Chocolate Mousse in Chocolate Shell

I am falling in love with my late night chocolate cravings. Because of this craving I always come up with something creative that I have never made in my life. Ah not talking about the mousse, that I have made several times but a couple of days before what I made, I am talking about that - the Chocolate Mousse in Chocolate Shell. If someone says Chocolate making is one of the easiest jobs, I might partially support it. But when it comes to perfection and texture it is one of the toughest job I must say. And look matters a lot, as that gives us the first impression and then of course the taste. My mousse recipe differs from the other mousse recipes. I am always a lazy person mainly when it comes to cooking. My target always is to spend the less time in the kitchen. So this recipe is always one of the shortcut versions to get your mousse ready without wasting much time….:P OK!!! Lets move to the recipe then….

Ingredients:
(Yeilds 3 ramekins size)

For the shell-

Dark chocolate - 3/4 cup ( Grated, more or less)

White Chocolate- 1/4 cup

For  the Mousse-

Amul cream- 200 gm (Tetra Pack)

Eggs - 2

Milk Chocolate - 1 cup (Grated)

Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tspn (Sweet orange also works great)

Powdered Sugar - Optional

Method:

Make the Shells:

1. Take three dome shaped small bowl, smaller than a soup bowl, same like a dessert bowl.
2. Melt the white chocolate and pour it in a piping bag. Made some designs as per your choice. Put it in the freezer for few minutes.
3. Melt the Dark chocolate. Divide it in to three portion. Cool it down a bit. Then take one bowl pour the chocolate in the bowl and immediately with circular motion spread the chocolate all over the body of the bowl. It will tend to get hard immediately as the bowl will be cold. You can use your fingers too to spread the chocolate. Use the same procedure for the other two too. Chill it until the Mousse gets ready.

Make the Mousse:

1. Take a double boiler. Take the container in which you will make the mousse.
2. Add the eggs one by one and then beat it nice and fluffy. I used a normal hand beater. Add the cream then.
3. Melt the Chocolate in a separated container.
4. Heat the egg and cream mixture on a double boiler and continuously keep on stirring. When the cream will get hot add the melted chocolate. Never stop stirring, otherwise the eggs will form  lumpy in any time.
5. Add the essence and cook until the mixture gets thicken.
6. Take it off the heat and cool it.
7. Now take out the bowls from the fridge on which you have moulded the shell. Before demoulding put them in the freezer for a couple of minutes. Then with a very slow tap demould them. And again put them in the bowl.
8. Pour the mousse on each shell/bowl. Chilll and then before serving demould them (Place the serving dish on the top then flip it) and serve them with a fruit top or some chocolate sauce. For best result, chill it over night to set.

Note:

1. This mousse will taste like more dense and creamy. If you want the airy and fluffy taste then please add whipped cream with it.
2. Mousse in mainly gets folded with the whipped cream and egg white. But I am a bit skeptical in using raw eggs. So I make it in this way.
3. I didn't use any sugar here. As my family's taste bud is towards the lesser sweeter side. So one can  always add sugar to adjust the sweetness.

Restaurant Review: Bohemian, Kolkata

Location:  

32/4, Old Ballygunge 1st Lane, Ballygunge, Kolkata

Contact : 033 66064206 ext:127

Cuisine: Bengali, Italian

Hours: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM, 7 PM to 11 PM

Rating: 4/5

Pocket Pinch: 1500 for two people (approx + Tax.)  

If you take the lane just by Chinese Pavilion (known as Bondel Road) on Ballygaunge Phari, come straight and hit on to a small temple, take sharp left and just a minute's distance you will see the small cosy restaurant called Bohemian on the right hand side. This month our Kolkata Food Bloggers' Table meet was destined to Bohemian. We all heard a lot about this one and all good words and praises about the quality of tasty food they serve. So we came here to judge our luck, taste and to review. At first glance the restaurant reminded me the bistros of USA/UK. I was the first one who came a bit before time. We had prior reservation so after entering the attainder directed to our reserved table. We were supposed be 6 but only 4 were able to make it. When we all settled down there was nobody and we were sharing jokes about the reservation et al. But after half n hour we realised how important it was to reserve ones table before. It got too crowded within an hour. The restaurant is very cosy and small allocating 7-8 tables. I loved the hanging exhibition of picture postcards adorning the window panes, the backdrop fountain  with some creepers pouring down behind a huge glass framing and giving the shadow effect of the rippling water. All the wooden table and chairs were decked up methodically with some colourful mix-matched gypsy cushions.

Coolers

Without wasting much time we all four dug in to the Menu Card and placed our first order some coolers for us. Magic Potion @ 139/- (Fruity combination of Pineapple, Mango, Strawberry, orange and Ginger ale), Bloody January @149/- (A chilling combination of tomato juice, red pepper, green chilli and celery salt) and 2 Gondhoraj Julep, each @149/- ( A cranky mix of Gondhoraj Lime, Coriander leaves and lemonade) were served promptly after our order. We four thoroughly enjoyed sipping the refreshing drinks pairing the starter and main course accompanies we ordered for, though A and M said that the corianders in the Gondhoraj Julep were a bit generously given to relish. 

