Chocolate and Almond Mousse with Port

Every year (normally) I have my family around for my birthday. As my birthday is so close to xmas (27th) I ask them to come along and I celebrate by cooking for them something made by me entirely, so no peeking is aloud (into other peoples recipes), I can take past experiences in restaurants and cafés, and come up with my own thing.

So this birthday I decided to spoil them a little, well I do that every year... So I made for main course a Cod Fillet "en croute" with an Asian twist (Indian) and a plain rice portion with a special hot curried sauce (this inspired by Wagamamas, just the rice not the fish), and for desert I made a dark chocolate and almond mousse with an almond and port digestive base.

But on this post I will only provide you with the desert recipe, as I'll do another posting with the main meal, to make things simple. This desert was enough for 10 people.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 250mls double cream pots (one for the almond one for the chocolate)
• 8 chocolate squares ( dark chocolate cocoa from 30% to 50%)
• 9 Mcvites digestives (other brand will do)
• 2 soup spoons of Port Wine
• 1 + 1 teaspoons of almond essence
• 1 hand full of almonds (about 50grs) with the skin (chopped)
• 2 soup spoons of denmerra sugar
• 1 + 1 + 1 soup spoon of butter
• some white sugar
  

In a bowl crush all the digestives add one (full) spoon of butter, half of the almonds (chopped) a tea spoon of white sugar, one tea spoon of almond essence and the port, mix this very well and should be enough to place one soup spoon of this mixture into each one of the 10 ramekins, after doing that press mixture down with a flat object I used the bottom of a small glass.

On two separate bowls pour each of the creams and whip them until they are Chantilly, but remember to half way before that happens to add a tea spoon of sugar to each cream part, set them aside for a little while, while you do the flavouring.

Put two little pans on the stove one with a little water and a bowl inside that (bain Marie) inside the bowl put the 8 pieces of chocolate once hot enough the chocolate will become very soft, add now one soup spoon of butter mix well it starts to go harder and darker, remove bowl from heat and add one egg yolk and mix well, pour this mixture into one of the bowls of whipped cream and fold gently, once well mixed set it aside.

On the other pan, put a (full soup) spoon of butter, and the remaining almonds, let them sizzle for about 3 minutes them add the denmerra sugar and and a soup spoon or two of water, let this continue to boil until is near caramelized but not caramelized as such. Let this cool briefly than pour it into the second bowl of whipped cream but not directly into the cream, let it cool a little more, than fold int into the cream adding also a tea spoon of almond essence.

Spoon both types of cream into the ramekins two have two halves each colour (see picture), then decorate top, i did the chocolate side with chocolate shavings, and the almond part with a little more chopped almonds and refrigerated these for 30 minutes.

It was a great success with the guests. You can also use instead of port amaretto (almond liquor) I did not try but I bet would be nice too.

Merry Xmas - Xmas Dinner

I would like to share my xmas dinner pictures, and maybe release some recipes for the stuff I cooked, however there aren't really any recipes as such, as this food is very simple.

As you can see above the dish comprises of nut loaf, roasted potatoes, sweet roasted potatoes, apple sauce, Yorkshire puddings, Brussels sprouts, boiled carrots, roasted parsnips, roasted chicken and thick gravy.

The table was arranged as you can see below, very Christmas like and also with crackers. You always need crackers at the Christmas table, the kids love it ...well I love it too.



The Brussels and carrots are only boiled, the parsnips, roasting potatoes and sweet potatoes, are just placed in a tray with a little olive oil and goes to roast in the oven for about 40-60mins.

The chicken I crushed some garlic (3 cloves) salt (1 tea spoon) chili (2 finely sliced) a little olive oil a pinch of black pepper and paprika (1 tea spoon), crush all of this together until you get a paste. Rub this paste all over the outside of the chicken and also on the inside, also get a lemon and press it against the balcony with the palm of your hand while rolling it at the same time, this releases the juice inside the lemon, when the lemon feels bruised (soft) prickle all the lemon with a sharp fork, so that juice can be released, insert lemon inside the chicken.
This works as the lemon gets hot the liquid inside gets hot and it expands having no where to go but out of the wholes you made with the fork which as the chicken cooks gradually adds lemon on the inside...clever hum!!!! I learned this one with my mum, when I was a young one lol.



Yorkshire puddings, again very easy to do, just make a batter as if you were doing pancakes (just do not add sugar) add a pinch of salt and black pepper instead. If you don't know the ingredients they are:

1 glass of plain flour about 1 & 1/2 glasses of milk one egg, the pinch of salt and pepper, beat it all together, put a muffin tray with some a spoon of olive oil in each cup space, heat this until very hot (200c) then pour the pancake liquid inside each cup about 2 thirds full, it will bubble as you do this, place it right back in the oven and watch them grow, let them go golden brown ...easy peasy.... merry Xmas.

Charlotte Pomodoro Spaguetti + Garlic Granary Bread

This is a very simple recipe that I've made just after Xmas, as my birthday is the day after and I could not be bothered to do anything more complex.

It is a Charlotte Spaghetti Pomodoro with granary white Garlic Bread, simple yet delicious recipe.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 8 Charlotte onions (finely diced)
  
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 glugs of olive oil
• 4 soup spoons of butter
• 1 tea spoon of dried oregano
• 1 can of rich plum tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 full soup spoon of tomato paste
• 2 white baguette with granary (other baguette will do, sliced diagonally)
• 400grs pasta 100% durum wheat

Put some water boiling with some salt and a little veg oil (veg oil is used so that when you cooking pasta the water doesn't foam up), stick the 400grs of spaghetti in the water and cook for about 10-15 minutes, you want the pasta cooked "al dente" which means cooked but still fairly firm.

While this is doing put a wok or frying pan on the stove pour the oil inside and once very hot add the chopped Charlottes + half of the garlic. Let this cook stirring occasionally until very golden brown, at that stage add the tomato (both the can and the paste) + half of the oregano and one spoon of butter, this should now cook for approx 10 minutes.

While that is doing in a ramikin mix the remaining butter + garlic and oregano, mix this until an omogeneous paste is achieved butter the sliced baguette on both sides and put this in a preheated to 200c oven cook for about 5-7 minutes.

then is just a matter of assembling it all in the plate, see picture...I also added some parmesano greated cheese on top.

Continental Chicken with Chorico Rice

I made something similar to what I used to eat as a kid in Portugal, however with a twist, I used about 200mls of stout.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 2 garlic Cloves (minced)
• 2 bay leafs
• 200mls of stout
• 1 egg white (whipped to peak) 1 egg yolk (mixed with a couple of milk spoons)
• 150grs sliced chorizo
• 500grs long grain rice
  
• pinch of paprika
• salt and pepper to taste.
• 400grs of chicken thighs skinless and boneless (I took skin and bones myself ... cheaper)
• 4 olive oil spoons
  

Place on the stove on high heat, pour the olive oil in + the pepper and salt to taste + paprika. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and let it cook till golden, once it reaches this stage add in the chicken chopped into cubes + chorizo (saving 8 slices) and stir continuously until all sealed, once fully sealed add the stout, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 7-10 minutes.

While that is doing, place another pan with water and a little salt, once the water is boiling put the rice there cooking, once cooked drain the rice and rinse with boiling water, then once drain again put the rice with the chicken mixture, and fold until well mixed, then add to this the beaten egg white and fold it in.

Pour this mixture onto a Pyrex tray to go in the oven which you previously heated to 200c. On the the top brush the egg yolk. Place all in the oven and leave it for 15 minutes, until golden brown on top. Then serve it, put some salad if you want (I put some with balsamic vinegar) eat it and enjoy it.