2024 Intentions and Easy Chocolate Mousse Recipe
New Cheesecake Flavor: Matcha
Hi Friends,
Happy New Year! I am so excited to share with you my intentions for the new year. My three intentions for 2024 are rest, play, and explore. I have been working non-stop for what feels like eternity and it’s time for me to focus on writing and sharing all the information I have accumulated over the years.
In order to focus on my work as a food writer, historian, and recipe developer, I am going to be taking a step back from Panettone baking, posting on Instagram as well as baking cheesecakes. All this means is that there will be fewer spots available throughout the month with fewer cheesecakes.
My main goal this year is to focus on the newsletter and my work as a food writer and cookbook author. As a part-time freelance food writer, I need time to pitch recipes/stories, research recipes/stories, photograph, and actual time to write the stories and develop the recipes. As well as do all of that for the newsletter. Additionally, one of my largest projects of 2024 includes working on my Ukrainian cookbook. My end goal is to eventually do this work full-time. Someone has to write a Borshch cookbook, right!
As some of you know, sadly this past year my Ukrainian cookbook proposal was turned down by U.S. publishers. This means one of two things. I either rework my proposal and try traditional publishing again or take the plunge and go the self-publishing route. I might also shift my attention to UK, Canadian, and Australian publishers.
The newsletter will definitely have a recipe section, especially Ukrainian, Slavic, Baltic, Balkan, and Central Asian. I am thinking of picking a theme or topic each month and doing a deep dive with some sample recipes and research notes. There will be a baking section where I will continue to share my various baking projects along with their challenges, solutions, formulas, and tips. I will also try and share tips, advice, considerations about the world of food writing and food media in general. I would love for this newsletter to document my journey into the world of food and cookbook writing.
As many of you know, I love books especially cookbooks, so I am planning on having a recurring cookbook review section where I will share both new and old cookbooks along with my thoughts. I love making lists and recommendations so if you enjoy those stay tune for more book recs. One of my dreams is to open and run an indie bookstore with endless shelves of cookbooks.
Lastly, as someone who loves food, expect to see recommendations with my favorite food spots here in Austin but also in places like Barcelona, and other cities throughout Catalonia, Spain, France, Italy, Ukraine, etc.
Broadly speaking I want this newsletter to be a repository of helpful information. I love connecting people to information and fulfilling experiences that would improve or help them in whatever way necessary. Most of the content will be about different food topics but some of it might be related to history, philosophy, material culture, anthropology, media studies, interviews, cultural criticism, literary studies, more broadly but who knows where it all might lead.
BAKING NEWS:
It’s here! I am talking about the Matcha Coconut Cream Burnt Basque Cheesecake flavor! I am doing a soft launch of this new flavor. I am still working out tiny kinks but would love to get it out into the world and see what the feedback is. The matcha cheesecake is still gluten-free and made with coconut cream instead of heavy cream. Does anyone have any advice for buying good quality matcha in large quantities for baking?
RECIPE OF THE WEEK:
Silkiest and Easiest Chocolate Mousse
To be completely honest, I am not a huge chocolate dessert person. But there is something very special about this chocolate mousse. The texture alone is divine! It is one of the silkiest and creamiest desserts you will ever eat and it is relatively stress free.
Honestly, one of the best parts of this recipe is that it comes together in minutes with the use of a blender or Vitamix. There is no actual cooking, besides heating up the water and sugar in a small saucepan. You definitely want to have all the ingredients prepared as things move fast.
I adapted this recipe from the New York Times. The recipe was initially adapted by Tejal Rao for the New York Times. Tejal got this recipe from the incredibly talented pastry chef and food writer Natasha Pickowicz. I love everything Natasha makes and you should definitely follow her on Instagram and buy her amazing baking book. I will need to do a deep dive into her book later this year. Natasha learned the blender mousse recipe from fellow pastry chef Monica Stolbach. I believe they both worked for Flora Bar (now closed) used to be located inside the Met Breuer in NYC. Monica learned it from her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law found it in a 1980s Junior League community cookbook. I am in the process of trying to figure out which Junior League cookbook specifically this recipe comes from. Do let me know in the comments if you know which community cookbook specifically the original blender mousse recipe is from.
Quite the journey! I am fascinated with historiography of individual recipes and will be writing about this a lot more in the future. It’s like doing cookbook archaeology, trying to figure out the life of a recipe from its birth(s) to where it is now in our cultural zeitgeist. Additionally, how recipes are created, adopted, and modified by individual cooks can tell us a lot about current taste preferences, food trends, along with the broader social, political, and cultural ideas.
Last thing I wanted to say, make this recipe your own. You can add different flavorings such as vanilla extract or almond extract, orange blossom or coconut essence. Possibilities are endless. If you want extra layers of texture try adding dried fruit, candied fruit, or roasted nuts. You can also add alcohol for additional flavor. Try adding 1/4 cup or 60 ml of fortified wine such as dark Catalan/Italian/French vermouth, dark Rum, Marsala, Brandy, Amaro, Cognac, Kahlúa, etc. possibilities are endless.
Share your modifications in the comments to inspire others!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups or 355ml very cold heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup or 100 grams granulated sugar
1/4 cup or 60 ml water
4 large eggs or 200 grams
12 ounces or 340 grams dark chocolate (I used Callebaut No. 811)
1/4 cup or 60 ml very strongly brewed coffee or espresso (best quality you can find)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Method:
In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Put in fridge.
In a small heavy-bottom pan over low heat, melt sugar in water and bring to a boil. Once syrup comes to a boil, take off heat immediately and place next to blender.
Working quickly, add eggs and chocolate to blender. Start blending on medium-high speed while slowly pouring in hot sugar syrup. Things will get steamy, don’t panic. Keep blending until the mixture is extremely smooth, about 30 seconds.
Now add the coffee/espresso and salt. Keep the blender running until the mixture has cooled to roughly room temperature or is not hot to the touch, about 2 to 3 minutes, pause to scrape the sides as needed. *This will take longer than you expect. Just keep at.
Now that the chocolate mixture has cooled, add 1/3 of the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream until smooth. You can now add the rest of the chocolate mixture by folding gently into the cream until there are no streaks (pretty much), tiny streaks are totally okay! See video below for reference.
Pro Tip: *Don’t worry if the mixture seems runny, it will set nicely in the fridge.
Divide into individual ramekins or containers and set in the fridge until firm, no less than 2 hours, even better after 24 hours. This recipe makes about 12, 5 ounce cups. Serve the mousse chilled straight from the fridge.
COOKBOOK GIFT GUIDE:
I created a new list of my favorite Italian Cookbooks and Baking Books. Check it out! Tell me in the comments, what is your favorite Italian cookbook?
SUPPORT MY WORK:
If you would like to support my work by helping me buy ingredients for recipe testing, content development, and newsletter/cookbook writing please consider becoming a paid subscriber.
That mousse recipe is very much like the old French Silk Pie recipe I used to make. I lost the recipe when my recipe box fell off the top of my car while vacationing in New Hampshire, years ago.. The crust was made like a graham cracker crust, but using commercial chocolate wafer cookies. One of the very best pies! And, I am looking forward to your cookbook!