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4-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse With Kahlua

Written on June 21, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

How can you have thick and creamy chocolate mousse with just chocolate and water? It seems impossible. But as soon as I stumbled on this blog post making exactly that I had a hunch I would make it and love it. It’s a little difficult technically but completely worth the end result. Following through with all of the prep work makes the active part easier.

This is one of those recipes where you’ll want to use good chocolate. You know, the Ina-Garten-only-uses-good chocolate. Since the recipe is primarily chocolate and water, all the flavor comes from the chocolate. You certainly don’t want to make this with chocolate chips. I used Callebaut baking chocolate and it came out fine. If I were making this to really impress someone(say for a Valentine’s Day dessert) I would use Vahlrona.

Chocolate Mousse With Kahlua(a variation on this recipe)

Ingredients(Makes 3-4 servings):

265 grams good quality bittersweet chocolate
1 cup minus 2 Tablespoons warm water
2 Tablespoons Kahlua
3 Tablespoons cane sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder*

*I added this at the very end to help thicken the mousse up. I might have needed it because water from the ice bath slipped into the chocolate bowl. If as it’s cooled the chocolate mousse doesn’t seem thick enough, add this in. Otherwise the recipe is fine without it.

Additional notes:

Watch this video before starting for an actual portrayal of how the chocolate should look after each step.
Since the proportions are very important for this recipe, it’s best to weigh all the ingredients out on a kitchen scale before starting including the liquids.
Use a large plastic bowl with a wide bottom when whisking the emulsion so that the chocolate is shallow and will cool down faster.

Start by measuring out and mixing together the water, Kahlua, and sugar.

In a double-boiler or microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate down completely.

Prepare an ice bath in a larger bowl for the chocolate and move the melted chocolate to a bowl in the center of the ice bath.

In the ice bath, whisk together the chocolate and alcohol mixture. Continue mixing softly and smoothly for 5-10 minutes as the chocolate cools to keep the mousse emulsified as it cools.

If after a while the chocolate mixture is still rather thin, add in the 2 extra tablespoons of cocoa powder and whisk them in making sure not to leave any clumps.

Once the mousse has come together, spoon it in to servings bowls. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

It’s hard to imagine something so creamy being made with only chocolate and water. This makes for an easy recipe to pull out and impress with on special occasions; I’ll definitely be committing it to memory.

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When In Providence…

Written on June 20, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Restaurant Review

Time has really flown by lately. Yesterday I went to spend the day in Providence with a friend leaving soon and realized it’s been about a month since I was on campus.

A month since I walked across the main green.

A month since I last drank a GTS Kombucha from the bookstore café.

And a month since I last made a trip to Wildflour Bakery.

I really can’t resist this place. There’s no where like it in New England. They have the greatest selection of raw and vegan food with a bakery selection equally as fantastic. My friend suggested we go there(probably because I went through a phase when that’s all I would suggest we do) and I was no one to say no.

I’ve heard a lot about Wildflour’s raw lasagna and even though it was mid afternoon a filling, savory meal sounded great to me.

This reminded me how much I love raw food when it’s well prepared. Their lasagna is made up with layers of zucchini, tomato paste, and a herbed nut cheese. Even though none of it’s cooked, the flavors are complex and developed and the whole dish was rather filling.

To wash it down I grabbed one of their seasonal juices.

This was refreshing, but had a little too much lime juice for me. I would have liked a softer lime flavor and a touch of salt. I could never get enough of watermelon and salt.

Of course no trip to Wildflour is complete without grabbing something from their bakery. They have a huge selection of vegan baked goods. They have a good selection of gluten-free things, too, though I can’t say I’m not jealous of the chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes and peanut butter brownies.

Since I’m probably not going to be back for at least another month, I got a trio of desserts: Chocolate coconut rum ball, raw coconut macaroon, and raw chocolate ganache(aka the best dessert money can buy). So far I’ve only had half of the raw chocolate ganache; it’s as good as I remember and blows the pants off of my version. But I think I’m one step closer to figuring out the recipe.

