Chocolate mousse

The credit of this recipe goes to my ex-boss (and Nestle France) :) We first had this creamy dense (yet airy) chocolate mousse on a team gathering in her house, and it was just sunctuous deliciousness!!

 

This recipe is featured int he inside of Nestle France pastry melting chocolate bars. It only requires 2 simple ingredients :)

Chocolate mousse

 

Ingredients:

250gr Chocolate (for dessert making)

6 Eggs (large)

1 pinch Salt

Separate the egg whites & egg yolks, place them into separate large bowls. 

Make sure that the bowl for the egg whites is squeaky-clean! If there is any grease at all they will not come to hard peaks.

(I actually used only 5 yolks vs 6 whites the second time i did this recipe because d mousse is really dense.. Im sure you cud add some cream to further lighten it up).

Melt all the chocolate over low-medium heat in a pan (u shud be doing this bain-marie.. But i cant be bothered.. 😎).

Once fully melted, let cool down on d side (or in a small bowl).

Once it cools down significantly, place into egg yolk bowl and mix/combine thoroughly. 

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt to hard peaks.

Place a quarter of the beaten whites in the yolk-chocolate bowl and combine well (d mixture will become more fluid). Then gradually gently fold-in the remaining whites into the chocolate mix.

Place into little containers and refridgerate for a couple of hours.

Since this is a deep chocolate mousse, i would suggest to serve it with some whipped cream 😊

Fruity pebbles rice krispies (Unicorn treats)

When i saw this online... It was love at first sight! i HAD HAD HAD to make these!! And after raiding 2 malls I found pink & violet fruity pebbles!! Ohh it was just SO meant to be 😂😂😂 ... I felt tempted to dust edible glitter all over them 😱



Fruity pebbles rice krispies

Ingredients:

45 gr Butter

280 gr Marshmallows

6 cups Fruity pebbles (almost d whole pack)

Grease spray a square pan (browney tin), set aside.

Melt butter at low-medium heat. Once fully melted, add d marshmallows, and stirr while melting them fully.

Remove from hear and mix-in d fruit pebbles until well mixed.

Place into tin, and use a greased spatula to press the krispie mix into d tin. Let cool, then demold and cut.

Cooling down (in greased pan)

Voilaaaa, food that wud make Choupette Lagerfeld poop glittery fairy dust! 💖

Cut & ready fruity pebbles

Carrot cake

Super moist carrot cake

I stumbled upon this recipe on food.com while searching for a moist (not overly complicated) carrot cale and cream cheese frosting (DC cupcake style). It had raaaaging reviews! you will STOP buying carrot cake for d rest of your life. Guaranteed! 

**Before u start, as a petite chef suggestion, get d man of d house to help and grate d carrots :). Alternatively, wear some gloves to prevent getting cuts.. (I always end up all bandanged after grating anything)**

Ingredients:

2 cups Flour all-purpose 145gr

2 tsp Baking soda 5gr

1 tsp Baking powder 4gr

1 tsp Salt 3gr

2 tsp Cinammon powder 5gr

1 cup Sugar (white)97gr

1/2 cup Vegetable oil55 gr

1/2 cup Apple sauce (75 grif u dont have, u can replace w 1/2 cup vegetable oil)

3 Eggs 

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract 

2 cup Carrots (shredded)

1/2 cup Coconut powder

1 cup Walnuts (chopped)

1 small can = 226 gr Pineapple (drained & crushed) 

Cream cheese frosting:

1 pack = 226 gr Philadelphia cream cheese

1/4 cup Butter (softened) 60gr

2 cup Icing sugar 200gr

Pre-heat oven at 175 C (top & bottom).

Grate the carrots, and set aside. Butter & flour a 20-23 cm round pan (tall one, this cake rises quite a bit).

Mix (I use a whisk) flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinammon, sugar, oil, apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in carrot, coconut, walnuts and pineapple. 

Ready for baking!

Pour in d pan & bake for 45 min.

Once done let cool a little before demolding. The cake must be at room temperature when you frost it, give yourself time.

For d frosting, cream the butter & cream cheese until smooth. Add d sugar, and beat until creamy.

You can frost outside only, or cut the cake in half and frost also in through d middle prior. Serve, or refridgerate in an air-tight container (holds for 1-2 days).

