Wednesday 20 June 2012

Shortbread Gone Wrong


I love shortbread. It's more than just a little cookie, a wee biscuit, it's tradition, history and culture. I always imagine I should be able to speak with an adorable Highland accent after eating a few. That somehow my inner Lassi comes out at the first sign of butter, sugar and wheat. But then again, maybe it's a good thing that never happens. You know the old joke: The Italian Mafia gives you an offer you can't refuse. The Scottish Mafia gives you and offer you can't understand.

Jokes aside, making perfect shortbread is no laughing matter. Recently I tried a new recipe. I followed every step with calm accuracy, not leaving anything to chance. And yet, the whole thing was a disaster. Everything was fine up until the baking stage. Through the oven window I helplessly watched as my bonny shortbread transformed into oozing lava. It lost it's shape completely and simply melted.

F...it! I removed the tray from the oven dumped it all into a mixing bowl. Then I added 1 cup of oats (staying true to the Scottish theme here) and poured the whole thing into a new baking pan.

After it was done baking I covered with melted chocolate and nuts. And the result? It was a taste sensation, truly remarkable. Crunchy, not too sweet, chocolaty and divine. Ha! Who would would have guessed that?

This is what's so fun about playing in the kitchen, being able to make treasures from disasters.

You can skip the disaster bit and go straight for the treasure.

Chocolate-Oat Cake

200 g butter
1 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup oats
1/2 teaspoon salt.

Frosting
100 g dark or milk chocolate
50 g butter
Roasted hazel or walnuts.

Melt butter over low heat, add sugar, flour, oats and salt. Pour this super simple batter into a 10x10 baking tin and bake for at 325°C 25-30 minutes. Basically until the edges are starting to get a nice golden colouring. 


Remove from the oven, but don't turn the oven off. Roast the nuts while you melt the butter and chocolate. As usual, melt over low heat and don't stir too often. When all melted, pour it over the cake while it's still in the pan. Chop up the nuts and sprinkle over. You can lightly press the nuts into the frosting, then they stay put after the chocolate cools and hardens. 


This miracle of a cake will be ready to eat and serve in 30 minutes. It's even better the next day, if it lasts that long.


Tuesday 22 May 2012

A Little Sesame Seed



Finally back in baking action! Not that I haven't been baking, that would be madness. I have simply been more incognito about it. Basking for the sake of baking, not for the sake of blogging.  I often bake the same things over and over again, which is great for the eater, not so interesting for the reader.
However, after I created this masterpiece, I felt compelled share it with all of you. After all, it is the best cake I have tasted in ages.

It all started with a visit to Pierre Hermé's  new shop in Belgravia. Pierre is a chocolate genious, it is simply amazing how he combines flavours and textures. I was sampling his new range of truffles when my pallet noticed something different, yet familiar. Was there a sesame seed hidden between the layers of velvet chocolate? A seed often found in Asian dishes and in bread. What was it doing here? I mean, how come I've never tasted this heavenly combination before? The added crunch, the saltiness, the surprise burst of flavour, I felt I had stumbled upon a culinary secret.

A few weeks later my younger sister was visiting, and we decided to bake a cake. A chocolate layer cake. They are a bit tricky, I do admit. They can also  be deceiving, promise more than they deliver. You know, looking all decadent, tall, glossy and inviting, and yet be dry and tasteless. It can also be a totally wrong cake/frosting combination. All the flavours fighting for attention and not at all the seamless taste experience you are hoping for.

This Sunday I decided to do something I have beenwanting to do for a long time; combine the cake from one recipe with the frosting from another. It almost felt wrong. You are not supposed to mix and match when baking, you are meant to follow recipes and directions with stoic precision.

However, I channelled my inner Pierre Hermé and went to work.

Milk Chocolate Sesame Cake
Makes a 20cm round cake-Preheat the oven to 180C

110g dark chocolate                                         Frosting:
3tbsp water                                                      1/2 cup whipping cream
200g butter                                                       300g milk chocolate
200g soft brown sugar                                       8 tablespoon butter                                            
1tsp vanilla extract                                             Pinch of salt
4 eggs, separated                                              2 tbsp maple syrup, optional
200 g flour
1 tsp baking powder                                          Decoration: Tata! Roasted sesame seeds and
1/4 tsp salt                                                         finely chopped pistachio nuts. My idea!

