chocolate ricotta mousse

I have a present for you today. It's my birthday week, and this is how I do things.

I've got something good for you.

I've got a decadent and fabulous dessert that you can make in ten minutes.
I'm serious. At 1:00 I realized that I didn't know what I was going to write about today. I opened up a few cookbooks, and came across this beauty of a recipe, which Sarah had made as a dessert for her salon dinner party back in August. I was a guest at that one, and it was fabulous.


I had gotten a little overexcited about making ricotta last week, and I had a pound of it in the fridge. I came to this realization at about 1:05. On went the pot of water to boil for the chocolate, which was simmering by the time I had chopped the chocolate. Melt and stir, melt and stir. 1:10. Melted chocolate, ricotta, vanilla, a touch of honey into the food processor. 1:12.
I topped with a bit of double spun raw cream, snapped a few pictures, and I was eating it by 1:15.

Well I had to make sure it was really good before I told you about it, right?

This is far too good to be this easy. I'm serious. I'm telling you now how fast it is, because I am a terrible liar, but when you pull this together for someone who you are trying to deeply impress, I give you full permission to keep that information from them. In fact, why don't you melt a little extra chocolate so that you can smear it on your face, just to show how hard you worked on it.

A note on ricotta before we begin. Of course, the better the ricotta, the better the mousse. I like to make ricotta using this method, which makes a very dry, larger curd ricotta. That sort of ricotta makes a stiffer, dryer mousse, similar to a traditional chocolate mousse in texture. If it is too dry for you, you can add a touch of heavy cream as you go. This stiffer mousse is ready as soon as you have whipped it, although it certainly can be refrigerated if you're not ready to eat it. If you use creamier smaller curd ricotta, like what you will find in the store, the mousse will be softer and a bit more liquid, and also lovely, although requiring at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Chocolate Ricotta Mousse
adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts

3 ounces dark chocolate
1 pound ricotta cheese (see note, above)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon honey
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. You can fit a metal bowl over a pot of water. Just make sure that there is no space between the two. Put about an inch of water in the pot and bring to a simmer. Do not let it boil. Fit the bowl on top, and put the chocolate inside of the bowl. Stir the chocolate until it is fully melted.
Combine the melted chocolate, ricotta, vanilla, and honey in the food processor. Process until it is smooth, about 30 seconds.
Beat the heavy cream with the maple syrup until holds soft peaks.
Refrigerate if necessary (see not above). Serve in little cups, topped with whipped cream.

chai

Today was a city day. We hopped in the car and drove east for this event. Joey had done some behind the scenes crafting for our friend who was vending, and we went to support and have a day of hipster craftiness. We can almost swing that look, except with the overwhelmed kids we were torturing by making them take another circle around the reclaimed sweater mittens and feathered headbands. It seems that young hipsters do not have children in Boston, and we had the icy stares of many to prove it. With the teary girls and zonked girls, we're not so hip at all, no matter how many pieces of our own clothing we have silkscreened. And although the man playing Pixies covers on his theremin really really loud (did you know how a theremin could rock? I certainly didn't) was admittedly sort of awesome, it didn't really help the overwhelmed state. So we bought the little one a crafty hip unicorn wand, and the big one a kit to make something hip for herself (that's all she ever wants), and we did our best. Then we got some bad Thai food and hit the highway.

I am happy to be home. The truth is, I seem to be more and more of a country girl (although I guess that's what I've been all along) and squeezing myself and both the girls into tiny city bathrooms and trying to get Rosie not to lay on the bathroom floor while Sadie tries to pee without touching the toilet is too much for me. Why are city bathrooms so small? Does no one in the city have a small child who needs help from an adult in the bathroom? I like the country because there is enough space out here that architects don't seem to feel guilty about making bathrooms just a little bit bigger.

All in all, though, the day was a fair success. I must say, I think we only really made it through because of our afternoon yesterday.
For the first time this year, it snowed. Joey and I actually paid a babysitter so we could go to the hardware store, and we really got our money out of that hour. We walked around town, and the snow fell on all the tourists and on our eyelashes, and we were all happy. We came home, and the girls were outside in the snow, and then they came in and I made chai and popcorn which we ate by the fire. This morning, the girls were up at 6:30, and they spent a good hour rolling around in the two inches of snow on their own before we got ready for our city day.

So it seems that the our home in the country gave us the strength to make it through our exciting city day. Thank you home. Thank you snow. And thank you chai.


Chai
(this is the recipe that I've been working with for a while, but Eilen just put up a nice one in the comments to the granola post, so do take your pick... I haven't gotten to try hers yet)

serves 4

4 cups water
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 cinnamon stick
15 cloves
5 cardamom pods
10 black peppercorns
one orange, unpeeled, cut into circular slices
1 cup milk
honey to taste
3 black tea bags (3 heaping tablespoons loose black tea) or, if you are caffeine free or are making the chai for children you can use either decaf black tea or my personal favorite, celestial seasonings caffeine free tea, which is an herbal approximation of black tea

Combine the water, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns and orange slices in a pot. Bring to a boil, and keep it going at a low boil, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by about a third. Take the pot off the heat, add the tea, cover, and steep for 3-5 minutes. Put a strainer over a bowl or measuring cup, and strain the liquid. Return to the pot and add milk. Rewarm and add honey to taste.

weekend art

the new granola

About a year ago, I put up my granola recipe for everyone to see. Honestly, that recipe was part of the reason that I started this blog, so that I could stop writing it down on the backs of dirty napkins and old shopping lists for people who NEEDED it. People feel passionate about breakfast, and I totally understand that.

But I have to tell you something.

I make granola every week. And like any recipe that lives in my kitchen with that much frequency, it's changed a little bit. I think it's better. And a little bit simpler, if that could even be possible. So, for those of you that make the old granola, don't worry- you don't have to change it if you don't want to. But this is the new evolved granola, dairy free (and cheaper), and a little bit drier.
So there you have it.

A word on storage. This recipe makes a lot of granola. We eat it all in a week or maybe a week and a half. We eat it for breakfast, we eat it for dessert, and Joey grabs panicked handfuls of it when he gets home from work and gets the news that dinner is not ready right now.
Granola will keep in a jar for 2-3 weeks. I suggest making it in this huge quantity because it's just as easy to make a lot as it is to make a little. But if it's too much for you, fill a few ziplock bags and throw them in the freezer. Then take them out as you need them.


The New Granola

8 1/2 cups rolled oats (2 lbs)
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups sliced almonds (you can also use blanched almonds or coarsely chop them yourself, depending on your preference)
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup maple syrup (reduce t0 3/4 cup if you don't want it sweet)
1 1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Combine all of the dry ingredients in your largest bowl. Stir stir stir.

Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large measuring cup or small bowl. Make sure that they become a nice, uniform syrup. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Stir stir stir until everything is coated and there are no hidden pockets of syrup or dry oats in your bowl.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the granola in an even layer on each tray.

Go check to make sure that your oven is preheated. The trays should both be in the upper 2/3 of the oven.

Put the granola into the oven. Set your timer for 30 minutes. Clean up the kitchen. When the timer beeps, shuffle the granola around a bit, and switch the trays. Set the timer again for 30 minutes. Go off and do something else. When the timer beeps, again shuffle and switch. Set timer one last time for 30 minutes. This time, do something really lovely for yourself. After all, you've just made your own granola. When the timer beeps (it's been in there for an hour and a half, just so we can be clear), turn the oven off. Leave the granola in the oven! Leave it in there for up to six hours, depending on your day. It will harden and crisp up as the oven cools. If you must have raisins or other dried fruit in your granola, add it each time you eat it. That way the raisins won't get hard. Store in an airtight jar.

saved for all time

So this past weekend, the library had a little gingerbread making session. We showed up on Saturday morning, and the kids were herded into the odd crafting/storytelling room off the kids book dungeon. (For all you Mason librarians..Don't get me wrong, I have deep deep love for my public library. I just think that the basement kids room is a little funny, and you might even agree with me, right?)
The little builders hoisted up their sleeves and got to it. Each was given an endless supply of graham crackers and ice cream cones, and their very own tub of "delicious" white frosting.

It was a little bit awesome.

We hung out in the kid's library and Joey talked about kid's comics with a poor unsuspecting friend who walked out of there with a stack of books. I'm serious about this- if you run into Joey in the library, just be ready to go home with a heavy load.

Rosie ate half of her tub of frosting and looked green by the end. Sadie, in her usual fashion, was the last to complete her masterpiece. The morning was a great success.

But now I have these ginger bread houses. I'm feeling a little grinch-y about them. They fill the house with the smell of "delicious" frosting. The girls claim that a bug was stuck in one of the yards yesterday, but then freed itself. And then there is my unreasonable objection to food that one cannot eat. I know there are a whole lot of gingerbread house lovers out there, but I can't help wanting to eat things that I make.
But I know, I didn't make these- my children did. And they are quite lovely. But this morning, after five days, I told the girls that the gingerbread houses were going away, before any other critters found them. They said goodbye to their little candy compound and ran off to school. They were fine with it. Really!

