Chocolate Mousse Cake...a No Bake Delight!

I am a happy shappy kinda girl. In-fact who doesn't like to be happy...We all do, isn't it? Yet there are times of Lows and Highs!! But have we ever bothered what is Happiness?? To be truly happy one needs to understand that everything is good within one's own life. Happiness is not an emotion or a phenomenon, its an attitude.

Happiness cannot be result oriented or event driven. Every day is a new day as it has new experiences to share and new learnings to teach. There is one quote which i read some years back and ever since then, its a favorite of mine and aptly states my attitude towards life.

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition." - Martha Washington

At any time of the day if you feel stressed or bogged down by the pressure around, give a big jolt to yourself and remind, that happiness is utmost and does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us. And If the jolt does not help, then i have a much better way to turn the agonies to pleasure. 

So Feeling low, upset or stressed??!!?? Then its time for some homemade happiness..some luscious chocolate quick desserts, coz stressed spelled backwards is desserts. 

Life is like making tea! Boil your ego, Evaporate your worries, Dilute your sorrows, Filter your mistakes & Get Taste of Happiness. So don't brood over your troubles anymore. Instead transform them into an opportunity to create some delectable delights in your kitchen and drool over the flavors and rejoice! 

One bite of this instant quick drool-some chocolicious mousse will help you forget the rest!!! The flavors will make you crave for this homemade happiness whenever you feel the urge for something chocolaty. 

No wonder, i make this often at my place as an excuse to assuage my mood swings. ;)

Ingredients:-

60 gm Hide and Seek biscuits (or any chocolate cookies)
15 gm unsalted butter, melted
60 gm dark chocolate (Brand used: Mordes)
20 gm milk chocolate (Brand used: Mordes)
1 egg white
1/4 tsp Vinegar
120 ml heavy cream
1 tbsp Old Monk rum (Optional)
2 Ferrero Rocher Chocolates

Steps to follow:-

1. Crush Hide & Seek biscuits in a bowl and add melted butter to it.
2. Rub the biscuits and butter well till the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
3. Take small glasses and spoon this mixture in a glass up to 1/4 inch height.
4. Press lightly with fingers and ensure that the mixture is at the same level.
5. Transfer the glasses to the refrigerator and let it set uptil 30 mins to 1 hour.
6. In a pan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Turn off the gas.

NOTE: While boiling the heavy cream, you have to constantly whisk to avoid cream getting stuck at the bottom of the pan and getting burnt.

7. In a bowl add dark and milk chocolate and pour in the boiled heavy cream.
8. Whisk vigorously and let chocolate melt completely. The mixture should be lump free.
9. Meanwhile, beat one egg white in a bowl using a hand or stand mixer and pour in vinegar drop-wise intermittently.
10. Beat the egg white till soft peaks are formed.

NOTE: It is best to begin at a slow speed and gradually move up to high when beating egg whites. When your egg whites get fluffy...STOP! If you over-beat them, they will liquefy again. Use beaten egg whites right away. Do not let them sit.  

11. Add rum to the chocolate cream mixture and give it good swirl.
12. Gently fold in the whipped egg white (soft meringue) to the chocolate mixture in batches of two.

NOTE: At this stage you have to lightly fold in the meringue in to the chocolate mixture. The mixture should be lump free. DO NOT whisk or mix with a spoon here else the air in egg whites will fizzle out. Use spatula for folding in.

13. Take out the glasses from the refrigerator and pour in the mousse till 3/4th of the glass.
14. Refrigerate it for 3-4 hours till the mousse sets.
15. Cut the Ferrero Rocher chocolates into two halves and once the mousse has set, garnish it with the chocolate.

Variation:-
1. To make a richer mousse, you could add crushed Ferrero Rochers to the mousse before pouring in the glasses.
2. You can garnish with chocolate shavings once the mousse is set. Use a vegetable Y peeler (resembles a safety razor) and scrape thin shavings from a block of chocolate. The chocolate should be at room-temperature, but not in a melted state.

Rose & Cardamom Panna Cotta

Often its the case that things happen because they were destined to take place. There is no connection, no association, yet, when such incidents occur, they leave one wondering why did that happen really?? Sigh!! But its only a little later that you realize, the reason. 

Here's my story when i was struck with something that was completely clueless about! 

I was on a look out on a recipe of a savory to contribute for a food event on an FB group, that i am a part of. I picked my key ingredients as Rose and Cardamom, still clueless with what to cook. This Italian dessert, delicately named, Panna Cotta, was one such case that just stormed up suddenly in my kitchen that day. I was completely uninformed about the ingredients of this dainty looking Miss, until i found myself in a local store frantically collecting stuff for my sweet cravings! 

I can't recall how and when i happened to hear this name, but i remember whenever its was, since then i have had an apprehension towards this jello, that making it would be a daunting task! Ha ha ha ha..Really??? I mock at myself now, laugh at my own presumptions and wonder how stupid i could be! The little did i know that this was THE one of the easiest sweetsomes to master! Finally, i attempted it, and it was all done in 30 mins!!! Yes, thats all! Mine was a royal amalgamation of Rose and Cardamom, sound exotic, Isnt it?? Trust me, it tasted similar too. An easy peasy pudding for which you could have varied versions of flavors - Vanilla, Saffron or Chocolate or may be Mango..You are permitted to think aloud with its flavors coz this dame will never give you a tough time...I bet!

Try it yourself to conquer your fright just like i did..ha ha ha!

 

Ingredients:-

1.5  cups heavy cream

¼ cup Sugar

1.5  tsp powdered Gelatin

3 tbsp cold water

½ tsp freshly grounded cardamom powder

2 tbsp fresh rose petals – Churned in a blender with little milk

2 tbsp chopped pistachios

Flavorless oil for ramekins

Steps to Follow:-

1. Line the ramekin with slight oil and keep aside. 

2. Sprinkle gelatin over the cold water in a bowl and let it stand for 5-10 minutes, until soft.  3. Heat the heavy cream with sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved.  

4. Add in the pureed rose petals and thoroughly mix. 

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the cardamom powder. 

6. Add the gelatin to the warm panna cotta mixture & stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. 

7. Divide the mixture and pour into 2 ramekins and refrigerate (Freezer compartment) of atleast 3 – 4hrs. 

8. Garnish with finely chopped rose petals and pistachios  juliennes. 

So here It is..the gorgeous beauty, absolutely drool worthy, waiting to be yours truly! Try this Italian pud and grab appreciations galore!

NOTE: De-moulding these lovelies could be tricky, so when out of the snowy zone, heat some water in a pan and give it a boil. Dip the ramekins in the hot boiling water for NOT more than 5 secs.  Run a knife around the edges of the ramekin and invert it on a serving platter. If the panna cotta doesn't de-mould right away, tap the ramekin lightly on the countertop to loosen it. If it still doesn't de-mould, return it to the hot water bath for another five seconds and repeat. Still doesn't, don't panic, Panna cotta can also be served without de-moulding. :)