Begin with melting water and chocolate over low heat. Don't stir until it's almost melted, it makes the chocolate grainy.
Separate the eggs and whip the whites. First at slow speed, and when they start to firm up, increase the speed until you have glossy peaks. Set aside in a separate bowl.
Beat the yolks with vanilla until thick and yellow. Stir this in with the melted chocolate mixture.
The final round in the mixing bowl is for the butter and sugar. Mix until creamy.
Stir the chocolate mixture in with the creamy butter, and finally fold in the whites. Do this slowly, with a flat spatula, a little at a time.
Line the cake pan with parchment paper, but only at the bottom. If the sides are ungreased and unlined, the cake will stand taller after rising in the oven.
In any case, pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Rotate the pan after 15 minutes to ensure even baking.
After the cake is done baking, let it cool in the pan before transferring onto a wire rack.

Now, the frosting. You will notice it calls for a lot of milk chocolate. You will need all of it, because you have to have enough for both filling and frosting. The recipe is almost like ganache, but a bit softer. I like that, easier to work with.

Heat up the whipping cream over low heat, then add the chocolate and salt. Remove from the stove and let it sit for a few minutes. Then stir gently until it's all nice and blended. Then transfer it to a Quisenart and add the butter. The butter must be soft, cut into small cubes and added one at a time. Only use the pulse button, you have more control over what's going on that way. If you happen to have some maple syrup, add it at the end.

Now, once the cake is cool, remove it from the pan and place it on a wire rack. After 10 minutes place the cake on a flat surface and cut it into three layers. Use a sharp, long knife, slowly working your way around the cake. Place the three layers on three different plates, the bottom layer on the plate you will serve the cake on.
Put chocolate frosting on the bottom layer, then add the second layer. Spread frosting on that one as well. Finally put on the top layer, spread the rest of the frosting evenly on the top and around the edge of the cake. To make the side nice and smooth, run a clean knife lenghtwise around the side while you slowly turn the cake, like a Lacy Susan.

How do we then decorate this cake? With sesame seeds and pistachios.

The sesame/chocolate combination is remarkable. Salt and sweet, crunchy and soft. What can I say, they compliment each other.
Not only that. Normally I would decorate with marzipan roses, chocolate shavings, shredded coconut, powdered sugar, we have many options here. The problem with all the above is that they just add more sweetness to something that is already really sweet. They don't bring anything new to the table. Nuts and seeds on the other hand makes it both interesting and flavourful. Try it!

Thank you Pierre!


















Sunday 5 June 2011

Chocolate Mini-Pies (and why they don't make you fat)

I like small meals, small foods, anything you can nibble at. I don't always need a big slice of cake or a jumbo bowl of ice cream. Honestly, I find the super-sized food phenomena a bit off-putting. On the other hand, I adore petit-fours, truffles and miniature cakes. You feel like you should be feeding them to elves and other magical creatures. Of course it takes a lot of time to make these treats, more time than most of us are willing to spend on a regular week day. Having said that, one of my favourite cakes takes over 3 hours to make, but it's worth it. I've seen the looks on people's faces when they take their first bite. Conversations stop, eyes close, and all you hear is a unison "mmmm" across the room. Like I said, it's worth all the effort and time. 
However, when I came home from work on Friday I didn't have hours and hours on end to devote to baking, but I knew I wanted something really yummy. I looked at recipe after recipe. There were a few tempting cakes, but nothing jumped out at me. Then I came across the recipe for chocolate mini-pies. Yes!
The first time I made them I must have been about 14 years old. My uncle was coming over for dinner and I was in charge of dessert. When I carried the pies in to the living room,  in a beautiful wooden tray, my uncle just shock his head and said that all my boyfriends would be really, really fat. Happy, but fat. Not that this observation stopped him from eating any of the pies, quite the contrary. 

What I love about these pies it that the shell is crispy and crumbly, yet the filling is as soft as velvet. In other words, a killer combination. I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do. 

