The Joy of Mousse and Jell-O

While in New York my aunt made such a yummy dessert for my niece's birthday and it was made out of... ready for this? Jell-O. I don't even like Jell-O. But this, this was good.
So, for my godson's namesday I decided to put this dessert, along with some chocolate mousse, on the menu. I have to say though that the Jell-O wasn't as good as  my aunt's, most things aren't as she IS Pinterest. She's never been on it, doesn't know what it is, but she doesn't need to, because she IS Pinterest.  Plus, things just taste better when someone makes them for you.

2 large packages strawberry Jell-O
2 large packages raspberry Jell-O
1 cup cold milk
2 cups boiling water
2 pints heavy cream
5 packages frozen sliced strawberries in sugar (thawed)
(8 cups of liquid total)

-Put Jell-O in bowl
-Add 2 cups boiling water & mix well
-Add 1 cup cold milk
-Take heavy cream and whip stiff
-Mix Jell-O mixture into whipped cream
-Fold in strawberries
-Place mixture into Jell-O mold
-Refrigerate overnight

The recipe called for either raspberry or strawberry Jello-O so I decided to use a little of both. Also I only had one Jell-O mold and this recipe makes more than what could fit in one mold so I used my Bundt cake mold. This worked great except in order to get it out I had to melt it a little and I placed it in warm water for too long.  When I flipped it over it was more melted than anticipated and didn't look so pretty. To make it a little better I got to borrow my in-law's awesome instant whipped cream maker and added some to the top.  This thing is amazing. Somehow I've never seen one before but apparently the rest of the world is very well aware of this gadget.

The chocolate mousse tasted pretty good. I was nervous about the texture at first because of the egg yolks; by the way, had no idea there were egg yolks in mousse. You learn so many things when you start cooking...

4 1/2 oz dark chocolate chopped
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup whipping cream, lightly whipped

-Melt chocolate in bowl over simmering water (do not let bowl touch water)
-Cool slightly
-Lightly beat egg yolks
-Stir yolks into chocolate
-Fold in lightly whipped cream until velvety
-Beat egg whites into soft peaks
-Fold one spoonful of fluffy egg into mixture with metal spoon
-Gently fold in remainder

The recipe said to put the mousse into the fridge overnight in separate containers such as ramekins or wine glasses (covered).  I put everything into a large bowl as I quadrupled the recipe due to the amount of people we were having.  The above recipe serves 6.  My mousse also melted just a tad so it wasn't as firm as it was supposed to be. Our drive was 40 minutes or so in the car. Perhaps that also had something to do with it... Despite the presentation not being the best, I did receive one of the nicest compliments of my life. The complimenter (this should be a real word in the English language) may have been under the influence but in life you should take what you can get.

"I am so happy that you married your husband

so that you could be here today to make me this dessert!"

 

Overall, these desserts were easy, fairly quick, and probably will be repeated in the future.  The call for ramekins in the mousse recipe inspired me to actually use the millions of ramekins that I have (more like 12 but in our tiny cupboards they seems like they are overflowing) for ramekin purposes other than condiment holders on burger night. Perhaps individual servings of real chocolate pudding will be in my in near or perhaps far off future.

 

~What are some of your favorite desserts to bring to a party?~

 

A Christmas Party

 

~Dinner Menu~

 

Beverages

Homemade Eggnog

Hot Apple Cider

 

Appetizers

Assortment of Cheeses

Bloomin' Onion Cheesy Bread

Popcorn

 

Dinner

Spiral Ham

Sweet 'n Sour Meatballs

Hungarian Noodles

Gorgonzola Pear Salad

Broccoli Salad

 

Dessert

Assortment of Cookies

Strawberries

Melted Chocolate

 

 

 

 

 

The Beauty of Trifle

 

Toffee Brownie Trifle

 

Chopped Heath Bars

 

 

Cut up Brownies

 

 

Vanilla & Chocolate Pudding

 

 

Frozen Whipped Topping. You know that moment when you're trying to get everything on the table because your guests are arriving any minute so you need the last steps to go smoothly? Well that was the moment I was combing the frozen topping with the pudding and realized that mixing anything frozen is difficult. So, why did the recipe call for that? Go back to look at the recipe and see the magic words missed earlier: thawed....

 

But all was placed accordingly and in time. So, no need to stress, just enjoy the ride. The recipe was not exactly what I had anticipated, but then I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting from brownies and pudding. I imagine this would be a good one for a middle school slumber party though. If I have a girl I guess I'll pull this out then.

 

 

 

What's your favorite trifle recipe?

Cupcakes Galore

My Baby Shower Cupcake Extravaganza

Spiced Banana Chocolate

Lavender

Strawberry Cheesecake

Dinner for Six

Variation of Raspberry Rickey

Muddled Raspberries

Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Sliced Nectarines

Vodka

St. Germaine

Club Soda

-A little odd the night of but amazing the next day when the fruit tastes fused together, perhaps a good recipe to make ahead when short on time.

Onion, Thyme, & Goat Cheese Tart

Butter

Onions

Garlic

Thyme

Puff Pastry

Goat Cheese

Salt

Pepper

The tarts were a big hit and were easy to make.

Coffee-Braised Pot Roast w/ Caramelized Onions

Beef

Onions

Salt

Pepper

Thyme

Garlic

Coffee

Balsamic Vinegar

I went a little onion crazy without realizing it until I started cooking.  There were also string beans paired with this meal.  Another item would have been a welcomed addition to the menu.  Dessert was ice cream with Milano cookies and hot fudge.  

L'Oiseau

Another dinner party. Another napkin fold.  This is my 2nd napkin fold that I have learned this year.  Two down, three more to go, that much closer to achieving one of my New Year's goals.  This particular napkin fold was named by some as the Bishop's Hat but I decided that was no name for a folded piece of art on the table so I have renamed it L'Oiseau meaning bird in French.  The top point of the napkin array which is folded over made me think of bird's beak.  It is supposed to be standing straight up, which does then make it look more like a bishop's hat. 

My color theme was red and yellow.  This should not come as a huge surprise because when you combine the two you get... orange!

The back of the napkin fold also looks nice.  It makes me want to put something in the middle.  And of course if we used the back of the fold as the front, we would have to come up with a new name.  The folds have a palm tree-esque feeling. 

The Artichoke

I probably should have made my first goal be: maintain a blog.  Apparently, when you start a blog you are actually supposed to make time for the Internet.  Regardless, I will persevere at my own pace... 

Approximately a year and a half ago I got married and moved from one side of the country to the other in order to start a new life.  In this "nouvelle vie" you learn things about each other that you either admire from the start or need to acquire a taste for.  And then there are the little things that make life what it is.  One of the little things that now make up my life is cloth napkins.  My introduction to cloth napkins consisted of beautifully set tables with candles and of course various elaborate napkin folds at my in-laws.  My first go at my 2012 goals and achieving napkin artistry was the ARTICHOKE.

I have to say that having a goal of napkin folding is actually helpful for those of us who are Type B personality.  I HAD to get the table set in advance in order to have napkins folded and ready in time for dinner.  Okay, if I am going to be completely honest, I did my mother's famous plan of action.  I folded a couple and then asked another person to finish the setting so I could attend to other important, time sensitive tasks.  (Side goal: manage time so that guests do not have to do work at my dinner parties.) 

Overall, success in learning napkin fold #1.

Kudos to my sister-in-law for introducing me to the Artichoke!

Next on the agenda... The Lotus!