Belgian choco mousse

When visiting Belgium you might notice their choco mousse is different from the one described in my previous post chocolate mousse cake. That is because there is an extra creamy and less light texture to it given by actual cream. Turns out the grass is greener on the other side and after several complains from my dear better half I found a recipe closer to what they serve in Belgium that he would appreciate.

Chocolate mousse for 6:

• 200gr Dark chocolate for backing - be sure to chose the one you like the taste the most, because the whole dish flavor will depend mostly on its flavor
• 3 eggs - I would say fresh, but that goes without saying
• 125gr of cold cream (out of the fridge so they don't warm while whisking and become butter)
• 100gr of sugar
• 1 tb. sp. of unsalted butter
• pinch of salt

Recipe:

1. Melt the chocolate. 
1. The butter keeps the chocolate from burning so put it in the bottom of the pan. 
2. Or just use the microwave and do not use the butter at all, but make sure to keep stopping to stir, it is very easy to get chocolate burned while it isn't melted when heating it on the microwave.
2. While that is happening whisk the cream with the sugar until you get a tough and creamy Chantilly. Put the Chantilly on the fridge.
3. By then the chocolate is melt but hot, so leave it to cool down a bit.
4. Whisk the eggs whites until they can stand upside down without falling from the boul. (You will need to add a pinch of salt for them to gain body.)
5. Move the spoon on the chocolate mixture to make sure it is still soft and liquid and check with your finger to see if it isn't too hot. Then whisk the chocolate with the egg yolk and butter you get it dissolved.
6. Incorporate the egg whites gently with a whisk. (The reason I use "incorporate" and not mix and mention that it has to be done with a whisk is because this egg whites construction is very delicate and will break down to liquid if violently stirred.)
7. Incorporate the cream gently with a whisk. 

It is a matter of taste however. I prefer the previous recipe and that one doesn't include milk which nowadays seems to be a good mark for any food presented to others not knowing up front of their allergies.

Waffels

Perfect Belgium waffels, fluffy and crusty.
This recipe was searched and improved for so long I no longer know what the original source was. If anyone does know, pleas add a comment so I can reference it. ;-)

Dough:

• 2 1/4 tea sp. east
• 710 ml milk
• 3 eggs
• 112gr butter
• 100gr sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 vanilla extract
• 500gr flour

As simple as one two three...
One: whisk or blend everything but the egg whites together;
Two: beat the egg whites until tough;
Three: involve the egg whites into the remaining dough.
Use a waffel maker, or a crock messieur if you don't have a waffel maker.
Et voila!Enjoy!

Crepes

This recipe takes me back to a time when weekends were slow and uneventful, when having company for tea time meant baking something delightfully rich in flavor as well as in nutrients and more so do it easily and fast because children are suddenly hungry.

Dough:

• 250gr flour
• 7.5 dl milk
• 6 eggs
• 6 tb. sp. sugar
• butter to fry

Suggestions for filling:

• melted chocolate
• marmalade
• lemon juice and honey
• honey and nuts or almonds
• banana, cinnamon and maple syrup
• plain chocolate and cinnamon because the dough already tastes so good it is a petty to not try it simple

Put all the ingredients in a blender and then let it rest from 5 to 10min. We never did wait, which meant the first crepes were flatter and drier than those after 5 min, but they tasted amazing even so. Then use a large flat frying pan melt enough butter on it so that tilting the pan one side and then the others you can make the butter slide and touch all the pan's surface. If you can do this without getting burned it is easiest to use a kitchen paper to spread the butter. Then use a soup ladle to dose the amount of dough you add to the pan and once again tilt the pan until the surface is covered by a thin layer of dough and let it fry until the dough lifts in bubbles. It is ready to turn with the help of spatula or with some training you can flip it with a push to the pan.

Since this dough has so many eggs and milk and most of all frying and eating it takes time, this recipe was a combination of tea time and dinner for the family. Usually this was followed by soup to introduce all the missing veggies, the kids (including me) would promise to eat the soup in exchange for this gorgeous starter that kept us all around the stove for 1 to 2 hours.