard time remembering how many times hse has made mousse in the past but gives us one sure to be remembered: Earl Grey Mousse with Dried Pear Slices and Raspberries.

Entry # 32

Katie, another new blogger at Other People’s Food serves up an interpretation of a well loved candy bar in this Le Kit Cat mousse bar.

Entry # 33
Chris at Mele Cotte looked over many sweet mousse recipes before changing course in this lovely Mousse au Chevre. Glad you did!

Entry # 34Mallow from the newly created two handed blog Sweet and Savory, offers us a portable and refreshing Frozen Cherry Mousse and Chocolate Malt Sandwiches.

Entry # 35Ashley, a first timer to HHDD and author of the blog Big Cook, Tiny Kitchen almost changed her mind before making a lovely Mango Kiwi Mousse.

Entry # 36Shawnda from Confections of a Foodie Bride goes Texas bold with a Dark Chocolate and Chambord Mousse. Hay, yall! It’s Mousse!

Entry # 37Myriam at Once Upon A Tart whips up healthy and creamy Fresh Avocado Mousse. Right on time for Spring!

Entry # 38Big Donna Hay fan, Chichajo from 80 Breakfasts, tries mousse for the first time and delivers this absolutely gorgeous Nutella Mousse.

Entry # 39
Dolores from Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity serves a dose of humor and fabulous spicy take on this month theme with a Chipotle Chocolate Velvet Mousse.

Entry # 40Kelly from Sass & Veracity gets her inspiration from a well known ice cream dish and serves up an over the top Chocolate Mousse – Banana Split Style

Entry # 41Australia based JenJen from Milk and Cookies tried her hand at mousse for the first time and puts her spin on a restaurant inspired multi layered dessert with these delectable Chocolate Delights.

Entry # 42
Inspired from a recent trip to Thailand Mia from Nosh creates a very spring refreshing Ginger and Grapefruit Mousse, adorned with fresh mint, more grapefruit and fresh flowers.

Entry # 43

In her own words Bron from Bron Marshall, Classic and Creative Cuisine is “fashionably late” to the event because of one delicate ingredient that almost did not make it into her mousse. One look at the recipe and the pictures for her Honey and Saffron, White Chocolate ‘Mousse’ Pot with Pears will make anybody forgive her.

Entry # 44Ulrike from Küchenlatein also thinks about the upcoming beach days and helps us not expand our waistlines with this lovely Lemon Yogurt Mousse With Rhubarb Compote.

Entry # 45Puu from puu’s cookbook got sinfully creative when missing one kind of chocolate and came up with a Chocolate Mousse Duo.

Entry # 46Talida author of Talida Bakes gets her inspiration from one of her favorite drinks, taro bubble tea, and offers as a first time making mousse this lovely Taro Mousse.

Entry # 47In Germany, Meeta from What’s For Lunch, Honey? puts some French pizzaz into her mousse and serves a healthy serving of Mousse de Truite…smoked trout? Mousse?…intrigued? read more about it here.

Entry # 48
In sunny California, Anita from Dessert First gives the perfect description of mousse and a show stopper illustration of her idea in this Maple-Star Anise Mousse.

Entry # 49Lolotte, a French expat based in Virginia enters her first HHDD with a scrumptious Creamy Cherry Chip Chocolate Mousse with…read the rest of her entry to find out!

Entry # 50Elle from Feeding My Enthusiasms, avoided near disaster with her first attempt but quickly recovered and made a delicious, light and smooth Apricot Mousse with a touch of brandy.

Entry # 51Kate from Applemint in Hong Kong, prepares this stunning a Green Apple and Passion Fruit Mousse Cake for a Monopoly night that never took place… wouldn’t we be at her place in a heartbeat if we could?

Entry # 52
Lisa, from La Mia Cucina makes it to the finish line with her much awaited creation: Deep Dark Chocolate Covered Caramelized Banana Mousse. Definitely worth waiting for!

Entry # 53
Mary at Alpine Berry chose a Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse Cake to take to her nephew’s birthday party. It is sure to appeal to both adults and children…who can resist such a combination…

Entry # 54

Laura, author of Eat Drink Live in Limerick, Ireland, also revisits a famous candy bar in a lovely dark Mars Attack Mousse

Get Your Mousse On ! Donna’s Dark Chocolate Mousse

13.04.2007 21 Comments

Just a reminder that there is one week left to post and send me your entry for HHDD Mousse!

In case you need some inspiration, here is another one from Donna Hay (thanks Peabody for the email).

Dark Chocolate Mousse, from Donna Hay Modern Classics 2

Serves 6 to 8

200g(7oz) dark couverture chocolate, chopped
75g(2 1/2 oz) butter, chopped
4 eggs, separated
1 cup(8 fl oz) cream
2 TBSP icing(confectioner’s) sugar

Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until well combined. Set aside.Place the cream in a bowl ans whip until soft peaks form. Set aside.
Place the egg whites in a bowl ans whisk until soft peaks form. Sift over the icing sugar and whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy.Gently fold the cream through the chocolate mixture, then fold the egg whites through.
Spoon into bowls and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

It was the first time (if my memories serves me right) that I saw a recipe including both egg whites and whipped cream as the lightening agent of the mousse and thought it would be overkill heavy with both egg yolks and heavy cream but it turned out rich but not "stick to your ribs my arteries are shrinking". I used 62% Lindt chocolate and topped it with an extra dollop of whipped cream and some cocoa nibs. Delicious!