So when in Rome, do as the Romans do, minus the public urination and slave-driven gladiatorial games because they don’t like those so much anymore. And when in Providence, go to Wildflour Bakery. They won’t do you wrong.

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London: Desserts Edition

Written on June 17, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous, Restaurant Review

Whereas the food in London wasn’t so great, at the end of the day there was always something sweet and delicious offered up, from meringues the size of my head to vegan, gluten-free banoffee trifles from Manna.

This wasn’t the best dessert I had(that’s a little lower down) but it was definitely the prettiest. Layers of gluten-free chocolate cake, caramel sauce, soy pudding, and banana slices. I felt compelled to order this after another restaurant had banoffee pie on their dessert menu that same day and everyone in my party had to ask me what that was. It was also dessert on one of the flights; who knew it was that popular? The chocolate cake in the trifle was delicious, rich, and moist. The pudding, although it had good flavor, also had a strong soy aftertaste. If I tried to recreate this vegan I’d probably use something neutral in flavor for the custard base like cashews.

One thing that was everywhere in England was fudge. It must be the national dessert, because you could get it on any street corner. This brand apparently won awards so I just had to try it, and a chocolate fudge by the same manufacturers. The chocolate fudge wasn’t very chocolaty—I prefer my microwave chocolate fudge—, but the manuka honey fudge was excellent. It had a strong amber flavor to it that made it taste like a soft, butter toffee.

The best dessert I had was from a vegetarian restaurant called saf located at the Kensington Whole Foods. We didn’t eat at the actual restaurant but I grabbed a raw pudding cup from their to-go section. It wasn’t very pretty, but what it lacked in looks it made up for I flavor.

Mmm, doesn’t that look appealing, especially when you know that spirulina and moss are what make that bright green color? As off-putting as it was, I just had to lick the sides of the container clean. It was that good. I will definitely try to make something like this at home, perhaps without the moss.

Even though it wasn’t English, I’d give honorable mention to the chocolate covered vanilla-infused ganache from La Maison Du Chocolat. This came from the confections room at Harrods, which was quite literally a room full of gourmet chocolate stands. I was in heaven. It was hard to choose just one thing but I think I made the right choice with this; the inside was impressively soft and a nice contrast to the chocolate shell. I wanted to stay in that room all day.

Isn’t dessert grand?

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A Taste Of London

Written on June 16, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Restaurant Review

For the last 5 days I’ve been on vacation in London. I’ve wanted to go to London for years now and it was everything I hoped it would be; the sights were incredible. The food, however, was very hit or miss. To be fair, I wasn’t going to London for the food, and most of the meals my group ate were in between famous landmarks. Food just wasn’t our priority.

Some of the meals were impressively bad; those ones I didn’t bother taking a picture of. English food doesn’t have the best reputation and when you’re limited to gluten-free, vegetarian(ish) options it’s even harder to find something edible and delicious. Salt was missing from practically every meal; and if I never see a plate of french fries again in my life I’ll be OK with that. So instead I’ll just point out the highlight meals.

My favorite restaurant experience was at Manna on Primrose Hill. This was actually the only restaurant that I knew I wanted to eat at before going to it. It’s a small vegan restaurant with lots of gluten-free options. I immediately went for the enchiladas, made with corn tortillas, beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin seed puree and baked in a tomato sauce. It wasn’t outstanding, but I liked it and would definitely order it again.

I just had to order their onion rings as a side, because how often do you see vegan, gluten-free onion rings? I’m guessing the batter is rice flour and soy milk. It was impressively crispy and not oily at all. The only problem I had was that it lacked season; a little more salt would have gone a long way.

Another night we had Indian food near Swiss Cottage. Indian food is all over London; it’s practically the cuisine London is known for. Since so much of English food is only lightly seasoned, it’s easy to understand why the spicy punch of Indian food is so popular.

