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Category Archives: Heavenly Desserts
For the Love of Chocolate – Chocolate Nougat Mousse
Excitement of receiving a letter or a parcel when you are so far away from friends and family just make my world go round.
For weeks I waited patiently for a parcel to arrive from UK that was posted to my boss’ office in Hamburg which either the guests or the boss himself would bring over to Italy. Oh like Pony Express but that’s the reality of being at sea.
When it indeed arrived it felt like Christmas. Oh joy.
I felt like a little kid who received something but yet still could not believe it happened, running my fingers over the parcel and staring at my name on the address.
Some might just as well say its just chocolates. But for my eyes they are not just chocolates. They are Green & Blacks.
What is so special about them?
Green & Blacks are the first organic chocolate bars that have been marketed since 1991. I first discovered them while I was living in UK and found the dark intense chocolate just velvety and sheer pleasure to eat.
Apart from the irresistibility of these chocolates they are actually low in sugar. The higher the intensity of the chocolate the lower the sugar content.
Other than it’s organic?
He walked in the pouring rain to post them ….so it could make it on time when my boss joins us in Italy.
He really knows how to cheer me up knowing I find comfort in these chocolate bars.
Inspiration came the next day and I opened my cookbook “ Unwrapped – Green & Black’s Chocolate Recipes” leafing through the pages I wanted to create something easy but yet irresistible.
I remember I have book marked nougat mousse recipe except at that time I could not find some Toblerone.
Luckily in Olbia , Auchan supermarket stocks up a lot of products known to mankind or rather to a globetrotting cook like me.
Honestly it’s the easiest dessert I have ever done, easy yet so seductive.
” The magical ingredient in chocolate comes from a pod that grows out of the trunk of a tree” Green & Blacks, “Unwrapped”
Chocolate Nougat Mousse
295g Toblerone broken into pieces
reserving one piece for decoration
6 tbsp boiling water
275ml crème fraiche
2 egg whites
Place the chocolate and the boiling water in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of a barely simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt slowly.
Remove from the heat, cool until it thickens and then fold in the crème fraiche.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into the mixture.
Chill in the fridge for at least 6 hrs
I used a small dipping bowl and dusted the top with cocoa powder and plated them with chocolate drizzle and a piece of macaroons.
I served this dessert when we were in Corsica
Thank you Stephen for such wonderful present!
By the way Green & Blacks cacao are bought from the Maya Indians in Belize that gives children in the villages a better future, changing lives for the better.
For chocolate lovers check these chocolate related films:
Chocolat with Juliette Binoche
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka
Like Water for Chocolate
A Pancake Feast
Ghene Snowdon…. “oh dear me. Sha, take a photo before passing it to your crewmates. That way you have something to blog about”
This post is long overdue, today is already Palm Sunday and next week is Easter.. this pancake story started at the beginning of the Lent when Stephen, our British mate, came to the galley asking me ,”Do you know whats on today? “
I wondered what would make our Tuesday special other than going from our day to day routine work. Well he said Pancake day, thought he just wanted pancakes then it hit me beginning of the Lent, Shrove Tuesday.
Luckily I have lived in UK before and understood the British culture, rather long before I lived in UK, I already been influenced by my British teachers at school and by my dear friends.
Shrove Tuesday was last February 16th , the beginning of the 40 days Lenten period
When meat, butter, eggs or milk are forbidden. So what to do with these foods before the fasting? With a little addition needed like flour, hence pancakes.
Shrove Tuesday is rather known as Fat Tuesday in the US, whereas in the Orthodox world where I partly grow up, Clean Monday, the day before that is a big holiday that involves flying kites and feasting as Tuesday is the beginning of the fasting period….
But what makes this post interesting is I posted this on my Facebook that caused rather a stir whether which pancakes is better, the thin crepe like I did or rather what Stephen asked or the hefty ones the American make in which my another Briitsh friend who grew up in Greece said I should have served octopus. Yes octopus that’s how we start our Lent season in Greece, feast on seafood.
Here are some interesting comments on my Facebook wall about this pancake debate.
Toni Tiu: There are other kinds of pancakes? This made me curious!
February 16 at 8:37pm ·
Stephen Edwards: with a little coaching she made some good pancakes…
February 16 at 8:52pm ·
Shalimar : Hi toni, the british recipe does not use BAKING POWDER less airy almost like crepe… no sugar as well…
February 16 at 8:56pm ·
Toni Tiu: Oh! So it’s more flat than the American pancakes are?