Update: in an attempt to explain my mousse making thoughts, it seems that my English was not clear enough. I have always made mousse including egg yolks and whipped egg whites. I have sometimes gone the easier way by combining melted chocolate and whipped cream. What I meant is that I have never combined the three in one recipe.

Hay Hay! Today’s The Day For Mousse!

05.04.2007 33 Comments

When I read my emails early Sunday morning, April Fool’s Day nonetheless, I thought I was still vaguely dreaming when Peabody announced that I had won HHDD #10 “Cheesecakes”. I knew it was a close vote and I felt grateful and thrilled that this cheesecake came out to be a winner. Thank you Peabody for the very cool book that I received in the mail today!
Then a mild mix of panic and excitement set in, as it meant that I would be the one orchestrating this next round. Thank you Barbara, the creator of the event, for your guidance in the past couple of days. You are a true star in the world of bloggers!
I am loving this already as it gave me the opportunity to better get to know Donna Hay, and read more of her books (as if I needed another excuse to sit at the local coffee shop with a cookbook and a latte for hours).

I had a couple of ideas in mind but every minute of the day I was coming back to the same thing…Mousse! so there you have it. In this HHDD # 11, you may make a sweet or savory mousse, it can be layered or scooped, simple or fancy. The only requirement is that it be an attempt to be at the least “mousse-like”. So get out there and whip it up!

You must post your mousse recipe no later than April 20th. Once your post is up, email it to me at marinette1 AT Comcast Dot net, including your name, name of your blog and its URL, title of your recipe and URL to your post, a picture of your mousse.
The round up will be posted and voting will begin on April 24th, and the winner will be announced on May 1st.
The winner will receive this book by Trish Deseine and of course the chance to host HHDD #12!

To help you get started, here is a recipe from Donna Hay’s The Instant Cook, for the mousse you see in this post:

Blueberry and White Chocolate Mousse

6 servings

3 Tb. water
2 tsp. gelatin powder
5 oz. white chocolate
2 cups single or pouring cream (18% fat)
1 cup blueberries
Extra blueberries for garnish

Place the water in a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let stand until the gelatin absorbs the water.
Place the chocolate and cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until smooth and the chocolate is fully incorporated. Add the gelatin mixture and stir for 1 minute to dissolve. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into a bowl. Whisk for 3 minutes or until cooled. Stir in the blueberries and pour into six 1-cup-capacity greased serving glasses. Refrigerate the desserts for 45 to 60 minutes to set. Serve with extra blueberries, if desired.

Sour Cherries, Avocado and Mascarpone Verrines

29.03.2007 18 Comments

I am not what people would call a "fashion victim", food wise or clothes wise. I know the shape and curves of my body and what will feel good on it, what fabric I like and cuts that I love and look good on me. The same goes with food… with the exception of verrines, or what one might call "creations in a glass". Whether savory or sweet I have been fascinated by them since I saw them on Mercotte's blog over a year ago, and since I was given this book at Christmas. The European culinary scene seems to have been quite fond of them for a couple of years now and I totally fell for them , so go ahead…say it…I am a verrine fashion victim…and it is mighty sweet.

I am also another kind of food fashion victim as I love to participate in blog events. Not only do I have the chance to share my passion with others but I also discover a multitude of great blogs and talented cooks everywhere in the world. When I read about Chris from Mele Cotte’s event Cooking to Combat Cancer, I knew I could not sit back and not participate.

Too many people in my life have been taken away by cancer, particularly my grandmother and my brother. I felt complete loss of control when they died: could I do anything to prevent this in me? Probably not if it is in my genetic profile, but since there is no way to know and since our family health history is not that great, it could certainly be improved, and I could do my part with what I would put in my body. My diet was not bad to start with since my parents very rarely served us boxed or processed foods but I think I developed a sort of acute awareness to the cancer fighting essentials around me.

I know what looks good on me, but I also know what does my body good and food wise, even desserts can do their part in fighting cancer. For this particular event I wanted a shock full of cancer fighting foods in evey bite and although I was not sure how my little creation would turn out I thought it was worth the try. These verrines turned particularly tasty, surprisingly tasty!
I am new to avocados in desserts but after my first try a few days ago, I have to say I am a convert and they won’t go only in my salads anymore!

Sour Cherries, Avocado and Mascarpone Verrines:

Makes 4-8, depending on the size of the glas you use.

Mascarpone mousse:

5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces mascarpone, softened to room temperature
1 cup heavy cream

Cream together egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until mixture is thick and doubled in volume. Remove from heat. Stir in the mascarpone until completely blended.
In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Avocado Mousse:

3 avocados, pitted, skin removed and cut into cubes
1/4 sugar, or to taste
1 cup heavy cream
juice of 1 lime
In a food processor, combine the avocados, sugar and lime juice and puree until smooth. Whip the cream to soft peaks and slowly fold it in the avocado mixture.

Sour Cherry Topping:

1 cup sour cherries
1 cup sour cherry jam

Heat the jam and cherries over low heat. Let cool to room temperature until ready to assemble.

Assemble:

Do this just before serving as the avocado will oxydize a bit and get brown over time.

Layer the mascarpone and avocado mousse in glasses or conainers of your choice and top each with a 2-3 Tb. of the sour cherry mixture.

This dessert is health in a glass (if you forget the heavy cream….) as avocados are rich in glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that attacks free radicals in the body. They are also high in protein, fiber, niacin, thiamin, ribofalvin, folic acid, zinc and healthy fats (see…you can forget about the heavy cream!). Cherries contain the anti-cancer bioflavonoid quercetin.

Update: I apparently converted my temperatures wrong for the salted butter caramels. I corrected the recipe accordingly.