Raspberry and White Chocolate Mousse

It's quite official that I can't see my toes when I look down.
The rotund, bulbous belly can no longer be mistaken as a sign of indulgence in my cooking though--if you've been following the blog, you will know that within the next five or so weeks, we're welcoming a new baby into the family. Cooking and baking and artistic creativity in the kitchen may be on the back burner for a while while I catch my breath and gather my feet. Nothing will ever take precedence over my babies---not even a great raspberry and white chocolate mousse.
It's a thick, creamy pink dessert swirled with cream and sweet, tangy raspberry sauce, a pile of berries and a grating of white chocolate. It's elegant and simple and fancy all at the same time and a perfect entertaining dessert that you can make ahead before a dinner party. Choose from small tumblers, bowls or ramekins to sophisticated champagne glasses to show off this delectable dessert that features the summer's first berries and cream. What a feast for the eyes and the taste buds!

RASPBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (Adapted from "More Please" by Valli Little)

500g raspberries, frozen or fresh
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
2 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
2 tsp gelatine powder
300ml cream
160g white chocolate

Puree the raspberries. With a spoon, push the puree through a fine sieve and discard the seeds. Set the sieved puree aside, reserving 1/3 of a cup for the sauce. To this 1/3 of a cup of puree, add the lemon juice and sugar. Stir to combine, then cover and refrigerate.
In a small bowl, place the hot water, and shower the gelatine evenly over the surface. Set aside for five minutes to soften and then stir to dissolve. Add this gelatine mixture to the the raspberry puree (not the raspberry sauce that you have refrigerated.) Stir to combine and set aside.
Place 1/3 cup of the cream in a microwave proof bowl with the white chocolate. Microwave on high, checking and stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate has melted and the cream mixes in smoothly with the chocolate. Set this bowl aside to cool.
Whip the remaining cream into soft peaks. Fold the cooled chocolate mixture through, and then the puree. Divide among 4-6 glasses or serving bowls, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to set.
To serve, drizzle the raspberry sauce over each portion with a little cream. Garnish with extra raspberries and grated chocolate if desired.

Serves 4-6

The raspberries are pureed and then pushed through a sieve to separate the seeds and skin. Whipped cream is folded through the chocolate ganache mixture, and then a great portion of the raspberry puree is also folded through to form the mousse.

Strawberry Mousse Jelly Cake with Crumble Topping

I don't know about you, but I use cookbooks less and less frequently to look for foodie inspiration. I love my cookbooks, I have a huge and colourful pile. I love the glossy pictures, the feel of it and the smell of it. But if I'm looking for something in particular I mainly browse the internet for inspiration--probably because I'm lazy and its quick, and the mind is instantly injected with a million and one ideas.
I pore over my cookbooks when I'm sitting back and relaxing with a cuppa, but they're more occasionally used than internet recipes, sadly.
I love seeing a cookbook pried open in my shabby chic cookbook stand on my kitchen buffet, it always makes me want to bake and bake and bake. Every time I come into the kitchen I look at it and think of my next creation. There's always something in that stand waiting to be made. At the moment it's Margun Carless' cookbook Love Menu, spread at a page sporting gorgeous poached pears in champagne. I can't wait to make that on Wednesday night for hubby and our late dinner dessert.
But sometimes I want to make something that is an original of sorts. Something different and experimental and that has arisen from me. And then I come up with some sort of concoction. As I previously mentioned, this is the month of strawberries. I actually had a dream about this cake I came up with. On later research I saw similar cakes, sort of a combination between a  strawberry charlotte, and also those gorgeous pink mousse cakes with the jelly layer on top (Mirror cakes, I think they're called)
Anyway, I ignored all recipes and just went into the kitchen and started banging around. I had no idea how it was all going to work out, and actually thought I'd made a big fat flop while it was all setting...until I cut a slice out of that cake.
Oh my. It was delicious and visually as I had imagined it to be--layers of strawberry mousse, buttercake and a thick line of bright red jelly in the centre, topped with grilled crumble and roasted strawberries. Delicious!
You will need two different sized round pans for this recipe, the larger being a springform pan. The cake and the jelly layer are made in a smaller pan in order that the mousse sits around the cake and the jelly layer. 

