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Chocolate Mousse

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Valentine’s Day Dessert – Chocolate Mousse

This fluffy and rich dessert is perfect for a Valentine’s Day treat that feels fancier than your average chocolate. It comes together easily with a hand mixer and a little patience, with no complicated baking process. Pair it with a dry red wine to compliment the chocolate and enjoy it with someone special.

Ingredients for the Mousse:

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate

6 T butter (unsalted)

6 eggs 

¼ cup and 3 T granulated sugar, divided

1 T vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

3 T granulated sugar

Instructions:

To begin making your chocolate mousse, start by melting the chocolate using a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can make one using a large pot and a heat-safe bowl that fits on top of the pot without falling inside of it. 

Take the large pot and fill it up halfway with water. Bring the water to a boil and place the heat-safe bowl over the pot.

Add your chocolate, vanilla extract, and butter to the bowl. I recommend chopping the butter up before adding it in, as it melts more evenly. 

Bring the heat down to medium-high and make sure to stir often to prevent it from burning at the bottom of the bowl. The chocolate will melt and once melted, you can reduce the heat to low and stir occasionally to keep it from solidifying again. Leave the chocolate on the stovetop this way while you work on preparing the other ingredients. 

Now it’s time to separate your egg yolks from your egg whites. First, have two large mixing bowls at the ready. You will put your egg yolks in one bowl, and your egg whites in the other bowl. 

I recommend breaking your eggs very gently, so as to not pierce the yolk. After it’s broken, hold the egg over your egg white bowl and pour it into your hand very gingerly. Allow the egg whites to fall from the spaces between your fingers and down into the bowl. Pass the egg yolk between your hands very gently until all the white has fallen into the bowl. Then gently set the remaining yolk into your egg yolk bowl. Repeat this process for all 6 eggs. 

Add ¼ a cup of sugar to your egg yolks and use an electric mixer to beat them until fluffy and creamy. This should take about 5 minutes of continuous beating at medium speed. Set aside.

Add 3 tablespoons of sugar to your egg whites and beat with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks. This should take about 3-4 minutes of continuous beating at high speed. Set aside. 

Fold your egg yolks into your chocolate mixture a little bit at a time until there are no streaks of yolk visible. 

Very gently, fold your egg whites into the chocolate mixture. I recommend using a figure 8 motion to help mix, gently scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Use very little force when mixing, to help keep your egg whites nice and fluffy. Fold and mix until you see almost no streaks of white in your chocolate mousse. It’s ok if you see a little streaking, as you’d rather have it 90% incorporated than lose most its fluffiness by over-mixing. 

Once you’re done mixing, transfer your mousse into ramekins. You could use eight 6 oz ramekins, or six 12 oz ramekins. If you don’t have any ramekins, you can also use spare cups or mugs of any size until you run out of mousse. 

Put your chocolate mousses in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Before serving, make some whipped cream to go on top of your mousses. 

Add your heavy cream and 3 tablespoons of sugar to a large mixing bowl. 

Mix with an electric mixer on high speed until it’s fluffy and hold its shape. This takes about 6 minutes.

Spoon the whipped cream on top of your mousse and enjoy, with an optional side of dry red wine to compliment the chocolate. 

 

Try out this Chocolate Mousse recipe and let us know what you think.

Za’atar Lamb Shanks & Roasted Potatoes

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Sharing a delicious meal with your special someone is a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, or any day that’s special to you. These oven-roasted, za’atar-crusted lamb shanks are the perfect main course for those who have a little extra time on their hands. This recipe may seem difficult, but the only real obstacle is making sure you start cooking early. Once you get the lamb in the oven, it does most of the work with only a few check-ins.

We’ve included a recipe for roasted potatoes as a suggested side, which you can cook alongside the lamb shanks as they’re finishing up. If you’d like a wine to accompany your meal, or a red we’d recommend a Bordeaux or a Chianti. The Bordeaux Rouge from Chartron La Fleur, or Badia a Coltibuono’s Chianti Cetamura would both pair well with this meal. If you prefer white wine, Gai’a Wines’ Monograph Moschofilero would be an excellent choice. All these wines can be found in our wine section towards the back of the store, in addition to many other wonderful selections. No matter what you pair this recipe with, you’re sure to impress your date and enjoy a lovely meal.

 

Ingredients:
2 lamb shanks, thawed
2 T oil of your choice (sunflower, olive, etc.)
2 T salt (or to taste)
6 T Za’atar (feel free to use more if you need to)
6 cloves of garlic
1 cup vegetable broth

For the potatoes:
1 yellow onion
1 bag of small golden potatoes
2 T oil (sunflower, olive, etc.)
1 T dried rosemary
1 T za’atar (if desired)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 450°.

Peel your garlic cloves, but only the paper-like husk of the garlic. Leave the innermost peel on and set them aside.

Place your lamb shanks in a large oven-safe roasting pan. It should be deep enough that the lamb shanks are not peeking over the sides of your pan.

Add half your oil, garlic, salt and za’atar to your lamb shanks. Rub the seasonings on them evenly and flip them. Repeat on the opposite side. Make sure to cover every part of the shank with seasoning.

Roast the lamb shanks in the oven for 20 minutes uncovered, then take them out and turn the temperature down to 325°.

Being careful not to burn yourself on the hot pan, wrap your pan in several layers of aluminum foil. Make sure there is no way for air to enter the pan. I recommend 3-4 layers of foil to keep it well-insulated and cover all the sides.

Place it back in the oven and cook for 2 hours.

After 1 ½ hours have passed, get started on your potatoes.

Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Cut your onion into large slices and lay them on the baking sheet. Cut your potatoes in half and add them to the baking tray.

Add your oil, rosemary, za’atar, salt, and pepper to the tray and shuffle all the ingredients until everything is well distributed.

Put your potatoes in the oven with your lamb. They will cook alongside it until everything is done.

After your lamb has been in the oven for 2 hours, remove it and leave the potatoes in the oven. Turn the oven temperature up to 400°.

Remove the foil from your roasting pan and pour in the vegetable broth. Set it in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes.

Once the 15 minutes is up, remove your lamb and allow it to cool a little before serving. If your potatoes look done to your liking, take them out of the oven as well. If you think they need a little more time, leave them in for another 5 minutes.

Plate your lamb and potatoes, pour a delightful beverage, and enjoy your meal.