White Chocolate Mousse

With Raspberry Napaju

For me, a good place to immerse myself in deep thought is definitely a book store especially a Japanese book store. If they have a place to sit, that will be ideal….I take some cook books and go over to the children’s book section to browse-study… I mean to get inspired for my next blog post until my behind gets sore from sitting on the tiny wooden chair…

I came across this dormy…I mean dreamy dessert recipe by Yuuko Kumagai in her cook book, “Decoration method for Petit Gâteau” But where can I buy the dome shaped mold?  I stopped by my other favorite (usually just looking) store, Sur-la-Table to see if they have one…they did! The store clerk asked me what I am going to do with it…uh…hopefully to make mousse? It looks awfully difficult…but I was optimistic! I also checked their clearance sale corner to make sure I don’t need anything else I can’t live without…I must say their clearance pricing is leaving much to be desired…oops, did I say that out loud?

I mostly followed her recipe except napaju (shiny transparent coating)

Ingredients and Instructions to fill 4 - 3 inch diameter molds (Print Recipe Here)

For Biscuit – skip this process if you’re using store purchased sheet cake.

Equipment: rimmed cookie sheet, parchment paper or printer paper. Hand held mixer. Note: I doubled the biscuit recipe for a 12x 9 inch sheet cake.

• 1 egg white
• 30g sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 30g low viscosity flour (薄力粉) sifted

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Beat egg white until cloudy at low speed with hand held mixer then add sugar. Switch to high speed, beat until stiff peaks form.
2. Add egg yolk and stir lightly with rubber spatula. Sprinkle in the flour. Scoop batter up from bottom and gently fold until the flour blends in.  Do not over mix.
   
3. Spread batter to 10x 8 freeform on the parchment paper, Place on cookie sheet then bake for 8 - 9 minutes. Remove from pan and cool. Wrap in plastic paper while the cake is slightly warm to prevent drying.

For Mousse

Equipment: 4 stainless steel molds   I used dome shape. Get ready for ice bath (ice and cold water in large bowl)

• 200g milk
• 30g sugar
• 7g (1 packet) powder gelatin, soak in 50g of water -: pour water first in shallow bowl then sprinkle gelatin.
• 100g White chocolate shaved and put in a *medium bowl (A) *1 size smaller than ice bath bowl
  
• .
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1-2 drops orange extract or 1 Tablespoon Cointreau (optional)
• 180g heavy cream, beat till very soft peak
• 50g frozen berries mix combine with raspberry jam below
• 15g Raspberry jam
  

1. Put milk and sugar in a small saucepan and heat till it just boils at medium heat. Remove from heat, add soaked gelatin and combine well.
2. Pour half of the milk mixture in to the bowl of white chocolate A. Whisk well to combine. Add rest of milk mixture and mix well. Add lemon mixture and orange extract or Cointreau combine well.
3. Carefully lower the white chocolate mixture bowl into the ice bath so that water will not get into the chocolate mixture.Whisk gently to thicken the chocolate mixture.
   
4. When the mixture is thick (but still loose), add very soft peak heavy cream in two separate stages. Continue to whisk till it thickens but is not solid and pourable. If it gets too thick then add heavy cream or milk (2-3 Tablespoons) to loosen.
   
5. Pour in the molds 2/3rd way up. Gently push1 Tablespoon of frozen berries mixed with raspberry jam in the center of mousse.Note; see the pic below, I put in too much! Aarrgh! Spoon in more mousse to cover the berries. Cut out biscuit cake one size smaller than mold. Place with the top side of the cake on bottom of the mousse, press. Put in the freezer until solid, 4-5 hours.
   
6. When the mousse is frozen solid, stick a fork in the middle. Grab the fork and directly heat the mold all around for about 20 seconds (the mold will start sweating). Support with the palm of your hand under the flat side of mold and slide the mousse out gently with the fork. Decorate with fruits, Chantilly cream, gurasaju or napaju (recipe below). Refrigerate for about 1 hour to defrost
   

For raspberry napaju

Whisk 100g of raspberry jam and 1 Tablespoon hot water and 2 Tablespoons corn syrup. Strain through a mesh to make ultra smooth napaju. Set up a wire rack over the rimmed pan. Pour the napaju over the mousse. Keep in the refrigerator to defrost about 1 hour. Note: there are many napaju methods available online.  Mine looks less dreamy I know…I made a few mistakes but it was good challenge! And délicieux!

Last week’s  Today’s TAPAS Instagram posts (#todaystapas)  were slanted towered dessert…heck…probably not so good for you…The churros I ate with fruits for a balanced diet! 

Mango pudding topped with mango puree was for a friend who is on the mend.

