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!

Milk chocolate fondue

I recently had a clear out of my cupboards and found to my surprise that I was the owner of no less than four fondue pans. Yes, really. FOUR. I mean how many fondue pans does a woman need? Especially one who hasn't made a fondue for around five years. I've slimmed the collection down to three - one large for 'big' fondues and two small chocolate fondues - useful for putting one at each of the table and thereby avoiding major spillages.

The fondue is a funny one. A throwback to the eighties, is it really a socially acceptable thing to serve unless you are within spitting distance of a ski slope? Yes, yes and yes again. There is something quite divine about a gorgeously melty cheese fondue dripping off hunks of French bread. I was also suitably impressed when I had dinner with a certain friend recently who professes to be hopeless in the kitchen (total rubbish, I suspect) and she served up the perfect fondue bourguignonne - strips of the best fillet of beef which we cooked ourselves in the hot oil of the fondue. Served with superb thin chips (from the freezer) and a range of scrummy sauces and salads, it was great fun and truly divine.

Cheese is good. Beef is better. But chocolate is surely the champion. What could be better than throwing a few bits in a pan to melt and then using bits of fruit and marshmallows as vehicles for the wickedly indulgent chocolatey goo? Surely the easiest (and most decadent) pud in the world and one that even the 'no, I won't have dessert' crowd cannot resist. By the way - I have never understood the 'no, I won't have dessert' crowd. Just to make that quite clear!

This is a milk chocolate fondue - I prefer it to dark. Whilst I usually use dark chocolate for my desserts, milk chocolate seems more suited to this rather frivolous pud. Dark chocolate is somehow too... serious. Too... grown-up on this occasion. The lemon might sound like an odd addition and whilst I restrain from saying that it is essential (recipes should never be set in stone), I would like to suggest that it is... a very favourable addition.

For dipping, you could go down the fruit route (...like how that rhymes?). Bananas and pear are my favourites. But if you like the strawberry and chocolate thing is up your street, then strawbs would be perfect. Cherries, perhaps too. If you chill the fruit in the fridge for a while before serving, the sauce will 'hold' better too. Marshmallows are also a winner.

The original recipe comes from Le Creuset's 'Fondue Cookery', written by Wendy Vale. It came with the first of

Milk Chocolate Fondue

Serves 4 (fairly small servings)

125g milk chocolate (I used Green and Black's)

25g unsalted butter

1 tablespoon golden syrup

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

4 tablespoons whipping cream

1. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a chocolate fondue pan* together with the all the other ingredients.

2. Stir over a very low heat until smooth and glossy.

3. Transfer fondue pan onto the stand above lighted candle flame. Be sure not to let the mixture boil. It should be warm, not hot.

4. Serve with a selection of irresistible dippers.

* A chocolate fondue pan uses heat from a candle rather than a full burner - this prevents the fondue from getting too hot. It is fine to use a regular fondue pan - just keep the heat as low as possible and keep and eye on the situation! No fondue pan? No problem - just melt in a small saucepan, bring to the table and eat whilst still warm. On the off-chance there is any left over, it is delicious on ice cream.

**Trig over at Aiden Brookes, Trainee Chef tagged me for the 7 random facts meme. Thank you. I did this one a wee while ago - you can read my seven facts here.

Under the weather - 7 random facts meme

I guess it is that time of year, but I am currently tucked up on the sofa feeling quite dreadful, having gone down with some dreaded lurgy or other. I am feeling rather sorry for myself and cooking, as you can imagine, has not been high on my list this week. In fact, I think it is interesting the kinds of foods people crave when they are ill (if any). Last night I managed to eat a bowl of Marks and Spencer's mashed potato with touch of mustard and a few leeks stirred in. Very odd! What foods do you turn to for comfort when you are under the weather?

Anyway, since there has been little activity in the kitchen this week. I thought I'd take this opportunity to take part in the meme for which Rosie from Rosie Bakes a 'Peace' of Cake tagged me earlier in the week. For those who have not yet discovered Rosie's blog, do take a look - she cooks up mouthwatering cakes and bakes (among other things) that have me wanting to run to her door for a slice on a very regular basis. Thank you, Rosie, for tagging me!

The rules of this meme are very simple:1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.3. Tag 7 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. Here are seven random facts about me.

I'm stretching the rules slightly (I hope you will let me off seeing as I am poorly). I haven't tagged anyone in particular - I see that most of those I would like to tag have already taken part in this meme. I would instead, like to proffer an open invitation to anyone reading this to please take part. Rosie - I hope you don't mind. Maybe I will try to be more specific once I am feeling a little better!