February 16 at 8:59pm ·
Shalimar: yup you can even just roll it…
February 16 at 9:07pm ·
Nena Wuthrich: I think this is like the Ethiopian bread injera? I miss these! 
February 16 at 10:15pm ·
Sandy Bartrum: Saffer pancakes…rolled up with dusted cinnamon and suger inside… can be savoury to! yum! must have some saffers on board hun????
February 17 at 12:42am ·
Iska Montero: uy, thanks sa recipe!
February 17 at 1:15am ·
Donna Seneca: Don’t like them even with lemon and sugar to taste.
February 17 at 1:32am ·
Cristina Topham : Excuse me, you say American pancakes like they’re a bad thing? Ummm, from the country that came up with kidney pies and parsley sauce? Or worse yet, Brovil? Gag. American pancakes with Grade B Vermont Maple Syrup = heaven. (and a side of bacon, please!)
February 17 at 1:40am ·
Charl Asuit: I grew up with American pancakes, too. But last night, I made them ‘the way they should be’ – with sugar, lemon and dusting of chocolate powder. Honestly, they weren’t bad.
February 17 at 2:26am ·
Cecile Aquino: Oh so he wants the thin pancakes – almost like crepes. Me personally I want pancakes with more heft in them so it’s American pancakes for me!
February 17 at 4:12am ·
Marieta Garbo: ´with a little coaching´, hahaha i like this one…i´ve never known other ways than this..spread it with butter then marmalade, or just plain NUTELLA!!
February 17 at 7:25am ·
Ella Aquino ur spoiling ur crew..let them cook for u for a change..LOL..
February 17 at 9:38am ·
Tara Orlanes What about Scottish pancakes? The Delia one with sugar and lemon is also yummy.
February 17 at 3:50pm ·
Shalimar : I made plain ones and the crew drizzled it with sugar and lemon I also had some with blue berries and chocolates.. I had mine with butter and marmalade.
February 17 at 5:43pm ·
Shalimar : The wayward chef: shhh let him have it the british way … my ex chef I worked with was from vermont and he makes great pancakes with maple syrup….
February 17 at 5:46pm ·
And Stephen proudly said he coached me how to do great pancakes and here is his recipe which I tweaked a bit and changed the measurements to metric.
½ pint milk
4 oz Flour (plain)
2 eggs
pinch of salt
or
230g all purpose/plain flour
Pinch salt
2 eggs
2½ cups milk
2 tsp melted butter
Sieve the flour into a large baking bowl, add the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs and beat well until smooth and lump free.
Add half the milk and the 2 tsp of butter, beat well. Add the remaining milk and stir.
Leave the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
Lightly grease a pancake pan or frying pan with a little melted butter, heat until very hot and add a ladle of batter to evenly and thinly coat the base of the pan. Cook until set and lightly golden
Ever since that Shrove Tuesday, we now have a weekly pancake treat which the boys look forward to, but our Texan crew is waiting for me to make him the American huge big pancakes… soon perhaps.
… since Stephen started this, the day he left for UK to take his exams for a captain’s ticket I made him a huge pile of pancakes and we all wished him all the best and good luck for his exams this coming Thursday.
And if he will pass which we are pretty sure he will, I might as well change the title of this post to … “Stephen’s Pancakes”
Good Luck Stephen!!!!
Also posted in British Food & Culture
6 Comments
….white & dark chocolate mousse
It has been days I saw him last. He has been spending a lot of time up north for his job….
heaven in my mouth…
I first had my taste of this dessert when my then boyfriend (now ex husband… yes the Swiss cheese) took me to an Italian restaurant up in the northern suburbs where he used to live.
The name of the restaurant is now a blur but the very first taste of that dessert… “tiramisu” has been implanted ever since in my taste buds.
Way back then, late 80s early 90s, certain products were not easily available in Athens. Mascarpone was mostly sold at AB (Alpha Bita) supermarkets which are far too expensive to my budget. But Swiss cheese would make this for me. I never found out his recipe though to be honest his is one of the best I ever tasted.
Am not being biased but I have eaten good and bad tiramisu, his never fails to please me. To cut the story short we separated and one thing I asked him was to share me his recipe. But he never did.
So I know I have to learn how to do my own. I should have paid attention then when he was doing it but I thought I would have him making me tiramisu all my life. When he did this he would make me dip the savoiardi to that coffee and arranged them. I never saw him whip the eggs, fold the mascarpone.
But alas not all good things in life lasted. My marriage ended so was the homemade tiramisu.
So when I London in 2007 I bought the food and travel magazine and in that edition, it says that Angela Harnett’s Cucina cookbook will have the tiramisu recipe his Nonna used to make.