I ordered the house’s chana masala and a dish called veggie veggie 5 with 5 different vegetables sautéed in spices. The masala was good but again not outstanding. The vegetable dish had a great heat to it and was refreshing. I could have eaten Indian every day in London since this is the sort of food I’m naturally drawn to.

I have to give honorable mention to the food court at London Tower, which surprisingly had a great menu. Their sesame carrot salad had just the right amount of dressing and was one of the few times a restaurant made a meal out of vegetables. The bean salad was also very delicious. The restaurant even had a gluten-free brownie which looked dense and gooey but I was so excited to have a plate full of vegetables that dessert wasn’t even on my mind at that meal—weird, I know.

I would recommend London for the culture, the friendly people, the historical sites and terrific museums. I would not recommend it for a foodie vacation. Tomorrow I’ll post about London’s redeeming quality: Their desserts.

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Simple Fruit Sauce For Pancakes

Written on June 15, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Breakfast, Miscellaneous

Have you tried these pancakes yet? I eat them probably 3 times a week for breakfast. If that’s wrong I don’t want to be right.

The thing is, they’re healthy, too. On account of the garbanzo bean flour and egg they have 10g of fiber and 18g of protein. Add a little something sweet and that’s a breakfast.

This fruit syrup is simple—no fuss—and only has a touch of honey for sweetness making it plenty healthy, too. So go ahead, pour it on, and pass it over.

Simple Fruit Syrup

Ingredients:

8oz fresh or frozen fruit(try strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, even mango!)
1 Tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cook the fruit in a small pot over a low heat until tender enough that a fork easily glides through.

Mash the fruit until smooth and jelly-like. Alternatively, you could puree the fruit in a food processor or blender for an even smoother puree.

Stir in the honey and salt.

Pour into a serving container and serve. Refrigerate leftover sauce for 2-3 days.

You could eat this on pancakes, ice cream, toast—anything! I like the sauce thicker so you get whole chunks of fruit in every bite. It thickens up as it cools to be more like jelly, so you might want to heat it up depending on how you’re using it. It would taste great warm on ice cream, though I think that goes without saying.

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Grilled Eggs

Written on June 14, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Stop the presses. Two of my favorite things have come together for something amazing this Summer, and I’m not talking about NKOTBSB.

I was thinking about these for a while—how I’d cook them, how’d they come out, would it actually work, etc. They took a lot longer to cook than I anticipated(about 30 minutes, definitely not the most efficient way to cook eggs), but flavorwise tasted delicious with the charred pepper. It’s definitely a novelty dish; serve “grilled eggs” at your next outdoor party and expect a great reaction.

Grilled Eggs

Ingredients:

2 large bell peppers, top halves removed
4 medium eggs
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Brush the bottom of the peppers with olive oil.

Crack 2 eggs into each pepper half.

Heat a grill up to 400 degrees. Carefully place the peppers on the grill and close the lid.

Cook the eggs for about 25-30 minutes until the white on top has completely cooked. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

A little salt and pepper on the eggs brings out all the right flavors. The yolks are fully cooked and not runny, yet even though I don’t like hardboiled eggs these I didn’t mind. These would be perfect slathered in barbeque sauce.

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Thick Tomato Sauce With A Secret

Written on June 13, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

“Secret secrets are no fun, secret secrets hurt someone”

Secrets are never good. Someone always ends up crying alone on the swing set during recess. But enough about my childhood. This sauce has a secret: It’s actually healthy for you, and it’s healthy because there’s an extra serving of vegetables in it. You’d never guess from tasting it, but cauliflower—not cream—is what makes this sauce so thick. I won’t tell if you won’t tell.

Cauliflower Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup steamed cauliflower OR 1 cup raw cauliflower, steamed
3 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil

If you’re working with raw cauliflower to begin with, chop it up and steam it until it’s soft and reduced to about half of its size.

Combine the tomato sauce, cauliflower, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the processor as needed to make sure no clumps remain.

Fold in the fresh basil. Toss with pasta and season to taste.