Chocolate Mini-Pies

Makes about 20-25

125 g soft butter
125 g sugar (I like to use the soft brown sugar, but any kind will do)
500-600 g flour, approximately 
50 g grounded almonds
1 egg

Filling:
100 g soft butter
100 g sugar
1 egg and one egg yoke 
1 dl whipping cream
250 g melted chocolate
Pinch of salt 

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix butter and sugar together until it's soft and well blended. Mix in the flour, almonds and the egg. Now you should have the equivalent of a regular pie dough. Soft and easy to work with, neither too sticky or at all crumbly. That is why the amount of flour is approximately. Add enough until you have the desired consistency.

Roll the dough into small bowl and press them into the pie molds. The molds do not need to be greased or lined with baking paper. 

Bake the pies for 15 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Let them cool, then gently release the pies by gently squeezing the molds and turning them upside down . 

While the entourage of pies bake in the oven we make the filling. 

Melt chocolate over low heat, add a tablespoon or two or water to the pan. Then mix together butter and sugar, just as you did with the dough. Add the egg and salt. Next whip the cream until soft and fluffy. Now, add the melted chocolate to the butter mixture, then you gently fold in the whipped cream. Put this delightful filling in a piping bag and fill the pie-shells to the top. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. 

FYI:  Eat all the chocolate you want, just keep an eye on the ingredients and the expiration date. Any cake or cookie that have a shelf life over 2 weeks is filled with preservatives that arecompletely foreign to the human body. We are not meant to digest paraffin, plastic, artificial sweeteners and things like E249 to E252. Personally I try to avoid any food containing preservatives that I:

a) can't pronounce 
b) don't know what is
c) have no idea how to use

Tuesday 31 May 2011

Bakers Block

I have to confess, I do a lot of baking and cooking, not just with chocolate. If this was a regular food blog I could write about almost anything I make for dinner and share my most cherished bread recipes. I could write about whipping up a fresh batch of lavender scones when my best-friends stayed over last week, and how she almost missed her flight because she had to go by Selfridges and buy macaroons for the little ones. 

I could tell you about my love for vegetables, ripe cherries ( I can tie a knot with the stem, not using my hands) chilled mango lassi and how I will jump with joy (and maybe pour myself a drink) when the quiche crust doesn't melt down the side of the pan and cause the egg-filling to spill over. Can you think of  anything better than perfectly cooked asparagus sprinkled with fresh parmesan shavings? Or a tall glass of Eton Mess on Primrose Hill? I actually find myself craving fresh spinach with feta cheese and a generous amount of balsamic vinegar. In the meantime my chocolate recipes, my beloved chocolate recipes, are just sitting there, unused. It must be spring. 

Who can resist the endless sight of sun-riped tomatoes and bunches of fresh herbs? The little store by my bus stop sells the best mint and coriander in all of London. The mint is mixed with water and a few slices of lime, it's mouthwatering refreshing. The coriander is joyfully sprinkled over almost everything I make. The most plain dishes come to life thanks to those beautiful green leaves and a pinch of sea-salt. 

I'm getting carried away. I was supposed to make a 9 layer chocolate torte, or marzipan dipped in chocolate. I have yet to publish a chapter on the best chocolate chip cookies every, and what about the mini sandcakes filled with Bavarian chocolate cream? Why on earth am I sitting here nibbling on a carrot for? It's such a good carrot though. Organic and full of flavour. I have a big bag of them in the fridge.

So what am I baking for the blog this week? I have no idea. The trick is to have cream, butter, egg, chocolate, sugar and flour in the house, then you will be prepared for most recipes. But I don't want chocolate today. I want fresh rasberries with home-made vanilla cream. I want a big bowl of fresh penne adorned with crispy, buttery French garlic. I would like a serving of brie and grapes please, and maybe some oat crackers. Or how about a pot of jasmine green tea with honey and lemon? I really can't decide. I am no cook, and I have a lot to learn about baking, but I do know one thing. Never bake when you are uninspired. Personally I make a lot more mistakes when I'm fretting and indecisive. 

That being the case, I'll leave my recipes alone for now and reach for another carrot instead.

Sunday 15 May 2011

Are we talking about me yet?

