At my annual Christmas shindig I provided a few treats to the friends that could make it, and there was some interest in getting the recipes. I'll give a quick run-down for two of them here, namely the chocolate mousse and spiced cider. The chocolate mouse was adapted from The Joy Baking by Barbara Grunes, while the cider was modified from the food.com recipe for Marley's Mulled Cider. I know the steps outlined below might be overly specific, but this post will serve as a future reference for myself as well.
Chocolate Mousse - Makes 4 servings
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Protein (g) | Sodium (mg) | Sugar (g) |
| 349 | 18 | 29 | 6 | 96 | 13 |
Ingredients
- 4 oz (1/2 cup) of bittersweet chocolate chips (one can substitute butterscotch chips or any other candy that melts entirely)
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 2 eggs, separated
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Procedure
- Set out three bowls. Use hot water from the sink to raise the temperature of the first bowl as much as possible, and then dry it off and quickly add the chocolate and butter. If the residual heat is not enough to melt it together, microwave for 20-30 seconds, it's very easy to burn it at this point.
- Once melted, thoroughly mix the chocolate and butter together with a spoon or spatula. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and let it cool.
- In the second bowl, crack two eggs and separate out the yolks, I use a slotted spoon. It is critical to not get yolk in the whites, as the presence of fat will entirely prevent them from being whipped up correctly by breaking the surface tension on the tiny bubbles. Keeping the whites in this second bowl, add the yolks to the first bowl containing the chocolate and butter and mix them in completely. Return that bowl to the fridge.
- In the bowl containing the whites add two tablespoons of sugar and mix very thoroughly, until the whites are bubbly. I use a handheld electronic mixer as it takes a lot of effort to whip them enough by hand. This step does much to determine the consistency of the final product.
- In the third bowl use a mixer to whip up the whipping cream, vanilla extract, and remaining one tablespoon of sugar. Again, mix until thick. My indicator is when the cream retains wrinkles on the surface surrounding the point of mixing.
- Take the first bowl out of the fridge and gradually mix in the contents of the second bowl. Then fold in the whipped cream and mix until completely homogeneous.
- Pour into 4-5 serving glasses and place in fridge for at least an hour, but up to 24 hours. Longer setting time will produce a firmer and less 'soupy' mousse.
Spiced Cider - Makes 8 servings
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Protein (g) | Sodium (mg) | Sugar (g) |
| 230 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 55 |
Ingredients
- 3 quarts apple cider
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 sliced orange
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash ground nutmeg
Procedure
- Put everything on the list in the crockpot or slow cooker.
- Set it to low for 6-8 hours. By the end the cinnamon sticks should have rehydrated and 'unfurled' quite a bit.
- Serve directly into mugs. Add rum if desired (not included in the numbers above, a shot of rum adds 105 calories).