Why am I confessing this all to you?
Well, I am the kind of girl who loses her mind in a cluttered house. Joey and I lived in a little yurt before Sadie was born, and I still dream of returning to tiny circular living. (I block out the centipedes and the spidery outhouse with my skilled memory) I also am the odd woman out in an immensely crafty family. There is art everywhere in my house.

Including in my garbage. And I'm the one who puts it there.

So, if I take a picture, and I tell you about their lovely little gingerbread houses, then they will live on, even after they are gone. And with that, I use my art to preserve their art. And it doesn't even clutter the table.

peppery pasta carbonara with poached egg

In the interest of your own sanity, I'm going to say that you should only keep reading this if you have bacon in the house, or if you are willing to go to the store right now.

If you don't have bacon in the house, you might just feel sad that you can't make this immediately
.
You might feel hungry and wistful, and I just can't take thinking of you that way.

So don't read any more.

Okay. Whoever is still with me, you've got some bacon, right?

Let's move on, then. This is peppery pasta carbonara with poached egg, or in other words, spaghetti with bacon, cheese and egg all cooked in bacon fat and butter.

Yes. I know.


You can make this very fast, so don't worry- you'll be eating it in no time. I'm just going to give you a few hints to get you going.

Because this all comes together so fast, you want to have your ingredients ready. Chop your parsley, grate your cheese. Put it in little bowls on the counter.

One more thing- and don't give up on me now. You have to poach an egg for this. Some of you poach eggs every day and smugly eat them on toast. I do this too, but only recently. You're not phased by this egg poaching. But maybe others are not so comfortable with poaching an egg, and that's okay- you will be a member of the egg poaching club before the night is through.

How to poach an egg:
Use a low sided sautee pan, if you have one. (For this recipe, you'll be cooking the egg in the pasta water, so whatever pot you used is fine too. ) Fill it 3/4 full with water. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar and a bit of salt. Bring the water to a simmer. That means little bubbles, a fair amount of steam. Crack your egg into a little ramekin or bowl. Hold the bowl right over the water, and slip the egg into the water. The egg will swirl around, and you might be reminded of the scary scene in Ghostbusters. The egg will come together. Cook the egg for about 2 1/2 minutes, then scoop it out. You can store it in warm water until the rest of the dish is ready.

You are now a member of the egg poaching club.

And now for the recipe.

Peppery Pasta Carbonara with Poached Egg
from Gourmet, October 2009

(This recipe is for one serving. You might be reading this late at night and need to make it right now, in which case one serving is perfect. Or perhaps you have the lucky opportunity of eating dinner all by your self. But if you're making dinner for more, just multiply the recipe by the number of eaters.)

2 Bacon Slices, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 lb spaghetti
1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 to 2 Tablespoon chopped tarragon or parsley
1 large egg

Cook bacon in a 10- inch skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a 4 qt. saucepan of salted boiling water. Reserve 1/3 cup cooking water, then transfer pasta with tongs to a bowl, shaking off excess water. If you are making this dish for more people, you might opt to drain the pasta and use new water for your eggs. That's fine too. But if you choose to take your pasta out with tongs, keep the water simmering, and add a touch of white vinegar to it.
Pour off all but 2 teaspoon bacon from skillet, then whisk butter into fat in skillet over medium heat. Add spaghetti, reserved cooking liquid, cheese, and a rounded 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add bacon and parsley or tarragon and toss. Season with salt and pepper.
Break egg into cup and slide gently into water. Poach at a bare simmer for about 2 1/2 minutes.
Serve pasta topped with egg and extra cheese.

brave combinations

I have friends who are very dear to me- they are a couple who both like to cook, although he is regarded as the more skillful of the two. The three of us were having a conversation a while back about flavor combinations.
"How do you just know what to put together?"
This was her query. She felt like she could follow a recipe, but when faced with a myriad of ingredients, she was terrified to combine anything without full knowledge of what the result would be.
Her partner the cook had a good answer for her.
"Look to other cultures."
Sage advice. Look to the Italians to find the herbs that will make tomatoes shine. Thai cooking will teach endless perfect combinations that are tested and will always work. The list goes on and on. He is a very smart and thoughtful man. If you are having the same question, you should take his advice too.

I, on the other hand, am not always so thoughtful in the kitchen as I ought to be. Sometimes I am rushing or lazy, and I will act without pause. I have made some really bad food with this thoughtlessness. But there is another side to my recklessness. And this is where my advice comes from.
I think that the best way to develop a sense for what works together is to work up your courage and give it a shot. What's the worst that can happen? Well, you can make something really gross. Start a compost pile, and that way if you really have to throw it out, nothing is wasted.

So this is my combination of the day. Sliced turkey with monterey jack, mayonnaise, arugula and quince chutney.

Now you! Give us your best combination...