Have you noticed how some people always manage to twist every conversation back to their own favourite topics?  
At a friend’s birthday party a woman asked me: ” So, do you have any children? ” I said no, and judging by the look on her face I might as well have been speaking Greek. She got this blank look on her face, like she was starring at a very confusing modern painting. Finally she made a weird coughing sound and said “Excuse me.”  Next thing I know she is eagerly talking to a mutual friend, a very pregnant friend, about sibling rivalry, the challenges of travelling with small children, and how it’s important to carve out time for yourself and take care of you at least once a month. Clearly I couldn’t be trusted to participate in this ravishing conversation, childless as I was. And talking about something else was obviously out of the question.

Bob, Cooper and Lynch
Another time this phenomena came up, was when I was introduced to a man who bore a striking resemblance to Bob. Remember Bob, from Twin Peaks? Anyone growing up in the 80’s will know who I’m talking about. Uncombed, long grey hair, dressed in denim, lurking behind the living-room furniture with that haunting look on his face. I’m still carrying a lot of anxiety from having been exposed to Bob, so you can imagine my shock when I saw this man before me. He had lived in Asia for decades and was therefore blissfully unaware of his evil twin brother. I think he confused my disbelief/curiosity with adoration, because regardless of what we were doing or talking about, he always managed to bring some sexual innuendo to the table. When I was drinking a cup of hot milk I was met with an approving nod towards the milk and the comment: “Warm, sweet and nice, just as a little boy”. When we visited the local museum, it was mainly the exhibition of ancient armors adorned with steel penises that held his interest. One evening, when he was in the more philosophical corner, he asked the following question: “What has given you more pleasure in life, food or men?”

See, that is what I should have asked the woman who could only talk about children! It would never have worked though, too blunt, too direct. There is clearly no right answer, but regardless what you say you will come off sounding kind of weird. If your answer is food, what does that tell you about your interactions with the male population? If you answer men, it makes you sound like a pervert. I will easily choose a French baguette with cream cheese and blueberry jam over most men. In a weaker moment I know it I'm willing to give up chocolate just to get a glimpse of a certain someone without his shirt on. It’s hard to say. I think I will let Winnie the Pooh answer the question for me: “Both, please”

On that note, why don’t you surprise your special someone with a scrumptious chocolate marble cake? Or make it for yourself. Regardless on where you stand on the topic of food and men, you can never go wrong with chocolate.

 Marbled Chocolate Cake

This cake can be perceived as rather boring. There is no frosting, no filling, no decorating required at all. Yet, it’s the simplicity and effortlessness of this cake that makes it such a winner. And if you are still stumbling into the world of baking, still not sure of your cooking skills, this cake is a good place to start.

You need the following:

150g soft butter
150g fine caster sugar
3 eggs
1dl milk
200g flour
50g almond flour (if you don’t have almond flour, just use regular flour instead)
1,5 teaspoon baking powder
0,5 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla sugar

In a separate bowl:
2 tablespoons pure cocoa
2 tablespoons muscova sugar (this is the dark kind, but regular white sugar will also do)
½ dl milk

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees, celsius. (In order for the baking powder to have it’s full effect on the rising process, your cake needs a warm oven.)

Cream together butter and sugar, then add one egg at a time, then vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder. Add one third of the dry mix to the creamy mixture, then add some of the milk. Keep alternating between adding the dry stuff and the milk. Don’t go crazy with the mixing, but make sure it’s all blended together. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, cocoa and milk. Add one third of the light batter to this dark paste. Both batters should now be of the same consistency.

Grease a 1,5 l baking pan and pour in half of the light batter into it. Then pour the dark batter in, and pour the rest of the light batter on top of that again. In order to create the marble effect, drag a spoon through all the layers. 

Put the pan in the over and bake for about 55 minutes. After 25 minutes rotate the pan, and after 45 minutes insert a toothpick into the cake. If it comes out clean, take the cake out. If it comes out with runny batter on it, leave the cake in the oven a little longer. It’s always good to check on your cake while baking and not blindly trust the given baking time. All ovens are different, and it also depends on the shape of your pan.

When done baking, take the cake out of the oven and place it on a cooling rack. After 10-15 minutes you can remove the cake from the pan and your marble treat is ready to eat.

Fun fact: Did you know that the Bob character in Twin Peaks wasn't in the original  script? While filming a scene, Mr Lynch saw one of his sound technicians crawling on the floor. He thought it was the most frightening thing he has ever seen, and that is how Bob made it into the series. But enough about Bob, enjoy your cake. 