Lemon mousse cheesecake with speculoos cookie base



Lemon mousse cheesecake w speculoos base

9 days to go on vacation!! I cant contain my excitement 😂 (after this lovely budget season)

Guess this cake was influenced by an Amalfi coast cooking special on d Food Network (everything cooked w lemons!) so i went online and found this easy recipe, simple ingredients & it turned out great! (Just changed waffers for speculoos cookies 😊). Here we go:

Ingredients:

120 gr cookies (crushed/powdered)

16 gr butter (melted)

1 pack Philadelphia cheese (226 gr)

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Sour cream

1 Tbsp Flour all-purpose

1 Egg (lightly beaten)

3 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp lemon rind/zest

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven (top & bottom) at 170 C.

Crumb/powder cookies in a blender.

Melt butter in a microwave, once liquid mix with cookie crumbs. 

Spray/butter a springform mold (I used a 20 cm round). Introduce cookie mix in d bottom and press evenly.

Place in the oven (middle rack) for 10 min. Then take out and let cool down (before you fill cheesecake mix).

While it cools down, place Philadelphia cheese and sugar in a large bowl. Beat until soft & sugar dissolved.

Add sour cream & flour, beat well.

Add lightly beaten egg, combine on slow.

Add lemon juice, rind & vanilla, fold in with spatula.

Place in d mold over d cookie base, and introduce in d oven. Bake for 40-45 min (until center is almost set). Then remove & let cool. Pass a thin knife around d edge of d pan to loosen; refridgerate in mold over night.

I would think (like with other baked cheesecakes) that it can be frozen if needed for a week or so.. 

The cake is actually tangy, so if you want to sweeten things up id suggest maybe a Dulce de leche, or some lavander candy topping 😎 Enjoy!

Lemon mousse cheesecake slice

Lebanese arabic bread

Ingredients:

1 pack Yiest (16 gr)

1/3 cup Water (lukewarm)

2 Tbsp Sugar

3 cup Flour (all purpose)

1 cup Water (lukewarm)

1 Tsp Salt

Mix together yiest, sugar and 1/3 cup of water. Cover and let rise.

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. 

Knead together for 10 min. Add as much flour as needed.

Make a ball, cut X on the top, cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 1-3 hrs.

Pre-heat oven at maximum temperature.

Divide dough into balls (8) and flatten them. Place on tray and let raise for 10-15 min.

Bake during 3-8 min until puffed,

No-knead bread! (Masterchef Australia)

No-knead bread

Watching Australia's Masterchef for hours on end has its benefits.. eventually you learn to do something! :D

Being a petite baker (and not having a kitchenaid..) means that kneading bread is one of those things equivalent to 2 weekly workouts.. (same as the exaustion of changin the bed sheets.. I will never understand why I end up out of breath..) :(

So anyway, when I saw this recipe not needing kneading I was more than thilled!! Crunchy cookie-like bread with soft (not heavy) center! A bread after my own heart Lol So I immediately googled & tried the recipe. I have done this bread twice, and used the dough over 2 days each time (as it yields 10 of these breads more or less)..

My mum on the other hand tried this recipe and failed.. I think her active-dry yiest was provably dead..(so don't trust her.. she's pretty disastrous with cooking - except for crepes & flans). just make sure the active yiest that you use is "alive" :P



On floured air-baking tray



Ingredients:

- 1 kg Flour (all purpose)

- 1 Tbsp Yiest (active dry)

- 1 Tbsp Salt

- 950 ml Water (lukewarm)

Place in a bowl flour, yiest and salt. Mix.

Add in the water and combine.



Cover and place in the fridge overnight.

Pre-heat oven at 220 C. Line tray with baking paper, generously sprinkle with flour.



Remove dough from the fridge and let come to room temperature for 15 min. Separate a dollop and place onto tray. 



In the oven



Bake for 40 min or until outside is golden brown, and sounds empty upon tapping.

This bread is really good with butter & jam. Or you can just add some dried rosemary and olives in the dough before letting is rest to change the flavors a bit :)

No-bake bread (center cut)



Shish Tawouk (Lebanese garlic chicken)

1 kg Chicken

1 cup Lemon juice

15 cloves Garlic

6 Tbsp Yogurt plain

6 Tbsp Olive oil

2 Tbsp Vinegar

1 1/2 tsp White pepper

1/2 tsp Ginger

1/2 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Salt

1/2 to 1 tsp Tomato paste

Cut chicken in desired pieces.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, then mix in chicken and let marinate for at least 4 hrs.

