Sunday, April 25, 2010

Mint Chocolate Mousse


In hopes of impressing Paula Deen, I planned to make a Mint Chocolate Mousse served in Chocolate Cups. I had this image in my mind of how beautiful the chocolate cups would turn out and how Paula Deen would just bow down to my recipe and select me as a finalist for her "Real Women of Philadelphia Contest." (For those of you who don't know, Paula Deen is hosting a cooking contest with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. She picks 2 finalists, each week for 8 weeks, who have submitted a video involving a delicious dish with Philadelphia Cream Cheese in it.) Unfortunately, I don't think my dream is going to happen. Don't get me wrong - the mint chocolate mousse is wonderful! The chocolate cups though, those were what was going to put my dessert at the top. They would have made my presentation so beautiful! I found the idea off a food blog. And it looked so easy! Basically, you melt baking chocolate and then dip a blown up balloon into the chocolate, put them in the fridge for a little while, deflate the balloon - and voila! A chocolate cup!

After attempting the chocolate cups twice, both times the chocolate deflated miserably with the balloon, I moved on. I made my recipe, in a tiny college kitchen, and submitted my video. (One day, I will conquer those chocolate cups!)

On a better note, here is my mousse recipe! It's fresh and rich and perfect for summertime! The philly cream cheese makes it ultra creamy with a bit of tangy-ness. And if you love Andes mints - this recipe is for you!

You'll need:

  • 1 8 oz. package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/4 tsp. mint extract
  • Andes Mints grated lengthwise, as garnish
  1. In a bowl, mix heavy cream on a high speed until it makes stiff peaks.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and cream cheese on a medium speed until smooth.
  3. Add mint extract and cocoa powder to cream cheese and sugar mixture and beat on a low speed until everything is mixed in evenly.
  4. Add half of the heavy cream to the mixture and mix on a medium speed.
  5. Once you have added the half of the heavy cream, fold in the rest of the cream into the mixture.
  6. Serve your Mint Chocolate Mousse on a plate or in a bowl topped with grated Andes Mints as garnish.
  7. Enjoy!

*I found the basis of this recipe (then I put a personal spin on it) at http://www.bellalimento.com; a beautiful blog with beautiful food.