Gordon Ramsay's Chocolate Mousse and a Meme

Despite my misgivings about Valentine's Day, I did relent and go just a little bit heart-shaped by making these interesting chocolate mousses. Why interesting, I hear you ask? They just look like normal chocolate mousses held in a heart-shaped dish. Indeed they do. And indeed they are. Except that these are no ordinary chocolate mousses. They are Gordon Ramsay's chocolate mousses. Some of you may have caught his recent programme that involved cooking a three-course meal 'with the nation' - the meal (scallops, steak, chocolate mousse) was cooked in real time with members of the public following his direction at home. I enjoyed the show, but didn't cook along with him. For a start, I don't have a television in the kitchen. And secondly, I can't eat shellfish. Thirdly, I reckon I can cook a fairly mean steak.

However, I did like the sound of his chocolate mousse. It was very quick to throw together and had a little extra special something - honeycomb. I knocked the mousses up in ten minutes. Seriously. Ten minutes. I was in a major rush, admittedly, but it really was a speedy thing to whip up post work.

But here is the bad part... It really pains me to say this as I am a fan of Mr Ramsay (despite his temper and obscene language)... but... I'm not sure I terribly liked them. Like Nicisme of Cherrapeno, I found the flavour of the creme fraiche (excuse the lack of accents) a little pervasive. It took away from the chocolate flavour, I thought. The chocolate-covered honeycomb (i.e. Crunchie bars) were a great addition however, and one I'll use again with another chocolate mousse recipe. You can find the recipe here, by the way.

Whilst I'm here, I thought I'd take part in a meme which I've been tagged for a couple of times. I'm participating in Blogging By Mail and am very excited about receiving my package of 'small things' from LisaRene of Little Bits. She thought it would be a good way to learn a little more about me and so I thought I'd take part. I am aware I have completed one similar to this before, but thought I'd share a few more facts with you. This time, they are all food-related: my five favourite foods, my five 'worst' foods, something I've never cooked but really should have done, what I ate today and what I'd eat for my last meal on earth...

These are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.

2. Share 5 facts about yourself

3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).

4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

So... here goes...

My five favourite foods: apple or rhubarb crumble, smoked trout, roast beef with all the trimmings, chocolate fondant and leeks.

My five 'worst' foods: fennel (or anything involving aniseed flavour), mint, stone fruits (...peaches, apricots, cherries etc. Odd, I know), shellfish (I'm allergic to it) and plain boiled white rice (it is the smell, more than anything).

Something I have never cooked, but really should have done: Now this is embarassing. But true. I have (in all honesty), never cooked a poached egg. Really. Strange, isn't it? I think the reason lies in the fact that I'm not terribly fond of poached eggs. Give me a boiled, fried or scrambled egg over a poached one any day of the week.

What I ate today: This is also rather shameful. A lot of cake and a lot of bread is the short answer... Ok - here is the list - toast and marmite, an apple, a slice of carrot cake, a slice of banana cake (this was entirely beyond my control - it was offered and would have been rude to refuse, honestly!), a tomato, rocket and black pepper sandwich, pasta with a tuna and tomato sauce, apple crumble and custard. So... not exactly very balanced... We all have our bad days, huh?!

My last meal on earth: basically, see my favourite foods! I'd start with smoked trout with horseradish cream and blinis, then rare roast beef with yorkshire puddings, parsnips, more horseradish sauce, roasted carrots and potatoes, greens and gravy, cheese (hard Alpine cheeses) and then a slice of really good lemon tart with a slightly caramelised top.

I've tagged the recipient of my Blogging By Mail package, Pam, of Cave Cibum. I hope I'll get some hints of what she would like to receive from sunny England (!). Anyone else who hasn't already taken part in this one, please do so!