We attended an Emergency Preparedness Fair coordinated by our church last Saturday. It was very educational event…how to store food and water safely, how much food we need to survive first 72 hours etc.…There were scratch and sniff card at the Northwest Gas Company booth… do you know how bad natural gas leaks smell?…gag…it wasn’t me!
I thought this Mt. St. Helen eruption photo from 1980 was something!

May 18th, 1980, my husband and I looked up the direction people were pointing out and saw the massive cloud of black smoke, visible in Portland… It was a really frightening sight.

Thank you for visiting, always grateful for your kind comments. Pleasure to know you through your fantastic blogs. I just want to say, keep going…you may not be aware of it but you are inspiring someone today with your message.

My husband and I are heading to Japan soon…see you in a few weeks.

 

Lemon Pots de Crème

Borrowed recipe from fine Cooking

My husband and I love custard dessert, especially Japanese style ‘purin’ but the French custard recipe from ‘fine Cooking’ sounds great and worth a try?

Very rich and creamy…10 egg yolks? Holy macaroni! That’s a lots of des oeufs! (eggs) Kidding aside, lemon somehow cuts down the strong yolkiness…what? That’s not a word?

Warning – this is not low-fat dessert! Not even close. Luckily, we had dinner guests that day.

Ingredients and Instruction for 9,  4 ounce ramekins (Print recipe here) 

Necessary equipment : 6, 6 –oz. ramekins or 9, 4 oz. ramekins, instant read thermometer, fine sieve, foil (large enough to cover the roasting pan)

• finely grated zest of 4 lemons
  
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar divided in 1/4 cup each
• 3-1/2 cups heavy  cream
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
  
• 10 large egg yolks
• Sweetened whipped cream for garnish (optional)

1. Getting ready - Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Place ramekins in a large roasting pan or baking dish with high sides.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the sugar. simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla seed and pod (if you’re using vanilla extract, do not add it yet) and bring to just below boiling. Remove from heat. Set aside.
4. Heat oven to 325F. Boil a large pot (kettle is easier to use) of water for water bath. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with last 1/4 cup of the sugar until smooth. Gently whisk a ladleful of the hot cream (step #3) into the yolks. Pour this yolk mixture back into the pot of cream mixture and whisk.
   
5. Cook slowly, stirring constantly at low heat until the mixture reaches 170F on an instant- read thermometer, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the reserved lemon syrup (step #2) and strain immediately through a fine sieve. If you’re using vanilla extract, stir it in at this point.
6. Divide the mixture among the ramekins in the roasting pan. put on the oven rack then pour enough boiling water into the pan so that it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Loosely cover with foil on top. Bake for 25 to 45 minutes until the custard is set but the center responds with a firm jiggle when you nudge the ramekins, and the center of the custards register 150F to 155F on an instant-read thermometer.
7. Let custard cool to to room temperature in their water bath. Remove the custard from the bath, cover them with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and maybe some fruits. Bon appétit!
    

Last week in our kitchen…Rats! I forgot to take the just-out-of-the-oven picture…the no-knead French Baguette recipe from Color your recipes we liked! 

April 2nd of Today’s TAPAS Instagram post was Pon–de-ring, the best selling donuts at Mister Donuts. On this day in 1971, 1st. Misudo (nickname for Mister Donuts) was opened in Osaka Japan. #todaystapas

My husband  and I can’t wait to have the real thing soon!

Chocolate Cup Cake

Chocolate Cake With Purple Sweet Potato Cream

I lost 1 pound in two weeks…swell, right? Honestly, dieting is stressing me out…I definitely need a cheat day once a month. This chocolate cake sounds really delicious! I need to a test run for Saint Valentine’s cake anyway, D’accord? (agree?)..Oui, oui.

This cake is not overly difficult I think (delusional, perhaps)…it has lots of steps though…many dirty dishes to wash - I crammed most of them into the dishwasher but not all bowls fit in there…phew! To avoid being overwhelmed by lengthy instructions, I baked cake the night before.

Ingredients and Instructions for 1 cake (skip this process if you are using store bought chocolate sponge cake) (Print Recipe Here)

Necessary equipment – 1 round cake pan (7 inch cake pan prefer, 8 inch round pan is acceptable), parchment paper, food scale, food thermometer, sifter, stand  mixer or hand held electric mixer.

• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 100g granulated sugar
• 75g low viscosity flour (薄力粉)
• 15g unsweetened cocoa powder
•  15g milk
• 10g vegetable oil
• 20g butter

1. Before you start, do  A, B and C  A. Get some parchment paper (do not use non-stick kind because it prevents the cake from rising, I used printer paper) cut to the size of round pan bottom and 1 inch taller than the sides. B. combine milk, oil and butter in a small bowl, double boil to melt and keep around 122F..C. Sift flour and cocoa powder 3 times.
2. Set mixing bowl over a size smaller pan with hot water (water should not touch the bottom of top bowl) simmering. Beat eggs, egg yolk and sugar with whisk until temperature reaches 98F. Remove bowl from heat and run electric mixer on high (my stand mixer, speed # 8) for 7 minutes, change the speed to low (speed # 2), mix for 4 minutes.
3. Start heating oven to 338F. With rubber spatula, sprinkle flour and fold in 4 sections. Scoop the batter from bottom of the bowl to gently incorporate. Turn the bowl 1/4 circle every time you put flour in. Do not over work this process and do this as quickly as possible.
4. Check the temperature of milk mixture, if it is below 122F then warm up to right temperature. Use deep ladle to transfer one big scoop of batter into milk mixture and mix well. Back into the bowl of batter and fold in from bottom. 4-5 times.This step helps blend better than pour milk mixture straight into the batter.
   
5. Fill batter into paper lined pan within an inch or so from the top Stir lightly over the pan with spatula to prevent center of cake to cave in. Hold pan with both hands and tap the cake pan on hard counter 2-3 times to remove air bubbles. Bake for 30 minutes. Insert wooden skewer to check the doneness. Remove from oven, drop the cake pan from 5-6 inches above counter, this helps prevent the cake from sinking. Remove the cake from the pan, place it on cooling rack for a few minutes.
   
6. Remove paper from side and bottom. Place it up-side down on cooling rack. Wrap with plastic wrap while the cake is slightly warm, this will keep it moist
    

Ingredients and Instruction for Purple Sweet Potato Cream and Chocolate veneer (printable recipe at cake instruction)

Necessary equipment – food scale, food thermometer, non-stick parchment paper, electric mixer, fine mesh strainer

• 300g (about) Purple Sweet Potato, peel skin and cut in chunks
• 45g granulated sugar
• 45g milk
• 70g plus Chantilly cream – whip 100g of heavy cream with 1 Tablespoon sugar until soft peak
• 2-3 drops of rum flavoring (optional)
• 300g (about) chocolate shaved  Note: I used Hershey special dark chocolate bar.

1. Sweet potato paste – Place cut sweet potatoes in medium pan and pour in cold water, bring to boil then simmer until soft. Drain water through colander. put potato back in the same pan, shake the pan to remove the moisture with remaining heat. Add sugar, milk then smash potatoes with potato masher or fork while it’s still hot. Strain through fine mesh, this process enforces creaminess.
   
2. When the sweet potato paste is cooled, add Chantilly cream 1/3 at a time and mix well to achieve soft but not too loose cream. Add rum flavoring if using and stir. Cover and keep in the refrigerator until needed.
3. Prep for chocolate veneer – cut parchment paper to size – exact perimeter of the cake(s) x 1/2inch taller than cake height. Note: I was making individual cakes instead of 1 large, so needed 5,6 rectangular sheets. In order to make smaller cakes, just use a round biscuit cutter or a glass cup.
4. Tempering chocolate – set aside a large bowl of 1-2 cups* of ice water. Double boil shaved chocolate (boil the water in pan, sit a bowl of chocolate on top, water not touching the bottom of the bowl) to melt, stirring frequently. When the temperature reaches 96F, remove from heat and carefully put in the ice water bowl so that water does not get in the chocolate, continue to stir to lower the temperature to 80F. Put bowl back in the double boiler, raise the chocolate temperature to 90F. *water level should not be over the chocolate bowl.
    
5. Spread tempered chocolate evenly (do not spread too thick, especially if you want to achieve the delicate look) on the prepared parchment paper(s) using plastic spreader and let it (them) cool for 2-3 minutes
   .
6. Attach the chocolate/parchment sheet to side of cake(s). Refrigerate until chocolate is solid. Gently peel off parchment paper.Don’t be afraid of imperfection…distressed look is interesting, it adds drama!
7. Construction – Put sweet potato cream in a piping bag with *tip attached (if the cream is very cold, microwave for 10-20 seconds with 50% power to loosen). Pipe out cream to fill space on top of cake. *Any tip but pinhole tip works.
   Decorate with fruits (optional). I added Chantilly cream on a few.

I quickly distributed some to my neighbors…to avoid over indulging. I hope I’m not sabotaging their diet if they are on one …so far they’re gracious recipients.

Although this cake is mighty fine… maybe not that ONE for Valentine’s Day…keep searching…I thought we’re going out, my husband quipped…right,
Je sais (I know).