Starter

For starter we went for PaNchphoron flavoured Chicken Escallops and Vodka Soaked Prawns with Grilled Garlic Aioli. Both the dishes were so sumptuous that we finished them in a minute devouring each taste wholeheartedly. The  PaNchphoron flavoured Chicken Escallops was perfectly made. It comes six in a plate, costs 299/- . Each piece enhanced with a mellow flavour of paNchphoron, incorporating with the chicken with a perfect balanced taste that left in the mouth to crave for the second bite immediately. The Vodka Soaked Prawns with Grilled Garlic Aioli was the another starter that we blithely enjoyed. It comes in six separate skewers and costs 399/-. M was allergic towards Prawns so rest of us happily shared her portion. No need not to say that this one too finished in minute and we were lusting for more. The flavour and the taste were so perfectly blended that each bite made to too sumptuous and delicious. 

Bacon wrapped chicken supreme bundles with Aam Kasundi Reduction (comes with rice and boiled veggies)

The main course is served as a single dish. They call it Combos that means it comes with rice and a veggie along with main side dish. So we order 4 separate combos for each one of us. But then realised that 1 combo can be easily divided in to 2, though the rice will be little less for 2 portions.  We all share and tasted each other's ordered dish. Bacon wrapped chicken supreme bundles with Aam Kasundi Reduction, @ 399/- was served along with steamed rice and tossed vegetables. It was delectably made. And I loved the smoky bacon flavour while having each bite with chicken and the aam kasundi gravy.

Bacon Baked Tilapia with Ginger and Fennel (comes with green rice and boiled veggies)

Bacon Baked Tilapia with Ginger and Fennel @399/-, I really liked the dish how the flavour of the Fennel incorporated with dish. A very mild but balanced, the dish really won our heart. They have served the dish with tossed vegetables and coriander buttered rice. The combo altogether blended together justly. 

Royal Bengal Roast Mutton with Bhuna Sauce

Royal Bengal Roast Mutton with Bhuna Sauce @ 469/- was served along with tossed vegetables and rolls with mashed potato. We all enjoyed this taste too. But as I have tasted so much the other food I hardly remember the exact taste of the dish.

Spicy Pork Curry (Anglo-Indian Spices) (comes with rice and boiled veggies)

I ordered for Spicy Pork Curry (Anglo-Indian Spices) - 429/-, though A helped me to select the dish. I was little scared of getting the wild smell from the pork. But to my surprise we didn't get any and above all it was so soft and too tasty. I wanted to finish the whole bowl. But was so full by then have to control myself. This one is also served with steamed rice and wilted greens (I didn't like it though that much).

Gondhoraj Soufflé

Last but not the least now came the turn for the dessert. We were all full and happy souls. There was no space for dessert at all. But it was A's demand that we should at least taste one dish from the tempting dessert spread written in the menu card. So we had Gondhoraj Soufflé @ 219/- on our table. We all attacted the dish and finished it in no time. The rind of Gondhoraj lemon was the main flavour in it. Nice and soft but more like a mousse.

We enjoyed each and every bite from Bohemian. And yes I will visit this place again. What I like most is the unique combination of the Bengali spices with each dish that makes it not also tasty but exotic too. Chef Joy has definitely took the Bengali cusine in to that extend where we can think of experimenting with the famous Bengali spices. And last but the not least I should not forget to mention the homemade chocolates M brought for us. That is so sweet of her as it was her first meet.....

Tea Tasting Event with Sangeeta Kichlu organised by Splenda

Splenda gifted us a wonderful afternoon by organising a Tea Tasting event with popular Tea Sommelier Sangeeta Kichlu on 31st October'13 at Taj Bengal, Kolkata. It was a great pleasure to represent Kolkata Food Bloggers for this event. Unfortunately due to this festive season most of our Food Bloggers were tied up with prior engagements. Thankfully I was able to make it. The session began just in time when bloggers and delegates from media settled down themselves comfortably. The honourable guests of the afternoon were Eminent Tea Sommelier Sangeeta Kichlu and renowned Nutritionist Dr. Indrani Ghosh along with Sidhartha Lohia, the Director of Apurva Organics LTD and Sarita Falcao from The Practice.

The session started with an Introduction of the tea journey that we were going to make with Splenda, the zero- calorie sweetener. Sangeeta Kichlu named this session "A Zero-Calorie Afternoon".  The main goal of the event was to raise the awareness of tea and its blending with the low calorie sweetener.  Without wasting much time just after a brief introduction we all gathered in front of the tea exhibit area were a vast range of Darjeeling and Assam tea were on display. We started our tea tasting ceremony with the Green Darjeeling tea, from the lightest to the stronger Assam Tea. The session was so educative where we got to know about the cultivation story of tea gardening.  The session became more interesting when we kept on tasting each tea and Sangeeta Kichlu kept on generating the knowledge about it and Nutritionist Indrani Gupta kept on enriching our knowledge with the nutritional values of each tea and about Splenda.