I don't like to deprive you all of photos for too long though so I am using this as a good excuse to share a few more of my South Africa photos from my recent trip. Hope you enjoy them!

1. I come from a large family. Counting my parents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, it comes to 19 people. Counting aunts, uncles and cousins on my mother's side, we are well into the hundreds! I am the youngest 'sibling' by 11 years and therefore have eight nephews and nieces despite being just 28.

2. I am, sadly, unable to eat shellfish. This has been the case for around15 years now - I would have no idea how to cook any form of shellfish if it found its way into my kitchen.

3. I have a 'thing' about stars. I collect antique glasses etched with stars, all my plates and dishes have stars on them and I have a necklace I wear most of the time in the shape of a huge silver star.

4. I am not especially keen on rice. Especially white rice which, to me, has a most off-putting smell.

5. I absolutely hate filling the car up with petrol. I have no idea why. I just find it a really tedious task!

6. I absolutely adore Hot Cross Buns. At any time of day or night.

7. My favourite UK city is... Edinburgh. By miles and miles and miles...

The Famous Four Meme

I was delighted recently to discover excellent food blog, The Tracing Paper. Within this pleasingly laid-out blog, Nick reports on the origins of our food with a strong focus on seasonal produce. A great resource for any interested foodie. He also has a great directory of UK-based food blogs.

Anyway, I was surprised on firing up the laptop yesterday to discover that Nick had tagged me for a blog meme called 'the famous four'. I've not done one of these before, but have enjoyed reading fellow bloggers responses, so thought I would give it a go. Like Nick, I'm sticking broadly with the foodie theme. If you are not interested, I apologise. Check back soon for last night's delicious fish cakes and a rather good summer berry clafoutis!

4 Jobs I've Had

1. Tour guide for Champagne Mercier in Epernay - a great place to live and work for four months, though it passed in something of a bubbly blur!

2. Waitress in 'Tiffins of Cowes'. The only place to by your sandwiches if you are going sailing from Cowes. They will even heat-seal them to stop the water getting in!

3. Translator/bibliography compiler for a writer.

4. Organiser and host of wine tastings and wine-related events (currently).


4 Places I've Lived

1. Cowes, Isle of Wight. Best restaurant by a mile is Café Mozart. Best/only deli is Prime Foods (where I also worked, slicing cheese, one Christmas!).

2. Edinburgh. Valvona and Crolla. Need I say more? (Other than this simply IS the most amazing city in the world. I defy any city to even come close!).

3. Paris. I lived on the corner of the wonderful rue Cler, a really wonderful Parisian street market that pulses with life and delights the senses with a glorious array of produce.

4. Battersea, London. My current abode.


4 Places I've Holidayed

1. Alsace


A gastronomic paradise for food and wine lovers which is thoroughly beautiful. I've been twice and shall certainly go again! Read more about some of the food and wine I enjoyed on my recent trip here and also here.

2. Abersoch, North Wales. All childhood summers were spent in this seaside village on the Llyn Peninsula. It will always hold great, magical memories for me.

3. Tresco, Scilly Isles. A great new discovery. A natural paradise reached by helicopter from Penzance. Another good foodie destination too - lots of deliciously fresh fish. Eat at the Island Hotel for an upmarket dinner with a great view, or try the one and only pub, The New Inn which serves excellent, informal fare. The fish and chips is to die for.

4. New Zealand. Another natural paradise - so varied in terms of landscape. Wonderful meat.

4 Favourite Foods

This is an impossible question for a food blogger, no? I'll give it a go...

1. Really good lemon curd.

2. Well-made fish pie with a side order of peas.

3. Game - hard to narrow it down. I love all game whether feathered or four-legged.

4. Fondant au chocolat.

4 Places I'd Rather Be

1. Abersoch, North Wales, with my extended family. I join them tomorrow.

2. Trailing down the Northcote Road, shopping for food and flowers, basket in hand.

3. Kinloch Lodge, Isle of Skye. Claire MacDonald's highland home. A wonderful hotel and cookery school with superb breakfasts (and dinners) in beautiful surroundings.

4. Burgh Island.

4 Bloggers to Tag

1. Wendy at A Wee Bit of Cooking.

2. Lynn at Lynn's Cooking Blog

3. Patricia at Technicolour Kitchen

4. Margaret at Kitchen Delights