STRAWBERRY MOUSSE JELLY CAKE WITH CRUMBLE TOPPING (A Lick the Spoon Original)

1 buttercake, made in an 18x18cm round pan
85g packet strawberry jelly (jello) crystals 
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cold water
800g strawberries, hulled
1 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
6 1/2 tsp gelatin powder
1/4 cup lemon juice
500ml thickened cream 
4 tbsp. sugar, extra 
85g strawberry jelly (jello) crystals, extra
1 cup boiling water, extra
3/4 cup cold water, extra 
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup toasted muesli
1 tbsp butter or margarine
 roasted strawberries

To begin with, take one 85g packet of strawberry jelly crystals and combine it with 1 cup of boiling water in a medium sized bowl. Stir until the crystals dissolve, then add 3/4 cup cold water. Grease a 18cm x18cm round pan and line with plastic wrap, ensuring there is an overhang of 2 inches. Pour the liquid jelly mixture into this and place in the refrigerator to set.
Puree the strawberries in a food blender until fine and no lumps remain. Push puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, discard residue.
Place the lemon juice in a small bowl. Evenly shower the gelatin over the top and set aside to soften for a few minutes.
Place puree and white granulated sugar in a medium saucepan and place on low heat, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles start appearing around the edges of the pan. Add the lemon gelatin mixture and stir until well incorporated into the puree and dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside, to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, whip the cream and extra sugar in a medium bowl, until firm peaks appear.
Take a 20x20cm round springform pan and grease the sides. Line the bottom and the sides with baking paper.
Cut the buttercake down the centre horizontally. Place the bottom half in the centre of the springform pan. Remove the jelly from the refrigerator, using the plastic wrap overhang to lift it from the pan. Gently position the jelly layer on the bottom layer of the cake. Place the top layer of the cake over the jelly layer.
Gently fold the strawberry puree mixture through the whipped cream until well combined. Pour this cream mixture over the top of the cake. (If you were like me and were too hasty and didn't let the strawberry puree cool down enough and it melted the cream, do not fret! It will be liquidy and the cake will "float" but it will still work just fine!) Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to set, for two or more hours. When the mousse layer has set, take the extra jelly crystals in a medium bowl and pour the extra cup of boiling water over them. Stir until well dissolved and then add the extra 3/4 cup of cold water. Set aside until this mixture reaches room temperature, then pour over the top of the cake for the final layer of jelly. Place in refrigerator to set.
To make the crumble to top the cake, combine brown sugar, flour and toasted muesli in a bowl. Rub the butter into this mixture using your fingers until a crumbly dough forms. Lay this mixture on a lined baking tray under the grill on high for a minute, or until golden brown. Remove and cool, then add roasted strawberries.
When the final jelly layer has set on the cake, remove the side of the springform pan very gently. Carefully peal back the sides of the baking paper from the mousse. Serve chilled with a sprinkling of the strawberry crumble mix.

Serves 10-12

Chocolate Fudge Mocha Mousse Cake

If there are such things as clouds in heaven, they must taste and feel like this. Just with a subtle hint of coffee, and a base of chocolate fudge brownie, this mocha mousse cake will have you coming back for more for certain. It has a airy yet smooth and very light coffee mousse topped with cocoa powder, all resting upon a base of fudgey chocolate brownie.
Now here's a little word of praise to the person who inspired me to create this delicious dessert.
He's my little brother-in-law, and I find him most inspiring in the kitchen. He's only 15 and already a culinary whiz, making curries like a pro and thinking a little outside the box.
He spoke for a while about making a brownie based cheesecake, and it got my mind cartwheeling with ideas. Why hadn't I thought of that? Anyway, this is the cake that originally came to mind. Chocolate, coffee, fudge, mousse. I'm not sure flavour and texture combos get better than that.
It is meant to be.
And on another note, don't you just love this gorgeous stencil I used to make the pattern on the cake with cocoa? I found mine on ebay (the store doesn't sell them anymore though) but if you want to effortlessly jazz up you cakes you can find similar ones here! (or if you're crafty, make your own with a doily and starch. The doily must be made firm, for removal's sake.)

CHOCOLATE FUDGE MOCHA MOUSSE CAKE (A Lick The Spoon Original)

BASE:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp salt

MOUSSE:
2 tbsp. gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp (or 3 tsp.) instant coffee
6 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups cream
1 tbsp. cocoa powder to garnish

Preheat your oven to 180C.
Melt butter and remove from heat. Stir through the cocoa and brown sugar until combined.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Next, blend in the flour and salt. Spoon the batter into a greased and lined 20cm springform pan. (Make sure the sides are lined also right to the top of the pan.) Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
To make the mousse filling, place water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and sit for 5 minutes to soften. Add the coffee and place on low heat, stirring until the coffee has dissolved. Turn off the heat and leave on the stove top. Ina  microwave proof bowl, place the chocolate chips. Microwave for 20 seconds at a time, removing to stir after each time until thoroughly melted. Add the melted chocolate to the coffee mixture and stir until incorporated.
In a medium bowl whip the cream into stiff peaks. Set aside.
In a large, clean and dry bowl, place the egg whites. Beat the egg whites until they form firm peaks, adding the sugar gradually along the way, until thick and glossy.
Fold the whipped cream into the egg whites.
Fold the chocolate coffee mixture into the egg white and cream mixture until well combined.
Spoon the mousse onto the brownie base and smooth the surface. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until set.