I was then in France, dreaming my own tiramisu but I was always so busy with our trips. But I was also constantly in Italy,so I always get a decent tiramisu.
Then October last year, I have found myself in Florida. I have been to few Italian restaurants and every tiramisu I had failed to please me. Either too sweet, the savoiardi too soft, less flavour of the coffee, cream so thick, cream not airy (probably over whipped egg whites) and on .. and on. Imagine myself moving back to Europe because I failed to have a good tiramisu here….
I know its about time I learn how to make it.
When I was in London last January, I did buy Angela Harnett’s Cucina and bookmarked her recipe. But I found the book too heavy to take back to Florida, knowing I have to take that book back in Athens one day. So I left my cookbook to my sister who is probably going to every pages dreaming of those amazing food.
Back to my wishful tiramisu dreams, back to Florida, and I said to myself no more bad tiramisu.
I found Saveur recipe easy to follow.
But as you see am an experimental cook. I need to cross check other recipes to get more ideas.
I remember at home having Sofia Loren’s cookbook called “Recipes & Memories”
Hers has orange liqueur…
So what I did I followed Saveur recipe and just added the liqueur. I used Grand Marnier.
I panicked a bit when my egg whites when folded to the creamed egg yolks and mascarpone had globules. So I patiently fold it till those globules disappeared.
It turned out almost good not as good as dreamed it to be.
As they say practise makes perfect. So I did another one, I even shaved white chocolate between layers, topped them with strawberries and raspberries.
By now I had fully understood the tiramisu preparation…when the eggs whites are perfectly beaten. But I know there are endless recipes that worth trying.
Reading the mascapone packaging I took note of Bel Gioioso recipe. Bel Gioioso is the brand I buy here in Ft Lauderdale.
I actually love this one so here I share you this recipe especially to a dearest food blogger Cecile whom I have met in London and have sent me packages of goodies no matter where I am located.
.. and I finally made it almost perfect that there is no need to pack my things and go back to France or Italy for tiramisu.
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Also posted in Italy food & culture
29 Comments
mousse au chocolat
There is nothing I can describe such pleasure drinking a glass of merlot and licking a mousse au chocolate covered spoon on wet rainy evening here in Florida… while my mental state drags me back to Europe with its cold autumn days.
But the best pleasure is… it’s the first time I ever actually made mousse. For those who have been reading this blog for years, know that when I crave for something I thought complicated and I could not do there was the Swiss Cheese who would whip those delectable food.
So to actually satisfy my gustatory needs and wants I have to learn to experiment recipes.
When I was in Athens, for a very brief period of time I managed to spend time at Eleutherodakis. This is one of the largest bookstore in the city that stocks English books. I go there to check the latest books that have been translated to Greek to see the titles. Then get lost with my thoughts at the cookery section.
No I did not buy any cookbooks this time. I got instead “Don’t Try This At Home” Culinary Catastrophes from the World’s Greatest Cooks and Chefs and Plat du Jour by William Black. The first book kept me occupied during my Frankfurt _ Miami flight. Tales of mayhem in the kitchen.
The later is a slow book to read, but having lived in South of France for few months a year for around 6 years I understand somehow the French mind when it comes to food culture… a chapter is about Valrholna.
It’s French product after all and on this book a recipe of mousse au chocolat.
As I read through it I realized how easy a mousse is. If you have the basic understanding of whipping egg whites, folding, knows how to handle a spatula et voila, ” elementary, dear Watson.”
So I checked the cupboards, I still have some Valrholna….
As I worked on the chocolate I could already see the smoothness of the quality. My wee mistake perhaps was adding the whipped egg whites while the chocolate, egg yolk, sugar mix was still a bit warm. I could see globules of egg whites so I took the whip and made sure it incorporated well.
Next time though I might as well add an extra egg white to lighten the mousse but over all its a fantastic easy recipe.
Mousse Au Chocolat
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200 g best bitter sweet chocolate. Valrholna’s Le Noir Gastromie if possible
4 eggs
1 soupspoon full sugar
50 g unsalted butter cut into dice
How to:
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Break the chocolates into pieces and melt in a bain maire, or a bowl over hot water.
Separate the eggs, put the egg whites into a bowl, and the yolks and sugar into another and work them together.
Add the butter to the melted chocolate and melt.
Allow to cool.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and incorporate delicately into the mixture, running a spatula from the outside of the bowl to the middle, until all is well mixed.
Pour into individual glasses and cool in the fridge for 3 hours.