Another secret: I don’t like pasta, so I took one taste and gave this away before making myself another dinner. But I could have drank the sauce, and pasta is nothing without sauce.

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MyPlate: One Plate Does Not Fit All

Written on June 11, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

Last week the USDA updated their old, out of date food pyramid with a new plate. I don’t remember what the old pyramid looked like to be honest except for that it had pictures of bread and pasta at the bottom and chocolate and candy and everything good in the world at the top. I wasn’t a fan of the old one, so I was happy they changed the look. I wasn’t sure what I thought about it at first, but then I saw this:

That’s just sad.

I’m not saying I don’t have meals at times that look disgusting, like a child just threw things together in his plate and started playing with his food. And I’m definitely not saying I haven’t eaten meals standing up in front of an open refrigerator door. But there’s no way that that’s MyPlate.

Let’s pick apart what’s wrong with that image from a foodie and a food blogger’s perspective, shall we?

The light is only coming from one angle which creates unwanted dramatic shadows.
Food always looks better on white, neutral plates, or at least plates that aren’t segmented and multicolor.
Fresh food photographs better.
I’m not even sure what that pink thing is; it could be a giant Band-Aid for all I can tell.
I don’t think that dairy or grains are absolutely essential to any diets. While most people can digest them perfectly fine, there’s no reason they need to be there as opposed to other food groups such as beans and nuts.

So, since one plate clearly doesn’t fit all, I made my own that’s more accurately suited for me:

At first I made this as a joke.

And then I realized I’m actually just a parody of myself for eating things like this,

June 2nd 009

and this,

and definitely this

January 30th 047

all. the. time.

But that’s OK, because those are my plates and they work for me.

What are your thoughts on the new plate system? What would your plate look like?

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How To Grill Onions

Written on June 10, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in How To

People are like onions: They taste great when they’re peeled and cooked.

Or maybe it’s something about both having layers? I forget. It doesn’t matter.

Onions are one of life’s little pleasures. They make you cry and taste awful when they’re raw, but when they’re cooked—Oh, it’s another story. During the colder months I’ll always caramelize onions to give them flavor but when the sun’s out and the grill’s hot it’s a shame not to grill them. Grilled onions have a sweet flavor and a crunchy texture that goes great with just about anything.

How To Grill Onions

Ingredients:

Onions, preferably short and stout ones like Vidalia
A grill
Spray oil

On a cutting board, start by cutting off the ends of the onions and peeling the outer flaky layers.

Turn the onions on their sides and with a sharp knife slice rings about 1/2 an inch thick.

Spray a grill with oil and turn it on to preheat. Once heated, lay the onions out and cook for 4-6 minutes on each side until there are noticeable grill marks. Remove from the grill and serve hot as a side or burger topping.

I ~~could~~ do eat these plain on salads with broccoli, chickpeas, and tomato-tahini dressing. A little coarse sea salt really brings out the sweet onion flavor.

Grilling anything fun this weekend?

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Tomato-Tahini Dressing

Written on June 9, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

I think something’s wrong. I’ve virtually stopped wanting all kinds of potatoes and instead I’m craving fresh produce and vibrant flavors. What has gotten into me? This Summer thing has got to stop. My favorite “foods” right now are tomatoes and fresh herbs, if you can even call things you don’t have to cook for an hour food. They just taste so good when they’re this fresh. This dressing is thick and hearty and brings a Summer salad together.

Tomato-Tahini Dressing

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons tahini
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil

This recipe uses tahini for the body which is a paste made out of sesame seeds. It can be found at most grocery stores either near the peanut butter or in the ethnic section along with other Middle-Eastern ingredients.

Add all of the ingredients together.

Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth and silky. If the dressing is too thick, add water by the teaspoon until reaching the right consistency.

The fresh basil makes a huge difference in flavor and helps to brighten the greens up. You can adjust the sugar and salt for how much of the tahini you want to taste. It’s strong bitter flavor can be a bit much for me on its own but tastes great paired with these other flavors.

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