The complete "how to" on making the best Mousse Au Chocolat

Anyone who doesn't like chocolate just, well, doesn't exist. Even  those who are allergic to this gift from the gods love it, but just can't eat it. From the time we were toddlers taking our first steps on our own, chocolate has been a part of our lives. There is no holiday without it and no birthday that it doesn't partake in the  celebration When asked what our favorite desserts are, chocolate is certain to be a dominant ingredient for a large percentage of us. It is all around us, no matter where we look or where we go. We can't escape it because it's what we love and it's what we give when we want to show our love for someone special.

As a chocolate lover, you haven't lived until you've experienced a serving of a great Mousse au Chocolat. For those of you that still call it pudding, you simply haven't tried it before. Once tasted, you will clearly notice there is no comparison between the two and you may never go back to pudding again.

You've waited long enough to try your hand at what may be the best Mousse au Chocolat you have ever eaten! Trying this recipe creation is seriously recommended for those who have never eaten this dessert before (and for the rest of you as well). Follow the directions carefully and you will certainly find the pot of gold at the end of this cocoa rainbow. Begin by gathering your ingredients, enough for 6 to 8 servings:

9 oz. Dark 70% semi sweet chocolate

5 Large eggs, yolks and whites separated

1.5 Cups of heavy cream (for whipping) + 2 tablespoons of heavy cream

4 Heaping teaspoons of finely ground granulated sugar (see below)

2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract

1.5 Ounces of Grand Marnier or Cognac

1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter

Finely granulated sugar you can make yourself

Let's begin by making our finely ground granulated sugar. You can find this type of sugar, often called baker's or castor sugar, in the store next to the regular sugar. It's very fine granules are excellent for making sweet sauces and baking; however, it tends to be very expensive. Save yourself a lot of money and make your own. Using an electric coffee grinder, fill it 3/4 to the top with regular sugar and grind it for about 20 seconds. You will end up with a sugar that has very fine granules. Make extra for future dessert ideas. You will find it very useful. Set aside 4 heaping teaspoons for this dessert.


Now you will prepare the first part of this mousse by making what is called a Sauce Sabayon. This Sabayon is a bit different in that we'll use less liquid than usual so that you get a somewhat thicker consistency. You will need a hand mixer with the whisk attachment, a large metal mixing bowl, and a large pot with about an inch or two of water.

Begin whisking the yolk on high

Bring the water in the pot to a simmer, just barely bubbling. Place the metal bowl over the pot, making sure the bottom doesn't touch the water or your egg yolks will cook too much and become scrambled. Add the eggs, the sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and Grand Marnier (or Cognac) and with your blender, whisk on high for about 5 minutes. Make sure to cover the entire bottom of the bowl while whisking, including the edges. What you are doing is getting as much air into your sauce so as to get a fluffy consistency, much like you would do for making whipped cream. When ready, your egg yolk will have tripled in volume and turned to a light pale yellow color. Remove bowl from the pot and set aside.

After 5 minutes, mixture has tripled in volume

Next, you will prepare the second part of your mousse, the melting of your dark chocolate into a smooth, silky thick consistency. Using a double boiler this time, add your chocolate, butter, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to the upper portion of the double boiler. Bring the water to a simmer, water barely bubbling. If you need to, add another tablespoon of heavy cream while melting the chocolate. As the chocolate is beginning to melt, slowly begin to stir with a wooded spoon, making sure the butter and cream are well incorporated, as the chocolate becomes more liquid, stir steadily until all has melted and you have a smooth texture. Remove double boiler from the heat.

Place chocolate & butter in double boiler

Continue folding until chocolate & Sabayon are well blended

Now add a bit of the Sauce Sabayon to the chocolate (2 tablespoons) and stir until blended. Repeat the process a second time.

Once chocolate has cooled to warm, transfer 1/3 of it to your bowl with the Sauce Sabayon, and with a rubber spatula, begin to fold the chocolate into the sauce. Next, fold the second third of the chocolate, fold, and finally fold the remainder of the chocolate into the sauce. Be careful not to "mix" the chocolate into the sauce or you will rid it of some of the air. Just continue to fold, while turning the bowl at the same time. After a couple of minutes you will have a nice smooth chocolate mixture. Set the bowl in the fridge.

Whipped cream to stiff peaks

In part three, you will whip the cream to stiff peaks. Into a large chilled metal bowl, add the cream and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and beat on high until stiff peaks have formed. Bring out the bowl with the chocolate from the fridge, and with your rubber spatula, begin to fold the cream into the chocolate, much as you did before. Fold the cream in 3 equal parts, making sure to fold each part completely before adding another. Once complete, return the bowl to the fridge.