Place on grill and cook.

Rich chocolate mousse (easy & simple)

200 gr Chocolate
6 egg yolks
6 egg white
1 pinch salt

Melt the 200 gr of chocolate at soft fire. Place into a large bowl and let cool down.

Place the eggs in a squeeky-clean large bowl. Remove d egg yolks in a small side bowl.
Add a punch of salt to the egg whites and beat until hard peaks are formed.

At this point, the chocolate should be fairly cooler, add the 6 egg yolks and beat vigorously.
Slowly fold in the hard whites. Once incorporated, place in containers and let cool down.

Tadaaaa¡ sprinkle with some choc shavings or add some whipped cream prior to serving :)

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Lebanese vegetarian)



If you have been by the Middle East you surely know stuffed grape leaves! When these mezze/tapas (of fairly debatable origin... Turkish? Lebanese? Greek?) when displayed at a table cause everyone to reach out for them like covetable goods! ;) Maybe it is because it is slightly time-consuming to roll & let them cook.. that everybody goes so crazy/is impressed when you serve them Lol

Anyway, as a good geek that I am (seen that my Lebanese friends had not tried to make these before) I launched on a mission to get the authentic recipe with the collaboration of my favorite program: Excel.

Bottom of pan lining

(In short: Google authentic looking recipes > Apply Excel to work out the proportions :P > triple test cooking method and timing > Tasting > Blogging).

So after several times, and approval from the toughest Lebanese critics ;P here is the 'authentic' tasting recipe!

 

Lebanese Grape Leaves:		Spices:
- 1 jar Grape Leaves		- 1/2 Tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups White Rice (Melrose)		- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 cup Parsley (chopped)		- 1 Tsp All Spice
- 1 cup Tomato (chopped)
- 1 cup Onion (finely chopped)		Seasoning:
- 1 Tbsp Mint chopped		- 1 cup Lemon juice (split in 1/2 and 1/2 cup)
- 6 Large carrots		- 1 cup Olive Oil (split 1/2 and 1/2 cup)

Boil water, and introduce in a deep pan. Open grape leave jar, and separate the leaves, introduce into the water and let soak off for 10 minutes. Change the water, repeating the process 1 or 2 times. Then let drain.


Rice filling mix

In the meantime, peel & cut carrots in slices, and set to line the bottom of the pot.

In a large bowl wash the rice several times. Chop the tomato, onion, parsley & mint, and add to the rice. Add spiced, 1/2 cup of lemons juice and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Mix.

Take a grape leaf, placing the shiny part facing the tabletop. (Cut the stem if needed).

Step 1: Place 1 Tbsp of mix in the mid-section of the leaf

Step 2: fold the right and left sides over the mix

Step 1 - Place mix in center of leaf

Step 2 - Fold inwards the sides

Step 3: starting from the bottom, roll tightly all the way to the top.

Step 3 - Roll from bottom to top



Rolled & placed tightly in pan



Introduce in the pan aligning them tightly (so they will not move while cooking).  Add water and 1/2 cup left of lemon juice (it should just reach the rim of the leaves).



Once all done, place a plate (or 2) on top, and a heavy object (so that the grape leaves do not move).

Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let simmer for 2 hrs at low heat (2-3/6).

Plates & weight over arranged leaves

Halfway through, after 1 hr, add the additional 1/2 cup of olive oil. Cook until the 2hrs mark.

Remove from the heat, and let cool down.

Serve! The carrots are an edible plus! :)



Pancakes

This is provably the first recipe that I ever cooked on my own... or more precisely my best friend Gema and I cooked on our own when my parents were out of town Lol We must have been 13 or so, silly silly girls :P

While this is a different recipe, here is a super easy recipe for normal (or more runny/light pancakes):

Pancakes:		Pancakes (light version):
- 1 cup Flour		- 1 1/2 cup Flour
- 1 tbsp Sugar		- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking powder		- 3 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt		- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Milk		- 1 1/4 cup Milk
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil		- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 Egg		- 1 Egg

Place all ingredients in a bowl, and use a mixer to beat the mix until well blended.

Heat a pan at medium heat and place some vegetable oil (or butter), get a ladle and pour 1 ladle of mix into the pan, once the mix is not runny flip and ensure both sides are cooked.