Archive | March, 2012

Arbequina Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse with Pistachio Dust, Himalayan Pink Salt and Fresh Raspberries

4 Mar

It’s been a long time since I made Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse and since a friend gave me a beautiful bottle of Robert Oately Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil last week I thought I would make it again. I don’t particularly like egg in desserts even if the flavour can’t be detected so I love this recipe that simply uses chocolate, cream and olive oil.

150g good quality dark chocolate (I used Callebaut 53.8%)

100g extra virgin olive oil (again make sure it’s good quality and not just a boring olive oil you use for cooking)

250g pouring cream

Fresh raspberries

Pistachio dust

Himalayan Pink Salt

Slowly melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. When smooth and glossy, mix through the olive oil until well combined. Set aside to cool slightly while you whip the cream until it reaches soft peaks.

Slowly pour the chocolate and olive oil mixture into the cream and fold through. Don’t mix it too much or you will knock the air out of the cream and your mousse won’t be as light and fluffy. Put in the fridge to chill for atleast an hour or until ready to serve.

Sprinkle each serve with pistachio dust and just a little salt to bring out the chocolate and olive oil notes. A few raspberries on the side are perfect to add some tartness and cut through the richness of the mousse.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Yerba Maté

4 Mar

I was introduced to Yerba Maté (pronounced YERB-ah mah-TAY) many years ago by an Argentinian friend and have noticed that most people have never heard of it.

To be honest, I like the way the beverage is served more than the tea itself because I generally avoid caffeine but it can be delicious in small doses. You can add honey or sugar to sweeten the otherwise bitter flavour and another nice addition is orange or lemon peel. The essential oils leach out of the skin into the hot water and impart a beautiful taste and aroma.

Whenever I drank maté, everyone sat in a circle and after you took a sip it would be passed along to the next person. It was a time to talk, relax and laugh together especially after asado (Argentinian barbeque) including morcillas (black pudding or blood sausage), pollo (chicken), papas fritas (hand cut potato chips) and chimichurri.

I love my gourd (wooden cup) and bombilla (metal straw) – there’s just something special about drinking out of this.

The preparation is quite specific so if you would like to know more please visit this website.

If you would like to buy yerba maté, gourd and bombilla, you can find it in specialty deli’s and gourmet grocers where South American ingredients are stocked. Otherwise you can purchase it online just like everything else these days.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Getting Buttered Up

4 Mar

My dad gave me 10 litres of cream yesterday and I felt a butter session coming on. I’ve posted about making butter before but now that I’ve made it a few times I had to share it again because it’s just the best thing since sliced bread!! If you haven’t attempted making your own butter you don’t know what you’re missing. Besides the luscious flavour and getting immense satisfaction out of creating with my hands, making butter also leaves my hands feeling soft and supple. Try it for yourself – you’ll find step by step instructions here. I sprinkled the butter balls with Himalayan Pink Salt but you can leave it plain or mix salt through to suit your taste.

I do use other natural fats such as coconut oil or olive oil in place of butter but sometimes you can’t use anything else.

The buttermilk can be used in Lassi, pancakes, curries and more. I remember having buttermilk as an accompaniment to curries instead of yoghurt when I was a child.

Tags: , , , , ,

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 762 other followers

%d bloggers like this: