Special chocolate mousse

      I am not specially fond of sweets or cakes, but once in a while I feel the need to eat something to make me say WOW!! Of course it has to be chocolate times 100...because otherwise is not memorable..at least not for me :). I learned this recipe from a great Greek chef for whom I hold a great deal of respect but I also hate him for teaching me to create such "obscenities" that make you forget about your figure and common sense when you eat them and wish you had 2 mouths :))

The recipe it self is not difficult but to make it exactly like mine you need a few gadgets and of course good quality ingredients. But if you want to impress someone special or even yourself :) it's worth the effort.

What we need(for 2 hearts):

For the chocolate mousse:

150 gr dark chocolate(at least 75% pure cocoa)

2 eggs

2 tbs sugar

250 gr double cream

and my secret 

is to add 2 tbs of ready prepared gelatin

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          For glazing:

50 gr dark chocolate 

50 g of chocolate shards

1 tbs egg meringue(hold some from the mousse preparation)

For garnish use any fruit you have :)

For the heart shape you need 2 silicone heat shapes(but it can have any shape you want: round, square or can even be served in a cup or glass).

How we do it?

The good news is you do not need an oven for this :) . Let the eggs come to room temperature and then separate the whites from the yokes. Melt the chocolate on bain-Marie or in the microwaves. Add the double cream an the beaten yokes while the mix is still very hot but stirring to make sure the the egg does not curdle. Set aside to cool. Mean while beat the egg whites with the sugar into a stiff meringue. When the chocolate mix is cool incorporate the meringue(set aside 1 tbs for garnishing) and the 2 tbs of gelatin stirring lightly not to ruin the mousse. Spoon the mousse in the silicone shapes or cups or glaces  and refrigerate for 2-3 h. If you want to do this particular heart shape mousse , in the last 1/2 h put the mousse into the freezer but be careful so it does not freeze over and form ice needles because it will go bad. Take out rapidly the mousse from the molds so it does not melt, glaze with the melted remaining chocolate and sprinkle the edges with chocolate shards. Ornate with the white meringue and put into the fridge for another 30 min. Serve with fresh fruit(preferably something acidic).

 Serve with moderation!! :) I'm trying with no success :))

              Enjoy!!!!

Refreshing tuna salad

It is really hot outside and I don't feel like cooking ..I'm home alone and this salad is perfect for a quick and tasty lunch. It's a great idea for a lunch you can take to the office or for the kids lunch at school and it encourages them to eat more veggies and fish.

What we need:( for 2/3 people)

1 medium can of peas(make it a good quality one to taste the difference)1 mediumcan of sweet corn( I used corm from a fres boiled cub)1/2 medium red onion sliced very thinlly1 small can of chickpeas1 can of good quality tuna in oil(drain well) the juice from 1/2 a lemon1 tbs olive oil or some oil from the tuna cansalt, pepper and fresh chopped coriander to garnish

      How we do it?

We open all the cans and drain them.Put everything in a bowl and add the chopped onions, lemon juice, salt , pepper to taste and mix well. The salad gets more tasty if we refrigerated for 20-30 min. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve on toast or just on its own.

       Enjoy!!!!

Chinese style sweet and sour ribs

 It there is something I really like and feel good eating is Chinese and Thai food.
I decided to share with you this recipe of Chinese style sweet and sour ribs slightly spicy , to show you that Chinese food can be festive food not just food you take out from a fast food. 

What we need? (for 4 people)

1 kg short pork ribs cut into pieces 

2 large carrots  (one for the garnish, one for the sauce cut into log strips (julien))

2 red peppers cut julien

250 g mushrooms(normal, Pleurotus, Shiitake..) cut into slices

200 g diced pineapple and pineapple juice (about 5-6 table spoons-can be caned pineapple)

1 can of bamboo shoots 

4 cloves of garlic

4 table spoons of ketchup

3 table spoons of honey

4 table spoons of light soy sauce

2 tea spoons of  Chinese 5 spice (you can find it in any supermarket)

1 tea spoon of chili flakes 

salt (only if needed-soy sauce is salty) and pepper to taste

long grain rice boiled and drained to serve

Wow we do it?

We first season the ribs with salt and pepper and we sear them in a pan with a little vegetable oil until golden brown. Meanwhile, in a bowl we mix 2 tbs of ketchup, 2 tbs of soy sauce,  1 and 1/2 tbs of honey, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp of 5 spice mix and 1/2 tsp of chili flakes. We add 300 ml of water(or as much needed for the ribs to be soft boiled) and we mix to obtain a sauce.We then pour this mix over the ribs and leave to boil until the meat is tender and the sauce is reduced and caramelized.

 In a wok( deep Chinese pan) on very high heat we heat some oil, we add the remaining garlic finely diced(be careful,garlic burns quickly and becomes bitter), the pepper, carrot and mushrooms.We fry until the vegetables become softer but still crunchy and then ad the pineapple and bamboo. We ad after that the remaining ingredients: ketchup, honey, soy sauce, pineapple juice, 5 spice and chili flakes.We mix thoroughly and leave on the heat for another 2-3 minutes for the ingredients to combine. We taste for seasoning.

We serve with boiled rice and pork ribs. For garnish we use fresh coriander lives, cucumber and carrot.

      

                        Enjoy!!!