Chocolate Mousse with Cointreau

This I made for dessert last weekend. It is very easy to make, but is much more convenient if you have a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, as there is a lot of beating to be done.

Start by melting 1/2 oz butter with 3.5 oz good-quality dark chocolate in a double boiler. If you do not have an actual double boiler, you can make one with a metal bowl and a small saucepan. Put about an inch of water in the pan and set the bowl on top with the chocolate and butter in it. Bring the water almost to a simmer and stir the mixture until it melts and blends together. Once you reach this point, carefully remove the bowl from the pan (it will be hot) and set it aside to cool slightly.

Next, separate 2 eggs. Measure out 2 oz sugar. Put the 2 yolks in the bowl of your mixer. Pour in most of the sugar (reserve a small amount for the whites) and add a splash of Cointreau. Beat with the whisk attachment until light and creamy. Remove to another bowl; clean your mixer bowl and beaters. Add the melted chocolate mixture slowly to your yolks, folding it in with a spatula.

Put your 2 whites in the clean mixer bowl. Beat until they start to firm up, then stream in the remaining sugar and continue to beat until you see stiff peaks. Pour a little of the chocolate mixture onto the whites, folding it in. Next, fold the whites back into the rest of the chocolate mixture. Clean your mixer bowl and beaters.

Put 1/2 cup cold heavy or whipping cream into your mixer bowl. Beat until thickened (but do not go too far or you will make butter!). Fold the cream into the egg-chocolate mix. Pour into small glasses or bowls and chill in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours until set. Enjoy! Serves 2.

Note 1 - This is a raw egg product. Use the best freshest eggs you can get your hands on and keep them clean. The very young, the elderly and the immunocompromised should avoid this.

Note 2 - Grand Marnier or Triple Sec can be substituted for Cointreau.

Note 3 - Metric Info: 1/2 oz = 14g; 3.5 oz = 100g; 2 oz = 55g; 1/2 cup = 120 ml.

Gazpacho

Last weekend I made dinner for my partner, who had just come back from a trip away. The weather was still pretty warm, and I had been to the Burlington Farmers Market a couple of days before and picked up some nice veggies (in addition to the ones from our Full Moon Farm CSA share), so gazpacho was on the cards...

Start by chopping 1/4 onion. Put it into your blender or food processor bowl. Add 1/2 clove garlic, crushed, and 1/2 green pepper, deseeded and chopped. Add 1 large tomato, deseeded and chopped, and 1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped. Blend until pureed.

Strain your puree through a medium-hole strainer, into a bowl. Using a whisk, stir in 2 tbsp sherry vinegar, a splash of lemon juice, a little cold water (start with 1/4 cup, and add more if you feel the soup is too thick) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Lastly, whisk in 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream, taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Pour into cocktail glasses or small bowls. Garnish with a little finely diced cucumber and some chopped dill. Serves 2.

Note 1 - Any color pepper can be substituted for green, if desired.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 1/4 cup = 60 ml.

Chilled Beet Soup

Garnished with home-made sour cream and dill

Another cold soup, this one inspired by the newspaper column of a British  chef I admire, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and using the beets I picked up at the Burlington Farmers' Market on Saturday. It's like a simple cold borscht. And I think it may be the best soup I have made. It is delicious!

Peel and dice (1/4 inch) 13 oz red beets. Put them in a saucepan with a little canola oil and a good pinch of salt and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 onion, diced, and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Add 1/2 carrot, diced, and cook 5 minutes more. Add 1/2 clove garlic, minced. Stir and cook for 1 minute longer, then add 20 floz beef broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Check that the beets are fully cooked. If they are not, continue simmering until the cook through. Once the beets are done, remove the pan from the heat and allow the soup to cool a little.

Once cooled slightly, carefully blend the soup, using a stick blender or in batches in a stand blender. If using the latter, take extra care - use very small batches and blend slowly to avoid an explosion out the top. Once smooth, pass it through a strainer, add some ground black pepper, thin if desired (I probably added at least a cup of water as it was too thick), add 1/4 cup vinegar (white or red wine vinegar would be preferable, but I used distilled white and it worked out fine), check the seasoning (add more salt if needed) and chill in the refrigerator until very cold.

Serve garnished with dill and sour cream. Enjoy!

Note 1 - This soup can be made vegan by substituting vegetable stock for beef broth.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 13 oz = 380g; 20 floz = 600ml; 1/4 cup = 60ml; 1 cup = 240ml.