Serves 10

Strawberries and Cream Mousse Pie

Buying fresh fruit and vege is one of my favourite foodie experiences. I love all the different fruity aromas that float around as you drift and sift through the piles of green and red, yellow and orange for the best of the best produce (I wonder how many others have handled the same fruit?) Of course there's the occasional paw paw that you bypass (I tend to think fresh paw paw smells a bit like vomit) but on the whole it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience for someone like me. Especially when you hit upon a super I-can't-go-past-that sort of bargain. Monster strawberries, 99c for 500g. Yes please!
Now I don't know if youre familiar with monster strawberries. 4kg of them later, I stood staring at them sprawled all over my kitchen bench, wondering what fabulous recipes there going to result from this bunch. Then it hit me. Why were they all so deformed, so gigantic? They're mutants! Would they sprout arms and bare teeth and start stomping around like something out of a Pnau video clip?
So I had to go and research them before they passed anyone's lips. Not that I didn't trust that they were edible, but I had to know the ins and outs of these massive red strawberries that had looked like they were joined to at least four others.
To my joy, it turns out that monster strawberries form simply out of a weather incompatibility, nothing more. They were delicious, mind you--fat, juicy and flavoursome, and just had to fill this heavenly tart--a light biscuit base, topped with airy strawberry cream mousse, finished off with a garnishing of fruit and lime jelly glaze.

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM MOUSSE PIE WITH LIME JELLY GLAZE (Adapted from Martha Stewart)

8-10 Nice biscuits
3 tbsp. lime juice
2 3/4 tsp unflavoured gelatin
500g fresh strawberries
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
2 cups heavy cream, chilled

Lime Jelly Finish:

1/2 cup boiling water
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp unflavoured gelatin

Grease and line a 20x20 square glass or tin dish, leaving an inch or so of baking paper overhanging at the sides for easy removal of pie.
Lay the Nice biscuits on the base of the dish, breaking biscuits if necessary to cover the bottom evenly.
In a small bowl, place the lime juice and shower the gelatin over the top of it. Leave it aside to soften for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place 400g of the strawberries in a food processor, and blend into a fine puree. Push the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepan, and discard the seeds. At a medium setting, heat the puree along with 1/2 cup sugar, stirring occasionally, until bubbles begin to form around the sides of the saucepan. Add the gelatin and cook until the gelatin dissolves, stirring continually. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whip the cream and the extra 2 tablespoons of sugar for about 4 minutes until firm peaks form. Gently fold the strawberry puree into the cream with a spatula until well combined. Smooth this mousse mixture over the top of the Nice biscuit base. Slice the remaining strawberries lengthways and arrange on the top of the mousse as desired. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until set.
To make the lime jelly finish, Place the boiling water in a small bowl with the lime juice. Shower the gelatin on the water and sit for a few minutes to soften. Stir occasionally to ensure the gelatine dissolves, then cool to room temperature. Pour onto the mousse pie and refrigerate until set. Serve.

HUGE!

Chocolate Chilli Mousse Cups

Good things come in small packages, right? You will completely fall in love with this dessert made with Gourmet Garden's Hot Chilli paste. Paired with a smooth, velvety chocolate mousse, the chilli infused oil gives a warm kick at the back of your throat, making a delicious end to the meal on a cold night. Who would have thought that chilli would be such a delightful addition to a dessert? I made them in small shot glasses, because this mousse is super decadent and rich. It has hints of orange that are savored just before the warm surprise of the chilli hits, and the deliciousness of chocolate delights the whole way through. In one word it's scrumptious. It certainly was the grand, albeit petite, finale to an evening of gourmet herb and spice taste testing. You could sink into a hole of gluttony with this recipe. Beware.

Course 5:

CHOCOLATE CHILLI MOUSSE CUPS (Adapted from Taste.com)

300g good quality dark chocolate
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup mild cooking oil
2 tsp. Gourmet Garden hot chilli paste
2 tsp. orange essence or 1 tbsp. Cointreau

Place oil and chilli paste in a small saucepan. Heat on low for 5 minutes and remove from flame. Set aside for a few hours to completely cool. When cooled, pour the infused oil through a strainer or sieve into another bowl. Using a teaspoon, mash the chilli that has been retained in the strainer so that some small fragments pass into the oil. Discard the rest of the chilli.

