Hey guys! So it's the final day of my diet week and experience with BBC Good Food magazine's 7-Day Summer Diet plan. You can sign up to the
diet plan here if you're interested. I am happy to report that I lost 4 pounds in the seven days, which means that I am one pound away from my pre-vacation weight.
I honestly have loved doing this diet. It has taught me a lot about eating healthy, and I plan on changing some of the things I do when I cook as a result of this experience. I also learned that healthy food can be fun to cook and delicious to eat!
My only criticism of the diet can't really be a true criticism because the plan was meant to stick within the recommended daily intake of sodium, but I personally need a little extra salt in some of the recipes. Other than that, the recipes were really tasty and I was rarely hungry at all throughout the day. The only time I tended to feel peckish was between breakfast and lunch, so I would have a little snack of a few nuts.
To celebrate, I am going over to the in-laws' house for a Sunday roast and have made a chocolate mousse entremet. The recipe is inspired by Ann Reardon's over at
HowtoCookThat.net. This entremet is a chocolate bavarois mousse with a strawberry jelly center on a pâte sablée base covered in a dark chocolate ganache glaze. In English, this roughly translates to a yummy chocolate strawberry dessert on a shortbread biscuit, haha.
This is my first time doing something like this, and I've learned a few things that I hope will help you if you try to make this as well.
- The first is go very, very lightly with the gelatine. You do not want a jelly mousse--that is not nice for anyone.
- Secondly, put your silicone mould on a metal cookie sheet or something that will not bend BEFORE you pour the mousse into the moulds.
- Start two days before you're going to need the desserts as there are several steps to making this that you do not want to rush. Plus, it means you're less stressed on the day.
- Lastly, work very quickly once you start to pour the glaze over the mousse. If the mousse melts on the cooling rack it is very difficult to lift off.
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| My jelly isn't straight in the middle because I didn't have the silicone mould on a solid base before I filled it with mousse, and the jelly shifted when I lifted it. |
This recipe is really delicious though, and I think it is a show-stopping dessert to serve to guests. Top it with a bit of silver or gold leaf or a little sprinkle of edible glitter, and you've got a beautifully garnished dish.
There are four segments to this recipe: the base, the jelly, the mousse, and the glaze. I hope you try it and enjoy!
Pâte Sablée Biscuit Base
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
**Make this first and store in an air tight container until ready to assemble the dessert.
75g unsalted butter, room temperature
40g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
110g plain flour
10g corn start
pinch of salt
Cream the butter and sugar together with a wood spoon until well incorporated and light in colour. Mix in the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt completely. Beat in the flour and corn starch until completely combined, but do not over-beat or cookies will be tough.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 160ºC/320ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dust your work surface with icing sugar. Roll out the cookie dough to 5mm thickness. Cut using a 3 inch round cookie cutter and place 1/4 an inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake immediately in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, turning the sheet after 15 minutes. Cookies are done when there are no wet patches in the middle and they are just turning golden at the edges.
Cool on baking sheet completely and then store in an air tight container until ready to use.
Strawberry Jelly Center
Total Time: 10 minutes
**Make this second and store covered in cling film until ready to assemble.
1 sachet of powdered gelatine
3 TBSP water
400g strawberries, tops removed
4 TBSP sugar
Soak the gelatine with the 3 TBSP water in a small bowl. Set aside.
Line a 8-inch square baking dish with cling film and brush lightly with oil.
In a blender or with an immersion blender, purée the strawberries and sugar. Pour into a saucepan. Heat the puréed strawberries over medium-low until they are just simmering. Remove from heat. Tip in the bloomed gelatine and stir until dissolved. Pour into prepared baking dish, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for 4 hours until set.
Leave in fridge until ready to assemble.
Chocolate Mousse
Total Time: 30-45 minutes
**Make this third. Allow at least 4 hours to freeze before glazing.
300ml double/heavy cream
1 1/2 sheets of leaf gelatine
300ml whole milk
100g dark chocolate, chopped
4 egg yolks
60g caster/fine sugar
Whisk the double/heavy cream with electric beaters until it is lightly whipped. Refrigerate until needed.
Place the leaf gelatine in a bowl of water to soften. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, prepare an ice bath of ice and cold water.
Bring the milk to the scalding point where bubbles are just forming at the side of a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate until melted.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the sugar. Using a ladle, slowly whisk in one ladle-full of the chocolate milk. Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the chocolate milk. Over low heat, continuously whisk the chocolate milk until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. When you draw your finger through it, the line on the spoon should hold. Remove from heat, squeeze the excess water out of the leaf gelatine, and stir the gelatine through the milk until melted.
Pour this chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl that can set over your ice bath. Place in ice bath and stir continuously until thickened and cold. It MUST be cold or it will melt the whipped cream. Discard ice bath.
Gently fold your whipped cream into the now-cold chocolate mixture until the whipped cream is entirely incorporated.
Remove strawberry jelly from fridge and cut 2-inch circles out of the jelly with a round cutter. Set a 6-sphere silicone mould on a baking sheet for support. Fill the mould almost to the top with the mouse. Gently place a circle of the jelly on top, and level off any excess with a palette knife (or the back of a table knife if you don't have a palette knife).
Freeze at LEAST 4 hours before glazing and assembling.
Dark Chocolate Glaze
Total Time: 5 minutes
When the mousse is sufficiently frozen, move on to the glaze.
150g dark chocolate, chopped
300ml double/heavy cream
20g unsalted butter
Heat the cream in a saucepan until hot and steaming. Pour over dark chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the butter until melted. Let cool for 10 minutes.
Assembly
To assemble, place a wire rack over a baking sheet to catch excess glaze. Remove the mousse from the freezer and peel out of the silicone mould. Place over the baking sheet.
With a ladle, pour over the glaze so that it drips down and covers all sides of the sphere mousse. While still wet, top with silver/gold leaf and/or dragées.
Slide a palette knife until the mousse and lift onto your prepared biscuit base. Freeze the desserts until 1 hour before needed, and then let set at room temperature and plate. Eat immediately.
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