Spiced chocolate mousse

[coykiesaol]

Serves 6

Cooking Time Prep time 5 mins, cook 10 mins (plus setting)

Chocolate mousse

180 gm dark chocolate (54% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped

3 eggs, at room temperature, separated

¼ tsp each of ground cinnamon, ground allspice and chilli powder

225 ml thickened cream, lightly whipped

Hazelnut praline

100 gm hazelnuts, roasted and skins removed

100 gm caster sugar

1 Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering

water, turn off heat and cool, add yolks and stir to combine, then add

spices. Add cream and fold through to combine. In a separate bowl, beat

eggwhites until soft peaks form, then add to chocolate mixture and fold

to combine. The mousse should be smooth and even in colour. Spoon into

six ½ cup-capacity moulds and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.

2 For hazelnut praline, place hazelnuts on a baking paper-lined oven

tray. Combine sugar and 2 tbsp water in a small saucepan and bring to

the boil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until light caramel, then

pour over hazelnuts and cool completely. Coarsely chop.

3 To serve, scatter mousse with praline and serve immediately.

[Pierre ZFP]

Sounds good!

I have been looking for whole allspice but I don't know what its called in French.  Even my French work colleagues didn't know what it was.

Any ideas?

[Clair]

Not quite the same, but there's a Ducros alternative called Quatre Epices which contains cannelle (44%), gingembre (24%), girofle and muscade.

[Pierre ZFP]

Ah! I found it

Allspice is not a mixture of things but just one actual berry.  I put 'Allspice' into the English version of Wikipedia then changed to French and it came up with

piment de la Jamaïque

I was looking for this to do my jellied eels - sorry about the thread hijack

[debbie]

Pierre: Jellied Eels? Yuk! Sounds horrid. If you are serious will you share the recipe? Maybe it would change my opinion about how it sounds.

[Pierre ZFP]

This is real thread hijack - I do hope the OP doesn't mind too much.

OK debbie, you are obviously not a Londoner or you would know and love this treat - Especially if it was from Manze's Eel & pie shop in Peckham (is it still there?)

So the recipie I use came from Mrs Beeton Cookbook, the only cookbook my mother ever had!

It's been adapted a bit and is now metric but none of the quanties are critical

• 1kg of eels (preferably freshwater eels but small sea eels can be used)
• 1 large onion (peeled and chopped)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp of vinegar (white wine vinegar or white pickling vinegar)
• 1/2 lemon (juice only)
• 1 large sprig of parsley
• enough water to cover (around 700ml)

• few whole black pepper corns

• 1/2 tsp of sea salt
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg (optional)

• a few whole allspice

Take the heads off the eels and gut them (very little guts in an eel)

Do NOT skin or bone but cut into rounds 2-3 cms thick

put everything in a bowl and simmer for around 15 mins untill the eels are tender

Eels are naturally gelatenous so the is no need at all to add any gelatine

Pour eveything into a large (or several small) bowl(s)

Leave to cool and then put in the fridge to chill untill the jelly will set

Serve with bread and chilli vinegar - Marvellous

[debbie]

Thank you Pierre. I am American and live in Santa Monica and although we have several local Brittish pubs, I've never seen this on the menu. However, I do try to be open minded about trying new things. The ingredients actually sound quite good. Maybe I'll give it a go and let you know how it turns out.