Ginger is an architect, a seamstress, a boat builder, and a great cook. Last week I attended a party she threw with her husband, Mark. The party was fun and the food was great. Here, on Well Done Blog, Ginger shares her recipe for the luscious party dessert pictured above.
For the chocolate cups:
16-18 oz. of bittersweet chocolate (I use a 'Pound Plus' bar from Trader Joes)
As many small foil candy cups as you want (like miniature cupcake liners)
Melt and temper the chocolate, then dip the outside of each candy cup into it, let excess run off, and put upside down on a parchment lined baking sheet to harden. (this gives you a cup that is smooth on the outside and corrugated on the inside. Not totally beautiful, but it's the fastest way to do it. You may also use a small clean paintbrush to brush the chocolate on the insides of the cups (or molds, if you have them - this tends to yield a thinner layer of chocolate) After the chocolate has hardened and set, carefully remove the liners from the insides of the cups. If your chocolate was tempered properly, this is fairly easy. If not, you may experience some breakage. (speaking from experience, one year I failed miserably...)
For the Lime Mousse:
8oz cream cheese at room temperature
finely chopped zest of 4 limes (I use my microplane to remove the zest and then chop it even finer with a knife)
juice of 4 limes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Fruit to garnish: pomegranate seeds, raspberries, little triangles of kiwi, small mint leaves, or whatever you prefer.
Beat the cream cheese with lime peel, juice, and sugar until smooth. (You may not need all the juice - you do not want the mixture to be too liquid - more like a pudding than a liquid, really. Start with 1/2 the juice, and adjust)
In a separate bowl, whip the cream to fairly stiff peaks. (But don't make butter!)
Fold the whipped cream into the lime/cream cheese mixture. Using a piping bag, pipe the mousse into chocolate cups. Garnish.
Make aheads: The chocolate cups may be made up to a week in advance; keep in a cool place. The mousse may be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator. You may also fill cups a day ahead if desired, but wait to garnish until an hour or so before serving.
For the chocolate cups:
16-18 oz. of bittersweet chocolate (I use a 'Pound Plus' bar from Trader Joes)
As many small foil candy cups as you want (like miniature cupcake liners)
Melt and temper the chocolate, then dip the outside of each candy cup into it, let excess run off, and put upside down on a parchment lined baking sheet to harden. (this gives you a cup that is smooth on the outside and corrugated on the inside. Not totally beautiful, but it's the fastest way to do it. You may also use a small clean paintbrush to brush the chocolate on the insides of the cups (or molds, if you have them - this tends to yield a thinner layer of chocolate) After the chocolate has hardened and set, carefully remove the liners from the insides of the cups. If your chocolate was tempered properly, this is fairly easy. If not, you may experience some breakage. (speaking from experience, one year I failed miserably...)
For the Lime Mousse:
8oz cream cheese at room temperature
finely chopped zest of 4 limes (I use my microplane to remove the zest and then chop it even finer with a knife)
juice of 4 limes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Fruit to garnish: pomegranate seeds, raspberries, little triangles of kiwi, small mint leaves, or whatever you prefer.
Beat the cream cheese with lime peel, juice, and sugar until smooth. (You may not need all the juice - you do not want the mixture to be too liquid - more like a pudding than a liquid, really. Start with 1/2 the juice, and adjust)
In a separate bowl, whip the cream to fairly stiff peaks. (But don't make butter!)
Fold the whipped cream into the lime/cream cheese mixture. Using a piping bag, pipe the mousse into chocolate cups. Garnish.
Make aheads: The chocolate cups may be made up to a week in advance; keep in a cool place. The mousse may be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator. You may also fill cups a day ahead if desired, but wait to garnish until an hour or so before serving.
2 comments:
Sweet! Pretty & delicious - can't go wrong. Thanks Ginger.
Thanks for the props, Dietz! Ginger also has an Etsy store going on... Please check it out: http://www.etsy.com/shop/treeandstone
Mark
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