 PS: I can highly recommend getting a silicon cake pan. Mine is in a shape of a sand caste, and it's really fun to peel the pan off the cake when it's done baking. Just something extra, something different. 

  

Sunday 8 May 2011

The Ladurée Dream

I have no sense of direction. I easily get lost and find maps confusing. However, when two of my closest, most trusted friends told me I had to visit the famous pastry-house Ladurée while in Paris, I had no choice but to stumble through this great city and hope I wouldn't get lost in some dodgy street and end up naked in a dumpster.
When I finally made it to 21 Rue de Bonaparte, it was like finding my true home. Everything was in perfect harmony, the beautiful window display, the chic waiters, the china, even the toilette was stunning. However, Ladurée is not famous for their bathroom design, but for being the very first pastry-house to stick two macaroons together with ganache filling in the middle. Regular macaroons had already been around for centuries, but the ganache filling raised them to a whole new level. They are truly irresistible, and quite addictive. Ladurée alone sell 15,000 of these macaroons, every single day.
I’m totally baffled by this. How do they make them all? Ladurée macaroons come in a wide variety of colours and flavours. Pistachio with raspberry filling, yellow ones with lemon ganache, parfait, passion fruit, chocolate, just to mention a few. And its not like they are easy to make. Even when you get it right, its still really time-consuming. 
Yesterday I was in the kitchen for hours sifting almond flour, making chocolate ganache, whipping egg whites and boiling sugar. I was really pleased with the flavour and texture, but the shape is still something of a challenge.
Still, even an imperfect macaroon is superior to most cakes and cookies I can think of. 
So I keep trying, keep baking, each time getting a little closer to the Ladurée dream in my own home.

Before you start, set the mode with this adorable movie:

Chocolate Macaroons
1 cup minus 2 table spoons finely ground almonds
11/4 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 large egg whites at room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
¾ cup fine white sugar

Chocolate ganace
2 cups whipping cream
250 gram dark chocolate, chopped

First we make ganache. I prefer to make it the day before I bake. It needs at least 5 hours to chill, but longer is better. You can of course make it the same day you intend to use it, but then there will be a lot of waiting around, hoping it will firm up soon.

Heat up the cream over medium heat until it simmers. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir a few times, then wait 20 minutes, then stir again. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours, but no more than 4 days before using.

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees and line cookie sheets with baking paper. Depending on the size of your sheets, you will need at leas 2 or 3.
Tip: iron the paper before you put it on the sheets. Here is why: a crumbly, slightly uneven baking sheet might cause the bottom of the macaroons to be uneven as well. They need to lay perfectly flat while baking, delicate as they are.

Find a glass or cup that is about 11/4 inch round, dip it in water, then in flour, and press little circles on the sheet. This is an easy, stress-free way of making sure that all the macaroons come out the same size.

Now for the baking part. Blend together the grounded almond, icing sugar, and cocoa. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk, whip two of the egg whites and the cream of tartar together until soft peaks start to form. You get a better result if you start off with a slow speed, then gradually increase the speed as the whites stiffen.

Combine sugar and water in a pan and stir over medium heat. From time to time brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush. When the syrup reaches 241 degrees whisk it into the egg whites. Make sure you pour the syrup in a thin, steady stream, not all at once. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form. Now we have meringue!

Work the remaining egg white into the almond mixture with a fork. Then you stir in one quarter of the meringue, creating a soft, sticky paste. With a spatula, gently fold in the remaining meringue.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip, pipe rounds on the cookie sheet, staying within the flour-circle you created earlier. To get rid of unwanted air bubbles, gently tap the cookie sheet on the work surface. Let it stand until a skin forms, about 20-30 minutes.

Bake with the door slightly ajar for 12 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 12 minutes. While the next tray is in the oven, you are left with the fun task of getting the baked macaroons off the baking sheet. You do this by peeling the baking paper off the macaroon, not by attempting to peel the macaroons of the paper. Just do it slowly, gently, making sure not to break them. Another trick is to put a saucer of hot water underneath the baking tray. The steam releases the sticky macaroons from the paper.