Beaten egg whites

Fold egg whites delicately

Finally, you will whisk your egg whites to stiff peaks. Rinse the bowl you used for the cream and add the egg whites. Beginning with medium high speed, whisk the egg whites, gradually increasing speed to high. Continue until egg whites make nice peaks. Again, remove the chocolate mixture from the fridge and begin folding the egg white into the chocolate, being very delicate in doing so to not lose volume. Fold a couple of spatulas full at a time. Continue folding until you have incorporated all the egg whites and your mousse is completely blended. Transfer your Mousse au Chocolat into a nice clear glass presentation bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. Enjoy!

A Sauerkraut like no other!

Although Sauerkraut is a very German dish, this preparation is certainly out of the norm; however, it is guaranteed to delight all guests, even those not too keen on the dish. By all means, try it before you decide. It's a wonderful preparation! This can be prepared while your pork roast is in the oven.

1 package of Sauerkraut (please, no canned stuff!)
1/4 lb. of bacon, cut in 1/2 inch slices
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
3 pinches of salt
2 pinches of sugar
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Begin by thoroughly rinsing your Sauerkraut over cold running water. In a large sauce pan, saute the bacon over medium heat until cooked. Now add the garlic and continue to cook for a couple minutes taking care not to burn the garlic.

Now, add the vegetable broth and deglaze the pan. If you find you need a bit more liquid, just add another 1/2 cup. Lower heat to medium low and stir in the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and sugar. Blend well. Once sauce begins to bubble, add the Sauerkraut and stir well until it is completely incorporated into the sauce. Set heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. As a final touch, add the parsley and lightly toss with a fork. Serve hot alongside pork roast and mash potatoes.

German New Year's Dinner to bring luck in 2012

Braised Pork Roast in beer and sherry, Butter Mash Potatoes, Sauerkraut with bacon in a tomato garlic sauce, and Sauteed Carrots, not just your run of the mill dinner feast for the holidays; however, for the millions with German heritage, it is a meal taken seriously on the first day of the new year, assuring good luck and plenty for the coming twelve months.

If you've allowed January 1st to go unnoticed, fear not, there is always next year. Furthermore, it is never too early to start planning for your next good luck feast. We begin with our Braised Pork Roast slowly baked in its juices, beer, and sherry.

3 to 4 lb Pork Roast
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
16 oz. bottle of beer
8 oz. of dry Sherry
1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
3 tablespoons of fine grain mustard (German)
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of cornstarch

This may seem like quite a long list of ingredients for Pork roast; however, you are also going to make the sauce that will accompany the roast. Start with a pan large enough to accommodate the roast with a lid over it. Over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil and brown your roast on all sides. Remove roast from pan and set aside.

Bring temperature down to medium and saute your onions and garlic until translucent. You may add a bit more oil if needed. Next, add the dry Sherry and deglaze the pan. Once deglazed, add the salt and pepper and stir well. Now add the beer and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat back to medium and continue to cook until liquid has reduced by 1/3.

With the garlic powder, sprinkle on all sides and return to the pan. Cover tightly with a lid and transfer it to a 400 preheated oven. Bake covered at 400 for about 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for approximately 1 1/2  to 2 hours.

Once your pork roast is ready, remove it from the pan and set on a cutting board to rest. While meat is resting, prepare your sauce. Set pan over medium heat and add the mustard. Stir well until blended. Add a few tablespoons of hot water to the cornstarch and stir until well dissolved. Now add it to the sauce and stir. Sauce should begin to thicken. Bring sauce to a light boil and continue to cook for about 5 minutes over low heat. Remove pan from heat and add your butter. Stir well until butter has completely melted into the sauce. Your sauce is now ready.

Slice the pork roast into 1/2 inch slices and present them in a large serving platter, slices slightly overlapping. Spoon a bit of the sauce down the center of the presentation and save the rest into a bowl for table side. This roast should serve 6 to 8 dinner guests. Serve hot alongside mash potatoes, carrots, and sauerkraut. Recipes and prep directions follow below.

A Sauerkraut like no other!

Although Sauerkraut is a very German dish, this preparation is certainly out of the norm; however, it is guaranteed to delight all guests, even those not too keen on the dish. By all means, try it before you decide. It's a wonderful preparation! This can be prepared while your pork roast is in the oven.

1 package of Sauerkraut (please, no canned stuff!)
1/4 lb. of bacon, cut in 1/2 inch slices
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
3 pinches of salt
2 pinches of sugar
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Begin by thoroughly rinsing your Sauerkraut over cold running water. In a large sauce pan, saute the bacon over medium heat until cooked. Now add the garlic and continue to cook for a couple minutes taking care not to burn the garlic.

Now, add the vegetable broth and deglaze the pan. If you find you need a bit more liquid, just add another 1/2 cup. Lower heat to medium low and stir in the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and sugar. Blend well. Once sauce begins to bubble, add the Sauerkraut and stir well until it is completely incorporated into the sauce. Set heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. As a final touch, add the parsley and lightly toss with a fork. Serve hot alongside pork roast and mash potatoes.

