Simple & a Dream – Dark Chocolate Mousse

The beauty of French recipes, and also the barrier at times, is the technique that ensures a quality meal so long as the ingredients are top quality as well. The surprise in making a handful of recipes so far out of Thomas Keller’s successful cookbook Bouchon, inspired by his restaurant Bouchon Bistro in Yountville, Napa Valley, is that you aren’t using a long list of ingredients or rare oddities, rather quality ingredients that are combined and molded in such a way that create a treat for the senses.

Sure to impress your guests or family, Keller’s Dark Chocolate Mousse is light and airy, but sweet and rich at the same time. It will certainly satiate your sweet tooth at the end of a meal. Just be sure to make it the morning before the dinner or the day before so it has time to set.

Dark Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat Noir)
from Thomas Keller’s cookbook Bouchon
*makes 8 small servings or 4 ramekins (as seen above)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, such as Valrhona Manjari (64%) or Ghiradelli’s, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tablespoons espresso or hot water
• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 tablespoon sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the chocolate, butter, and espresso in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not simmering, water, stirring frequently until smooth.
2. Remove from the heat and let cool until the chocolate is just slightly warmer than body temperature. To test, dab some chocolate on your bottom lip. It should feel warm. If it is too cool, the mixture will seize when the other ingredients are added.
3. Meanwhile, whip the cream to soft peaks, then refrigerate. You can do with this by hand and it takes maybe 2-3 minutes.
4. Once the melted chocolate has cooled slightly, whip the egg whites in a medium bowl until they are foamy and beginning to hold a shape (by hand, this will take about 5-7 minutes). Sprinkle in the sugar and beat until soft peaks form (expect another 5-10 minutes). Be patient; the soft peaks will appear.
5. When the chocolate has reached the proper temperature, stir in the yolks. Gently stir in about one-third of the whipped cream. Fold in half the whites just until incorporated, then fold in the remaining whites, and finally the remaining whipped cream. (Do this all by hand to keep the mixture as light, fluffy and full of air as possible.)
6. Spoon or pipe the mousse into a serving bowl or individual dishes (I used small ramekins). Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. The mousse can be refrigerated for up to a day.
7. Serve the mousse with cookies or enjoy alone.

Rules of Style – Gwyneth Paltrow

Far surpassing the triple threat, Gwyneth Paltrow does even more and shines at it all. Whether it is gracing the big screen and scooping up an Oscar, singing a beautiful melody, being a creator of a fun and creative blog GOOP, dancing away with Matthew Morrison on Fox’s hit television show Glee or sharing her home comforts with readers in her recently released cookbook, she appears to be limitless.

While a few pundits have grumbled at her ubiquity as of late, far more have come to her defense and applauded her for everything that she has accomplished.

I must say, I am always captivated by her ease and grace.  How she seems to carry herself so nonchalantly, yet proudly at the same time appearing very approachable. Standing at 5’9” tall, she is not afraid to wear towering high heels and reveal her svelte figure which comes with a rigorous dedication to dance training and pilates.

And one of the many rewards of sweating for a few hours a day is the opportunity to wear some breath-taking designer gowns.

Here is a collection of a few of the rules of style she seems to follow:

The Legs – Show Them Off!

 

 

Share Your Talents & Discover True Contentment

 

Skinny Jeans & Heels

 

A Trench & Boots

 

Elegant Nudes/Blushes & Neutrals

 

A Little or a Lot of Color

 

A Jacket Over Something Feminine

 

Dark Denim Flares

 

When In Doubt, Go With Black

 

Shorts & Heels

 

Cashmere Sweater, Ankle Jeans & Fabulous Heels

 

 

A Glass of Wine While You Cook

And to learn more about Gwyneth’s new cookbook and how to enjoy the experience of cooking along with enjoying the food, check out her healthy shopping grocery list.

The book is available now ( just released April 13, 2011). Click here to purchase.

Images: (1) Source (2) Source (3) Source (4) Source (5) Source (6) Source (8) Source (9) Source (10) Source (11) Source (12) Source (13) Source (14) Source (15) Source (16) Source (17) Source (18) Source (19) Source (20) Source (21) Source (22) Source (23) Source (24) Source (25) Source (26) Source

Barefoot Contessa’s New Cookbook

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, is releasing a new cookbook due out on October 26th titled How Easy Is That?.

Ina describes the book by saying it is all about “saving you time and avoiding stress”, and as long as the food is delicious, I have to say my kitchen will most likely be receiving a new book in the near future. Filled with tried and true recipes straight from the Barefoot Contessa kitchen, each recipe is full of flavor with the kinks worked out so that you will want to include them in your regular repertoire.

An addition that I loved in her last cookbook Back to Basics that she is including again in this book are tips, ideas and suggestions that help to make cooking and entertaining simpler and more enjoyable.

Below are a few recipes that are included. If you’d like to look at the recipes of either, just click on the image and if you’d like to order a copy of the book for yourself, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake                     Lemon Chicken Breast