I used ramekins but I did wished if I were home I could place the mousse into the clear glasses I bought for this kind of dessert just like what I used here….
I topped mine with shaved almonds and some of them with strawberries. For chocolics and want to check some recipes using Valrholna check their site here.….. just be prepared to hum the Willy Wonka’s Oompa Loompa song.
Also posted in France, Food, Travel & Culture
27 Comments
La Maisons des Desserts, Namur, Belgium
and yet another story that has been sitting on the draft
charming post box
Whats Namur?
A town or village?I kept saying I really do not know, but my husband went on asking.. What made you choose the place? Well I said it’s a town on the east side of the autobahn when we turn right to head for Luxemburg. He must be tired we set off from St Albans, UK at 630am to arrive at Dover by 8am and we had not stopped since leaving Calais, except to fill the fuel tank.
I was getting desperate for a hot drink and we needed to stretch our legs. Namur is just south of Brussels not far from Waterloo (Yes Napoleon’s Waterloo). A good stopping point because I did not want a road side café. I wanted to try what Belgians take for their tea time!
belgian waffles
As usual we head for the La Gare (train station) judging from the signs we were on the French speaking side so nothing to worry we can get by. If you were to ask me if I speak Francais its NON but… I can read menu well and get the gist of it. My husband always tell everybody, “Sha never get hungry she reads the menu well enough!”
Also posted in Rest of European Food & Culture, Travels
20 Comments
Mango Fool
Stop Baking!!!
Those are the words that came out from Swiss Cheese mouth while we were having lunch on baked macaroni.
When I arrived from Germany last Tuesday, I went to an auto mode of cleaning, laundry and shopping.
Thursday I slaved in the kitchen. I baked the pear upside down cake, leche flan and did some sticky rice pudding.
As you see my sister Tara and Nikos arrived from UK.
My sister follows my food blog and asked if they can have all that food you have cooked and baked?
Oh dear I went over the top I think.
So after our baked macaroni lunch with cos lettuce salad, full of spring onions, I needed something to clear my palatte.
Oh just excuse to eat something sweet really. I still have leche flan which am giving away to a friend.
I wanted something light.
Last Thursday, the lady from the Filipino store rang me up that the cargo bearing fresh vegetables and fruits from the Philippines had arrived.Off I went and the mangoes are larger than the usual ones I buy.
I realized its summer in the Philippines, mango season.
What joy!
But of course you can say its a treat. For 5 pieces I paid 14€. (8€ a kilo)
So I made a fool using FAGE TOTAL full fat yoghurt.
Cut the mango into small pieces.
Add a bit of brown sugar, I normally use organic honey but I have ran out.
Voila serve it in tall clear glasses.
Back to the lunch…
I brought so many goodies from Germany that includes smoked bacon from Tirol area and Appenzeller cheese. The taste of smoked meat and the strong appenzeller cheese is ideal for baked macaroni.
creme de yaourt aux fraises SHF 17
Well Andrew of Spitton Extra our host this month’s for the 17th edition of Sugar High Friday wrote…
Encompassed by the Dairy theme we are looking at milk, cream, yogurts and cheese (and substitutes such as soya milk, almond milk or soy yogurt for people with allergies or special dietary requirements,) but eggs are not classed as dairy; although you can use these of course in a subsidiary role. So a broad selection of products you can utilise in your culinary masterpiece… …
There are few greek desserts and cakes I know of that uses yoghurt.
One is Galaktoboureko, an eggy custard with yoghurt.
The other is karidopitta, walnut cake with yoghurt.
Also posted in IMBB/SHF/EBBM
29 Comments
White Chocolate Ginger Creme Brulee – Recipe for Love SHF 16
Do vanilla, ginger and white chocolate make you amorous?
Well if so then I just made a potential aphrodisiac for this month’s SUGAR HIGH FRIDAY #16.
On our host site, Jennifer of Taste Everything At Once it says
We’re looking for truly amour-inducing sweet treasures. Tempting desserts that double as aphrodisiacs. Desserts so amative we’re surprised the Domestic Goddess is letting us get away with this risqué incarnation of her monthly blogging event.
Find an ingredient renown for it’s aphrodisical effects and build a seductive dessert around it.
Also posted in France, Food, Travel & Culture, IMBB/SHF/EBBM
45 Comments
Loukoumades (lou kou MAH des)
Loukoumades… the Greek pastry sometimes called HONEY PUFFS, HONEY BALLS, FRIED PUFFS. Whatever you call them, its one of my favourite Greek pastry.
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Also posted in DINING, Greek Food & Culture
30 Comments
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