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Dec. 18th, 2011 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zana16I want to whine about being sick and having completely lost my voice, but I also feel like I should not complain because I had a wonderful week and a wonderful birthday party and really the universe had to balance it out somehow!
Tuesday was my andambyr's 2-year anniversary. She got me beautiful leather gloves, and we went out to dinner, and then this happened, which, well, now we have a new favorite slash pairing.
On Friday, I turned 30!! \o/ I lost a lot of my twenties to depression, so I'm pretty pleased to be turning over a new leaf. Also, I am feeling incredibly blessed to have so many amazing friends. Twenty-five people came to celebrate with me! I didn't think I even knew twenty-five people!
Heather and I made chocolate mousse raspberry trifle. She has made it for me before, but this time she taught be how to make it, which was awesome!
Heather's Chocolate Mousse Raspberry Trifle
double recipe of chocolate mousse (below)
3 boxes of Pamela's gluten-free double chocolate cookies
4 boxes of fresh raspberries
Put a layer of cookies on the bottom of a glass bowl. Put a layer of berries over that. Put a layer of chocolate mousse over that, completely covering the the first two layers; use about a third of the mousse for this layer. Add another layer of cookies and another layer of berries, then another layer of mousse. If your bowl is big enough, you can repeat the layering a third time; if not, use a new bowl. Decorate the top with any remaining berries. Put in the fridge for at least 4 hours; overnight is better.
Chocolate Mousse
8 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (or a combination), broken into pieces
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
3 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 superfine (not powdered) sugar
Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave and stir together until smooth. Add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring to combine after each addition. Also stir in hot coffee. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, using a hand miser, beat the egg whites just until they begin to form soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat just until stiff, shining peaks are formed (do not overbeat). Fold the chocolate mixture slowly into the beaten egg whites.
Whip the 1 cup of heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. Carefully transfer to a serving bowl or individual bowls, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
It was alsocoyotegestalt's birthday, so I made him a strawberry-rhubarb pie. The crust did not work, unfortunately, so I have decided that by age 40 I need to learn to make decent pie crust. (I've read the Cook's Illustrated recipe, but the context in which I might make pies are mostly family holidays, and we don't use wine or alcohol in cooking at family holidays in deference to those who are in recovery -- and I don't keep alcohol at home generally because it has a habit of disappearing, and it's not always me who disappears it.)
Yesterday there was singing and another party, and today I woke up without any voice left. I'm hoping it will return before my choir concert tomorrow night, but I have my doubts.
Anyways, turning 30 FTW!!
Tuesday was my and
ambyr's 2-year anniversary. She got me beautiful leather gloves, and we went out to dinner, and then this happened, which, well, now we have a new favorite slash pairing.On Friday, I turned 30!! \o/ I lost a lot of my twenties to depression, so I'm pretty pleased to be turning over a new leaf. Also, I am feeling incredibly blessed to have so many amazing friends. Twenty-five people came to celebrate with me! I didn't think I even knew twenty-five people!
Heather and I made chocolate mousse raspberry trifle. She has made it for me before, but this time she taught be how to make it, which was awesome!
Heather's Chocolate Mousse Raspberry Trifle
double recipe of chocolate mousse (below)
3 boxes of Pamela's gluten-free double chocolate cookies
4 boxes of fresh raspberries
Put a layer of cookies on the bottom of a glass bowl. Put a layer of berries over that. Put a layer of chocolate mousse over that, completely covering the the first two layers; use about a third of the mousse for this layer. Add another layer of cookies and another layer of berries, then another layer of mousse. If your bowl is big enough, you can repeat the layering a third time; if not, use a new bowl. Decorate the top with any remaining berries. Put in the fridge for at least 4 hours; overnight is better.
Chocolate Mousse
8 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (or a combination), broken into pieces
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
3 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 superfine (not powdered) sugar
Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave and stir together until smooth. Add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring to combine after each addition. Also stir in hot coffee. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, using a hand miser, beat the egg whites just until they begin to form soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat just until stiff, shining peaks are formed (do not overbeat). Fold the chocolate mixture slowly into the beaten egg whites.
Whip the 1 cup of heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. Carefully transfer to a serving bowl or individual bowls, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
It was also
coyotegestalt's birthday, so I made him a strawberry-rhubarb pie. The crust did not work, unfortunately, so I have decided that by age 40 I need to learn to make decent pie crust. (I've read the Cook's Illustrated recipe, but the context in which I might make pies are mostly family holidays, and we don't use wine or alcohol in cooking at family holidays in deference to those who are in recovery -- and I don't keep alcohol at home generally because it has a habit of disappearing, and it's not always me who disappears it.)Yesterday there was singing and another party, and today I woke up without any voice left. I'm hoping it will return before my choir concert tomorrow night, but I have my doubts.
Anyways, turning 30 FTW!!
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