Gelatin George
After hearing of my new year’s commitment to using new ingredients, my sister suggested that I use gelatin and make my own mousse. Once I got past the rather disgusting nature of the origin of gelatin, I thought that a mousse would provide a respectable challenge.
My wonderful wife purchased Gelatin George for me:
Michael Pollan would be proud of the ingredient list:
Now a mousse is a little more involved than my typical cooking, and much more dessert-y than my usual. Thus, I own no double boiler. However, I used what I officially dub to be the “poor man’s double boiler.”
I placed semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa powder, Bailey’s Irish Creme and butter into this rig, gently melted it down and then mixed it with a creme, gelatin slurry. I then whipped heavy cream in a frozen metal bowl until it was mediumly fluffy (which I guess baking people call medium peaks). Finally, I mixed it all together:
And after an hour of sitting in the fridge, I had a chocolate mousse:
The texture actually came out just right, although it could have used more Bailey’s flavor. Lastly, I need lessons in dessert aesthetics, as I clearly made not attempt to make the mousse look attractive. In the future, It’ll sport a smooth top, be in a martini glass and have a raspberry topping. For now, chocolate goodness will have to suffice.