Melt the chocolate gently in a microwave proof bowl, checking and stirring regularly to ensure it does not burn.
Set aside to cool slightly. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form. Add the yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition until well incorporated. Gradually add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture, beating well until smooth. Add the oil gradually while beating, and lastly, incorporate the orange flavouring.
Place mixture in a piping bag and pipe into 12 small tumblers (I used disposable shot glasses) Serve chilled, decorated with chocolate curls.

Makes 12 shot glasses of mousse

Wish me luck! Judging is taking place on the 22nd of May 2012. Cross your fingers and toes for me!

Strawberry Mousse Cups

Oddly enough, when I was a child and even a teenager, I hated food. I was never hungry, and it was always forced into me because I wouldn't eat otherwise. In fact, it started at a very young age and I became quite sick from eating so little. Then there were the thousands of nights I would still be sitting at the dinner table poking at my silver-beet and peas and concocting sly ideas in that little mind how to stifle the food from the plate without eating it so I could leave the table. Tissues were handy, as was the small ledge under the table near my chair, that soon became the burial grounds for carrots and fried zucchini and bits of potato.
The first time I ever felt hungry was after a day of skiing, when I was 16 years old. I was shocked! Now, my love for food has grown at such a rapid pace, and I blame it on working in gourmet hospitality over the last 4 years. My mind has exploded with ideas. I dream food, I create food, I even live in food. You know how it is, living with a toddler. I don't know why I bother sometimes. White is an absolute no-no, and showering seems near useless, for as soon as I'm fresh and clean again, a Vegemite toast is smeared down my leg and I find bits of custard in my hair. He catapults pureed apple across the room with his spoon, and a few hours later, after answering the door and going down the street, I happen to look in the mirror and find smeared fruit dried to my face. So yes...I live in food.
Food has finally become a part of life. It certainly helps that my husband is a conosure of sorts and happens to cook scrumptious meals for me now and then.
But food! It's about to become something I cant bear to eat, smell and cook. Salt and vinegar chips were all I could keep down last pregnancy, so I fear a little for the frequency of this blog over the next few months. Stay tuned though. I have a large amount of recipes I have made and photographed over the year that I have not had time to put up on here. Just don't expect  me to be as enthusiastic with my food descriptions!

I'm still whipping out recipes from Marcela's Kitchen Tea Party!

STRAWBERRY MOUSSE CUPS

3x 85g packets Strawberry Jelly Crystals

3 cups boiling water

375ml can evaporated milk

strawberries to garnish

Dissolve two packets of  jelly crystals in 2 cups of boiling water. Refrigerate until chilled, but not set.

Meanwhile, beat evaporated milk for a few minutes on high until thick and foamy. Stir the cooled jelly through evaporated milk.

Pour into shot glasses or small cups. Refrigerate to set, covered in plastic wrap.

Dissolve the remaining jelly crystals in 1 cup of boiling water. When cool, gently ladle over the top of the set creamy jelly, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate to set.

Serve with strawberries and cream if desired.

NOTES: you may use any type of jelly crystals and any type of fruit. You can even jazz it up by mixing fresh fruit or grated chocolate through the mousse. I cannot tell you how many shot glasses this recipe makes, but it will make over 30. I ended up using the remaining mousse for another recipe which will follow, so you may like to halve the recipe or serve in glasses or molds larger than shot glasses if you wish, unless you have a large group to serve. Keep in mind you will definitely want more than one!

Coming soon--another way to use this delicious mousse recipe!
YUM!

A Sinfully Wicked Dessert for Valentine's Day

Underneath a light, fluffy cloud of cream lies a dark, handsome, smooth and totally irresistible chocolate ganache, laced with a hint of cointreau, surrounded by...more chocolate. So good it's almost bad. It is not innocent, it is not kind (to your waistline) but it's so worth it. You would probably say yes to more except it is so rich, so creamy and wickedly intoxicating that it would be a crime to go back for seconds. Maybe the next day. But not any time soon.

The culprit:

Chocolate Cointreau Ganache Mousse with Cream

Don't say I didn't warn you. 

It will call you from the refrigerator at the most inconvenient times, tempting you to have that second taste of its wicked goodness. Yes, it was love at first sight.