Chilled Peach Soup

As I mentioned before, I love making soup. I haven't made many cold soups, but the temperatures are high (around 90 F) and I don't feel like getting hotter.

The recipe is based on this one, credited to Chef Bill Luker, which I found, and thought looked interesting.

You can use a stand blender or a food processor to make this soup. If you have both, I would suggest the blender.

Start by thawing 2 cups (10 oz) frozen peaches. Place them in your blender with 2 tsp Cointreau, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp almond extract and a pinch of salt. Process or blend until smooth. Add 2/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream and 2 tbsp honey. Blend again until combined. Taste and adjust flavors if needed. Chill in refrigerator until cold.

Serve garnished with a little yogurt or sour cream and some mint leaves, as an appetizer or dessert. Makes two generous servings.

Note 1 - If you have fresh peaches, remove the skin and pits, chop coarsely and measure out 2 cups-worth or scale the recipe accordingly.

Note 2 - If you don't have Cointreau, you can substitute Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.

Note 3 - The original recipe called for more almond extract, but I found it to be overpowering, so I scaled it back a little.

If you feel like making your own yogurt for this soup, click here.

Note 5 - Metric info: 2 cups = 480 ml; 10 oz = 280g; 2/3 cup = 160 ml.

Potato Leek Soup

OK, so I know it's almost summer (at least where I am), and I'm still making soups. However, there are two cool things about this soup. First, with some small adjustments, it can be served cold, as Vichyssoise. Second, it uses up leftover mashed potatoes in your fridge (it can also be made with raw potatoes).

Start by slicing half a leek crosswise into half moons. Transfer the pieces into a bowl of cold water. Swish them around a few times and remove with your hands to a strainer (this leaves any dirt in the bowl). Allow to drain for a minute, then put into a pan with 1 tbsp butter and half an onion, diced, and sweat until soft. At this point, add 1 clove of garlic, minced and sweat for a few more minutes until softened.

Next, add about 3 cups of mashed potatoes (the amount does not have to be exact), and water to cover the potatoes generously. Throw in a bay leaf and a pinch of thyme, if you have them. Simmer for a while (at least 20 minutes) to allow the flavors to meld. Remove the bay leaf. Blend the soup (take care, especially if using a stand blender, to avoid spraying hot food everywhere - small batches are best). Add up to 1/2 cup cream (you decide how creamy you want it), and some more water if it seems too thick (depending on your preference). Bring back to a simmer, season (and taste and adjust) and serve. You could garnish the soup with chives and/or any kind of salty pork product - bacon, prosciutto, pancetta etc. Enjoy!

Note 1 - To make vichyssoise (cold potato leek soup), you will need to thin the soup more (with cream and/or water), strain through a fine strainer and chill it in the refrigerator. Once cold, check the consistency (it should be like whipping (single) cream) and the seasoning, and adjust as necessary.

Note 2 - If you have no mashed potatoes, substitute peeled, cubed raw potatoes. About 2 cups would probably work, but again, quantities are not that important. Simmer a little longer - at least 30 minutes, and make sure that the potatoes are fully cooked before blending. You will need more water too.

Note 3 - Metric info: 3 cups = about 700 ml; 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 2 cups = 480 ml.

Chilled Soba Noodles

Here is a good way to use up any leftover dashi (Japanese sea stock - see 'Japanese Noodle Soup' post). As everything is served cold, start well before you intend to eat.

Start by boiling water for the noodles. Do not salt the water - soba noodles are usually already salted. Add the noodles and cook until done. Drain and cool (start by letting them sit in cold water, then drain and chill in the refrigerator).

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup dashi, 1/2 cup mirin and 1/4 cup soy sauce. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, cool (pour into metal bowl; sit on ice or in ice water) and chill in refrigerator. This is enough sauce for 3-4 appetizer portions.

When ready to serve, toss noodles with a little sesame oil (no more than a teaspoon or so) and serve with the sauce on the noodles or on the side.

This recipe is based on one of the same name in 'Asian Cook' by Terry Tan.

Note 1 - If you cannot find any of the ingredients for the sauce (or are feeling lazy), you can actually buy it in a well-stocked grocery store (in the Asian section). Look for the word 'tsuyu' on the bottle.

Note 2 - Metric info: 1 cup = 240 ml; 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 1/4 cup = 60 ml.