Sure you may still be stuffed from your Thanksgiving Dinner but that doesn't mean you can't start planning ahead to a fabulous Holiday meal in a couple of weeks.
That's why Celebrity Chef Gale Gand stopped by Curt's Cafe today to demonstrate how to make a yummy peppermint chocolate mousse today for a crowd of Curt's guests. The highlight, of course, was eating the spoils!
Here's a few things we learned along the way:
1. Don't melt chocolate chips. They are made to keep their shape and include a bit of paraffin wax, which makes melting them more difficult. Use chocolate bars. Gand recommends Ghiradellli.
2. Heavy cream has more butter fat than whipping cream. Choose heavy cream, unless you're trying to reduce the calories in a recipe. Then whipping cream is okay.
3. When a recipe calls for eggs, the industry standard is large eggs. Not extra large. Don't ruin a recipe by using extra large eggs.
4. Egg whites whip up better at room temperature.
5. Nielsen Massey vanilla extracts and other Nielson Massey flavor extracts are the best in the world--and made right here in Waukegan!
If you weren't able to attend here's Gale's recipe for you to enoy:
Chocolate
Peppermint Mousse
by Gale
Gand
6 ounces bitter sweet chocolate, chopped (70% if possible)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
In a large bowl over simmering water, melt the chocolate and then remove
from the heat to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, whip the cream to stiff peaks and refrigerate. Then whip the
whites till soft peaks, drizzle in the sugar and continue whipping till glossy
and the sugar has dissolved. Add 1/3 of the whites to the cooled chocolate and whisk
them in quickly and thoroughly. Add a second third of the whipped whites and
fold them in till most of the streaks are gone. Add the final third and
continue to fold till a few streaks remain. Then add all the whipped cream and
fold it in. Add the extract and fold it in. Pipe into serving glasses and
chill.
Makes 12 servings
FYI...Gale
Gand is
the pastry chef and partner at Spritz
Burger, with the Hearty Boys and partner and founding executive pastry chef
of the renowned one star Michelin restaurant Tru in Chicago, host of Food Network’s
“Sweet Dreams”, and author of 8 books, including Gale Gand’s Lunch out
earlier this year. Gale has an artisanal root beer company, Gale’s Root Beer,
has received an Outstanding Pastry Chef award from
The James Beard Foundation, and been inducted into the Chicago Chefs Hall Of
Fame. For more information about Gale go to www.galegand.com