As my taste is concerned I was never in love with tea. But this tea tasting session did open my taste bud and made me to differentiate and choose the particular tea that I could sip with contemplation. First inhale the smell of the tea and taste it. Yes tea should be enjoyed and taste same as we do with wine or whisky.  Liquor tea, Brewed Tea, Green tea, Black tea, Tea added with milk and then with Splenda , all opened up our eyes how to enjoy tea as a daily mandatory part of our life. Splenda on the other hand exampled as a healthy replacement for sugar for those who need their daily dose of caffeine  but are also health conscious. Unlike the other Artificial sweeteners, Splenda did not leave any bitter aftertaste.

We were also introduced with some flavoured tea which tasted better with out ilk always. The session ended with wide spread of delectable assorted snacks by Taj Bengal.  

Overall I avidly enjoyed the afternoon. I was looking more for this kind of event in Kolkata. I have just read about these kind of events in other metros. But this time it was a great pleasure to have such an event in our own city Kolkata. How I would forget to share the beautiful memento that Splenda gifted all of us.

For more photos pls visit: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.316742485131871.1073741842.157011837771604&type=3

"Sucralose, the sweetening ingredient in SPLENDA was discovered in the UK,. Researchers were looking into a new compound made from sugar, called sucralose, when the research team accidentally discovered that sucralose was deliciously sweet. Even better, they found that it contained no calories! A true no-calorie alternative to sugar was born. Sucralose is made by a patented process that transforms sugar into sucralose, the no-calorie, non-carbohydrate sweetener with the taste of sugar. Although made from sugar, sucralose is 600 times sweeter! So you need only a little to add a lot of sweetness."

Rui Posto with Indrani Dhar (Kolkata Food Blogger)

We know each other I think from last 4 years. Through our blogs we became fellow bloggers and then fast friends. And after settling down to Kolkata and having her one of the most important and responsible members of Kolkata Food Bloggers, she has become an inseparable part of our life. Yes the star of this and our last week's ""Know your Kolkata Food Blogger Friend" event is, none other than the eminent and one of the popular bloggers of Indian, Indrani Dhar. A mom of three kids, leads a very busy life but how passionate she is towards cooking, her blog is the perfect example of it. Her blog, Recipe Junction is a treasure trove collection of almost all cuisines.  Her stay in various countries for last 14 years reflects the variety of dishes she cooks and shares through her blog. The best quality of her I,s one can trust on her blindly and she knows very well what a responsibility is called.  Kolkata Food Bloggers is so proud to have one such member in its group. And I feel so proud to be associated with her as a friend and fellow blogger. There is so many things to learn from her and she is always here for us whenever we need her. She always stands for justice and has the courage to raise fair voice whenever its needed. A true gem and simple person by heart, she is Indrani.

Today I have picked up one of the most favourite recipes of our house that my mom cooks. Rui Posto/ Rohu Fish with Poppy Seed (Click to see Indrani's recipe), I found it in Indrani's blog. She cooked it in a very different way and sounds very delicious. She has added onion and tomatos. But I preferred to cook it in more simple way how my mom cooks. I cooked Cauliflower Posto almost same way as Indrani cooked that will be posted in the blog very soon. Now let us have a look on my dish of Rui Posto/Rohu Fish with Poppy Seeds.

Ingredients:

Rui/Rohu Fish - 4 blocks

Poppy Seed - 1/2 cup

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tspn

Mustard oil - To fry the fish + 1 tbspn + 1 tspn

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tspn + 1/4 tspn

Salt to taste

Green Chilli - 2 - 3

Method:-

1.  Rub the fish with 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder and salt.
2. Heat the Mustard Oil in Kodai/Pan. Be sure that the oil should reach a high temperature.  Add the fish slowly so that the oil should not sputter and burn your hand. Let the fish turn semi brown and then take our from the oil by letting go the excess oil. Reserve.
3. Paste the Poppy seeds in a smooth paste.
4. Heat 1tbspn oil in the Kadai. Add mustard seeds. Let them sputter. Add the poppy seed paste and 1/4 cup water, 1/4 tspn turmeric powder and keep on stirring. Add the remaining water and let it come to boil. Add the fish. Cook for a minute and then taste how much salt to add.
5. Cook for 3-4 mnts. Pls check how much gravy you want to keep. If more water needed then add. If you want a dry texture then cook until the gravy gets thicken.
6. Add green chilies and Ghee. Drizzle few drops of mustard oil (1 tspn) and serve with hot rice.

Note:

1. You can add Onion and Tomatoes also.

2. Many times we also use a bit mustard paste to enhance the taste.