When done baking, bring out the ganache. Gently beat it with a paddle attachment before using, this improves the texture. If it is too stiff to spread (it happens), stir it with a heated spoon or spatula.
In any case, sandwich 2 macaroons together with a dallop of ganache and refrigerate for 24 hours before eating.

Can you wait 24 hours? The flavours certainly improve over night, but I think it’s OK to try one or two right away. Put a couple on a little plate, have a seat and enjoy.

Please share your own recipes, or hints and tips related to macaroons. Someone always knows something clever that somehow escapes the recipe books.   





Sunday 24 April 2011

Too Hot For Chocolate?

Do you get influenced by movies? I do. Some characters are so compelling, interesting and adoring, how could I not want to be just like them? And honestly, a part of me feels like that some of these fictional people are simply another side of me. Is it any wonder there is an instant feeling of familiarity and ease when viewing them on the big screen?
After watching The Horseman on the Roof I dyed most of my clothes blue and ate nothing but toast with honey for weeks. Le Double Vie de Véronique sent me on a life-long quest in search of a see-through rubber ball that, when looking through it, turns the world up side down. (I still haven’t found one). Bringing up Baby left me longing for a pet leopard and Cary Grant, not to mention Katharine Hepburn’s wardrobe. Claude Lelouch’s masterpiece, La Belle Histoire, truly surprised me. All of a sudden I wanted to be a bee-keeper, just like Marie. Great movies are like that, they unravel different, hidden, unknown sides of us. Of course I’m not taking about a regular bee-keeper here. The beautiful Marie was also an amazing teacher and had known Jesus as a child. In a previous life, but still. Marie and I even have the same colour hair, but could I overcome my fear of bees?
Now, you can only imagine the effect the movie Chocolat had one me. This movie confirmed what I already knew to be true. That chocolate is magical, irresistible, and sometimes life-changing. Vianne and her chocolate shop, what a dream. A dream that is a bit more realistic than owning a farm in Africa or running around in a copper bikini, at least in my case. However, I can totally picture opening up a chocolate shop in the country. What a treat that would be.    

Today I’m making chocolate mousse. It’s simply too hot to deal with batter, frosting and ovens. I also don’t have the patience to make truffles. Chocolate mousse is so quick to prepare. Just make, scoop and chill. See, today the sun is actually shining and there is not a single cloud in the sky. I’ve made a big pitcher of chilled jasmine tea, the picnic blanket is washed and ready, and I have a stack of books to read. However, I know when the evening comes, and it’s time to put on a cashmere cardigan and light some candles, I’ll be happy there is a delicious mousse waiting in the fridge. It’s the perfect way to end a perfect day.  

Milk Chocolate Mousse

250 g milk chocolate cut in small pieces
3 eggs
60 gram sugar
2, 5 dl whipping cream

Melt the chocolate over very low heat, stir now and then. When it’s all melted and shiny, set aside to chill.

Whip cream with an electric mixer. (I’ll say it again; Kenwood makes the best kitchen appliances). Whipping cream is easy, but if you whip the cream for too long it actually turns into butter. So just watch it, stop when its light and fluffy.

Now we need to whip the eggs and sugar until pale and air-light. This takes about 10-15 minutes. Unlike the cream, there is no such thing as mixing the eggs for too long. If you don’t have two mixing bowls, just scrape out the cream into another bowl and put it in the fridge. Wash the mixing bowl squeaky clean and dry it really well before putting the eggs in it. If there is any moisture left in the bowl, the eggs won’t mix the way you want. You will be left with a runny, yellow mix. This would be perfect for pancakes, not so great for mousse.  Just keep in mind what you are making while preparing the ingredients for it. Mousse is light, so everything we put in it must be light as well. Does that make sense?

When the eggs are ready, fold the melted chocolate in with the egg-mixture. Use a rubber spatula or a big, flat spoon. If you whisk or stir too quickly, the eggs will loose its lovely fluffiness.

When that is all blended together, fold in the whipped cream.

The last step is to pour the mousse into dessert bowls. It always looks really nice in wine glasses, or even in a big, clear dessert bowl. Whatever you have will do. Leave it in the fridge for minimum 2 hours. Serve with a sprinkle of chocolate, a mint leaf and fresh berries on the side.

Are there any questions?