Chocolate Mousse - With A Twist

When I was a teenager, I used to make chocolate mousse the old-fashioned way with beaten egg whites, egg yolks and whipped cream.  So so rich and heavy.  My go-to chocolate dessert these days is Nigella's choc pots, made in minutes.  But I once made a version with avocado, for friends who were being vegans for five minutes.  It was delicious actually!  And this one is similarly surprising and delicious.  

Last year I did my annual cooking class pilgrimage with Princess Pia, a ring-in for Ms. M who had to fly back home due to a family emergency, and thus sadly missed out on the class.  We drove down to the Northern Rivers area, just over the Queensland border, where we attended one of the wonderful classes held by Belinda Jeffery.  Belinda is a cook, writer, and ex-tv presenter, amongst her many talents.  Her classes are always fun and educational.  We made this surprising recipe in class, and we all loved it.  I've made some tiny changes to her recipe, by adding some spice, and a toffee nut topping rather than the praline she suggests.          


Serves 8:


ingredients:


600g. silken tofu

320g. dark chocolate - 70% Lindt is a good choice, or your fave

2-3 tbs maple syrup or honey

1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

a big pinch of cinnamon (optional)


Nut topping:


125g. slivered and/or flaked almonds

25g. butter

1 tbs golden syrup

a pinch of sea salt

a big dash of ground cinnamon - 1/8 tsp perhaps


Method:


Drain the tofu in a large sieve over a bowl

Melt the chocolate - either in the microwave (easy-peasy) or in a bowl over simmering water on the cooktop, and let it cool slightly

The tofu, maple syrup, and vanilla (and optional cinnamon) go into a food processor; add the chocolate and whiz till smooth (will only take seconds)

Spoon into 8 ramekins or a large bowl if you wish, and refrigerate till cold (mine went thick instantly)

Put all the topping ingredients into a small saucepan over a medium-low heat

Stir for five minutes, and watch carefully - it is so easy to burn this

When cooled down, put some topping onto each of the ramekins

Pour on a dash of cream when serving, if you fancy


Notes:


Make sure you buy silken tofu, not the firm stuff

Belinda suggests using a stick blender in a tall jug for the mixing part if you don't have a food processor

Her recipe calls for an almond praline on top, but I used the topping from Chelsea Winter's coffee cake that I made and blogged recently

ingredients gathered

ready for whizzing

looking splendidly rich and chocolatey

ready for the fridge

stir and stir and stir - for 5 minutes

add the cinnamon and you get this glorious golden colour 

nutty topping

I'm digging in:-)

artwork © Sherry's Pickings

Vanilla Zulu Culinary Adventures

Our mate Mel runs a cooking school, which has recently moved from our local village to a new spot in trendy Teneriffe.  She was asked to run a class for a local tv show last week, so she gathered together some keen foodies like myself to be a part of the 'tv' class.  Mel's classes are always fun and crazy, so I jumped to say yes.  I snuck in a friend too, who had a fabulous time of it, and got herself in some great photos:=)    

wow!  happy days!  Mel holding up her brand-new book

Yep, Mel really is twice my height:=)  Just kidding.  I think we were up to mischief there.  I mean, look at all that flour over my apron.  Well, we were making pasta and focaccia after all.  

heart-shaped focaccia

The dough became a heart-shaped bread, with rosemary (from Mel's garden) and black salt for crunch. Olive oil is splashed over the top, giving it flavour and shine.  This was so delicious, served with truffle-whipped butter.  Are you drooling, my friends?

grating, grating, grating... that parmesan

Mel giving that dough a good seeing-to

There was much grating of cheese and rolling of dough.  I got so excited when kneading the dough, I managed to tip over a glass of water and give the bench a good shaking.  Well, it's fab for getting rid of your tensions, isn't it?:-)  Kneading I mean... 

deelish my friends

How fabulously edible does this look?  Hand-made ravioli, red capsicum sauce, focaccia with truffle whipped butter and some gorgeous prosciutto.

Courtney (the talent) and me looking a bit cheeky 

Courtney is the lovely lady being filmed for the show.  The rest of us just tagged along for the ride, so to speak.  She was so very charming and friendly, it made the whole session a real pleasure.

Mel and my mate M

Look at those equally beaming smiles.  Or are they up to some mischief? :-)  That's Mel's book by the way, in her hot little hands.

Mel showing Courtney the clever way to chop an onion 

yes cheese and wine too

See the cheeses, folks?  And yes there was delicious wine.  I believe VZ has a liquor licence now, so who knows what further delights that will bring? 

well, you can see what this is:-)

Mel was born in Zimbabwe, but her family fled to South Africa when she was a child.  She has run her cooking school in Durban, and now in sunny Brisbane.  So she has a wealth of skills and knowledge and passion to share with those in her classes.  Hop aboard, fellow foodies!  Come visit Mel and chef Jan, and enjoy learning about, and sharing food with like-minded people.


Vanilla Zulu Culinary Adventures
92 Commercial Rd.,Teneriffe 4005
Ph: 0434 220 796