Simply incredible Mash Potatoes!

The first thing you will probably notice with this preparation of Mash Potatoes is, "oh my god, all that butter!" Stop and think about it tho, you're serving up to 8 people, so it really doesn't come to more than what you would put on a baked potato and you don't think twice about 2 or 3 pads of butter on that, do you? Trust the preparation, you won't regret it. You will have incredibly velvety and buttery mash potatoes without that bland and watery taste.

4 to 5 large Russet potatoes, peeled & halved
1/2 peeled medium parsnip
1 1/2 cubes of butter (12 tablespoons)
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of grated fresh Parmesan

In a large pot, add the potatoes and parsnip and fill with water until completely immersed. Bring to a rolling boil and cook until potatoes are tender but not mushy. A fork should pierce the potato and when lifted out of the water, the potato will fall back in after a couple of seconds. Immediately remove potatoes from the water and into a waiting bowl.

Pour water out of the pan and return it to the heat, reduced to low. Add the butter and cream and allow butter to completely melt. Add the Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and stir. Now add the egg yolk and blend it into the liquid. Don't allow the liquid to come to a boil. Remove from heat if needed. Using a knife, cut up the potatoes and parsnip in the bowl and transfer to the pan with the liquid.

Using a hand blender, beat potatoes on low for about 30 seconds, then on high. Add the Parmesan cheese and continue to beat on high for another minute or until potatoes are smooth. Taste for flavor and add a couple more pinches of salt if needed. Serve hot alongside the pork.

The carrots are easy to prepare. Simply use thin long carrots and saute over medium high heat with a bit of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of vegetable broth and 2 tablespoons of butter, salt, and pepper, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until just tender.

My First Cranberry Sauce... You Be The Judge.

I was recently surprised to find that cranberries can be found in my birthplace of France. I always heard my Mom tell me that there were no cranberries there and I always believed her. But then again, she's of the mindset that if she hasn't eaten something, then it must not exist. Well, as a famous American cranberry eater once said, "trust but verify", I decided to check it out for myself. Mom, you are wrong. Seeing how we argue a lot, you can't imagine how nice that makes me feel to softly spit out that little word to her, WRONG. It turns out that they're called canneberge (sometimes called airelles des marais). The berry is smaller and more tart than the traditional cranberry we find here. But none the less, they are cranberries, thank you very much.

So along comes this little Frenchman who has never made cranberry sauce in his life before and is going to try his hand at making something that, let's face it, Americans are the best at, the making of cranberry sauce. This little guy is ballzy! After all, it is Thanksgiving and I wanted to make a couple of dishes that are traditionally American for this most American of holidays. And you can thank me for talking my Mom out of making Escargots as an appetizer. Can you believe that? What Pilgrims was she thinking about?

And so, I have gone out on a limb and the limb did not break. With that said, I would like to share my recipe for Cranberry Sauce with a little Francais tossed in. You be the judge and let me know if I should have simply fallen off the tree or if I created a keeper.

For this experiment, you will need:

4 cups fresh cranberries, cleaned and washed
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup fresh cut oranges
1/2 cup Triple Sec (orange liquor)
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon raspberry preserves
2/3 cup water

Begin by tasting one of these little berries. Yes, do as I did and then wonder how the heck can something so tart and bitter become so good. Just kidding, you don't have to do that.  Start by adding the water,cranberries, and pomegranate juice into a sauce pan and bring to a light boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and add the Triple Sec, stir, and then add the sugar. Continue to slow boil for about 15 minutes, as you will notice the berries begin to break down. Continue to cook on low, stirring occasionally. If you need to, you may add 1/4 cup more water, but I don't think you'll need to. After cranberries have been slow cooking for about 30 minutes, add the orange pieces, the orange zest, the marmalade, and the raspberry preserves, and stir to blend all ingredients together. Continue to slow cook for about 15 more minutes, stirring every few minutes. Taste for sweetness. If it's still too tart for your liking, you may either add 1/4 cup more of the Triple Sec or another couple of tablespoons of sugar. I used an additional shot of Triple Sec, but it never made it to the sauce, if you get my drift. Anyway, I digress. Shut the heat off, cover, and let it sit until cooled. Transfer to a storage container and refridgerate until Thanksgiving.

There you have it, my version of Cranberry Sauce. I hope you like it. I did test it out by the way. I'm happy to report that it was pretty darned good! My second contribution to Thanksgiving Dinner this Thursday is going to be another creation of mine that I've never done before and that will be my Apple Calvados Cheese Cake, topped with caramelized sliced apples. This will be posted on Wednesday, so look for it please. Wishing you all a most wonderful Thanksgiving Day.