CHOCOLATE COINTREAU GANACHE MOUSSE WITH CREAM

Mousse recipe adapted from Taste

300g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 eggs, separated

125ml (1/2 cup) light olive oil

60ml (1/4 cup) Cointreau liqueur

50g cream

150g extra chocolate

cocoa powder to dust

Melt 300g chocolate in the microwave, checking every 20 seconds to ensure it does not burn. Stir until the chocolate is smooth. Set aside to cool.
 Meanwhile, melt extra chocolate in a separate bowl. Spread generously into four cup molds, ensuring the sides are thick, as well as the bottom. Refrigerate until set.
Beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until firm peaks form. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition until combined.
Add the melted chocolate and beat until combined. Gradually add the oil and Cointreau, beating until well after each addition.
Gently remove the set chocolate cups from their molds.
Spoon the chocolate mixture into each chocolate cup. Cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours or until firm. Serve with cream and a sprinkling of cocoa or chocolate curls on the top.

NOTES: this recipe can be made one day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Another naughty version of this amazing cointreau mousse:

CHOCOLATE COINTREAU MOUSSE TARTS

Shortbread Tart Cases:

125g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup pure icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cornflour

Using an electric beater, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flours, and stir until well combined. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll with a rolling pin and press our 20 circles. Place each in the bases of a greased muffin tray. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Cool.

Using the above mousse recipe, pipe chocolate mousse into each shortbread case when cooled. You may find this easier after refrigerating the mousse for several hours prior to piping.

MAKES 20

All Things Light and Bubbly....

As I have previously mentioned, my husband is my inspiration in the kitchen. He once said that one should always approach love and cooking with reckless abandon...so I did.
So we can blame the extra calories we all gain on him for this recipe I created (not that I count them anyway). You will not be able to stop eating this Mint Chocolate Aero Mousse once you start. It is so light, and just melts in your mouth. It is the perfect dessert for summer, and is so easy to make. You will probably want to double the recipe, or triple it. I wish I did! This recipe serves 3...or 1, depending on your self-control...

MINT CHOCOLATE AERO MOUSSE

1/2 can evaporated milk, chilled
1 1/2 tsp. gelatine powder
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup caster sugar
peppermint essence to taste
green food colouring
1/4 cup white chocolate

Dissolve the gelatine in water and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, beat the chilled evaporated milk with an electric beater until thick, like cream. (approximately 2 minutes)
Add the sugar, essence and cooled gelatine, and beat until combined. Take 1/3 of this mixture and place in a separate bowl. To this bowl, add the food colouring until you reach the desired shade of green. You may also add more essence to make this part stronger in flavour.
Mix cocoa powder through the greater part of the mixture until well combined. Spoon into individual dessert glasses.
Take the green mousse mixture and spoon over the top of the chocolate mousse. Some of it will sink. Make a swirling pattern with the end of a spoon for a nice effect. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until set.

To make garnish, take the white chocolate and melt. Add essence and colouring as desired. Spread onto a sheet of grease-proof paper until smooth. when set, you may grate it, curl it or break it into pieces to decorate the top of each mousse. Alternatively, grate a peppermint crisp bar over each dessert glass.

I don't Cook on Days that End in Y

Good news then, all ye non-cookers! This is a cooking-free experience. There is no need to turn the oven on at all. So you can still hold your dinner parties this summer without getting hot and flustered in the kitchen...well....at least while making this dessert.
After a hefty meal, while every one moves their belts along to the next notch, I like to peek at the upcoming dessert and know its light enough for everyone to still enjoy without overdoing it. Puddings are great, but can be heavy and need to be served after a lighter, or smaller, meal.
This recipe is great for summer. Refreshing, light and served chilled, this easy and quick recipe will blow your socks off...and your guests!

STRAWBERRY AND PORT WINE JELLY MOUSSE

2x 85g packets Port Wine Jelly Crystals

1x 85g packet Strawberry Jelly Crystals

3 cups boiling water

375ml can evaporated milk

strawberries to garnish

Dissolve Port Wine jelly crystals in 2 cups of boiling water. Refrigerate until chilled, but not set.

Meanwhile, beat evaporated milk for a few minutes on high until thick and foamy. Stir the cooled jelly through evaporated milk.

Pour into 8-10 individual dessert glasses. Refrigerate to set, covered in plastic wrap.

Cut strawberries into slices length-ways. Decorate the mousse surface in each glass.

Dissolve the strawberry jelly crystals in 1 cup of boiling water. When cool, ladle over the strawberries, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate to set.

Serve as is or with cream and an extra garnish.

NOTES: you may use any type of jelly crystals and any type of fruit. You can even jazz it up by mixing fresh fruit or grated chocolate through the mousse.