Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse ♥

Hello Friends!  Happy Valentine's Day week! 

I have been in the best mood this week because we had the most amazing weekend and it's filled my heart so BIG that I don't want it to end.  We traveled to Pittsburgh, PA to attend a wedding which was the most beautiful day! I wish I could go back to Friday and do it all over again! ♥

I can't wait to share more about that later, but for today I thought because tomorrow is Valentine's Day I should treat you (and me!) to something special.  We had a snow day yesterday so it was the perfect time to put on some music and cook up something yummy!  

I decided a while back that I wanted to make chocolate mousse for Valentine's day.  I have never made it from scratch before and for my first time I wanted to be as authentic as possible and make Julia Child's recipe.  When I looked it up I was surprised to see she does not use heavy cream.  Julia's recipe uses egg yolks and sugar as a base instead of cream.  

It was a long process but definitely worth it in the end! I felt very French with my apron and my whisk....oooh la la!  ♥

This is a perfect dessert for Valentines Day! 

You start by melting chocolate, butter, and coffee over a double boiler. 

Remove that from heat and in another double boiler whisk egg yolks, sugar, water (and rum if you use it) until thick. 

Place in an ice bath and continue whisking.....

Fold in your chocolate mixture. 

In a separate bowl beat egg whites, salt, and vanilla.

Fold into the chocolate. 

We have mousse! ♥

Put in little serving dishes and refrigerate!  

Serve to your Valentine! 

Heavenly!  

Julia Child’s Chocolate Mousse - adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) 

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used semisweet chocolate chips)

6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (12 tbls)

1/4 cup dark-brewed coffee

4 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons dark rum 

1 tablespoon water 

Pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat a saucepan one-third full with hot water, and in a bowl set on top, melt together the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over the barely simmering water, until smooth. Remove from heat.

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside 

(*tip – I didn't have a bowl large enough so I used a 9x13 glass baking dish and it worked perfectly*)

In a bowl or pot large enough to nest securely on the saucepan of simmering water, whisk the yolks of the eggs with the 2/3 cup of sugar, rum, and water for about 3 minutes until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise. (You can also use a hand-held electric mixer.)

Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff, then add the vanilla.

Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don’t overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.

Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl or divide into serving dishes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.  I was able to make 6 "generous" individual serving cups : ) 

Top with whip cream and serve! Bon Appetit! 

Note: Several blogs I read suggested cutting the sugar measurement to 1/2 cup due to it being overly sweet.  The originally recipe calls for 2/3 cup but to be safe I used 1/2 cup and I felt that was just the right amount of sweetness!  

I also omitted the rum because I didn’t have any on hand. 

♥

I would definitely say my chocolate mousse was a success!

Julia would be proud! 

♥

Happy Valentine's Day my friends! Our Valentines are hung and we are ready to celebrate!

I hope you all have a day filled with love and joy! xo 

The Heartfelt Home Cafe: why I love Julia Child ♥

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Hello and welcome back to the cafe!  Firstly I would like to thank all my twitter, instagram, and blog friends for all of your kind words and feedback .  Creating this space for us has been a thrill for me and knowing that you love the idea too, makes it all the more exciting! It seems I'm not the only one who loves cafes and dreams of a perfect place to gather, talk, laugh, and drink coffee (& tea! : )  I have appreciated all of your ideas and will be taking them to heart in the coming weeks and months. My friend Rosinda suggested that we travel to a new city each time we visit the café and I love that idea.  We can combine our love for cafés with our endless Wanderlust! Thanks Rosinda ♥

 

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I've found so many lovely things for our cafe on Pinterest (my newest obsession!).  Every time I post something from Pinterest I will link back to the website or blog it came from through the "via" link I will put under the photo.  

 

You will find a wealth of inspiration, recipes, ideas, and new blogs.  

For example...

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Wouldn't these tea bag shaped shortbread cookies (dipped in chocolate) be darling in our cafe?!  Can you imagine a tray of these with our tea next Monday when we get together to discuss Downtown Abbey? I think they are a must! I love this idea! ♥♥♥

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Luckily for us we are located right next door to a florist (how convenient : ).  I picked up some beautiful flowers to decorate the tables today. How could I resist these lovelies?  One bunch for every table.  You can take yours home if you want to?  ♥

 

 

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On the menu today we have warm almond croissants dusted lightly with powdered sugar.  

Mmmm.....  

 

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And since Fall is in the air, how about a cinnamon apple chai tea? Doesn't that sound heavenly? It's a hug in a cup.... 

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Or how about these delectable pumpkin apple spice donuts?  I mean, could you just.....eat them all?!  I could! And don't forget, calories don't exist here! Another reason why I love this place ♥

 

 

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Ooh, I think I just heard the postman.  Excuse me for just one moment while I step outside and check the mail...... 

Here it is! There's something for you!  Enjoy your snail mail! We don't get enough of it these days, don't you agree?  

 

 

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So now that you have your mail and your cuppa  pull up a chair. Your seat is waiting for you....♥

 

 

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Are you comfy? Great! Let's talk.  How are you? In real life my days have been busy. It took no time at all to fall back into the school routine - homework, packing lunches, etc. The weeks are flying by and I feel like September is going by in one big blur.  We are finally experiencing our first burst of Fall weather - cool and crisp - and I'm loving it.   I've decorated my house inside and out with mums and yesterday I made Susan Branch's Cornbread with honey bee butter! It was so good! Hubby is loving Football as much as I'm loving nesting.  Pumpkin spice and cinnamon candles are keeping the house cozy while outside it smells of burning leaves.  How I love the Fall! ♥

 

  

 

 

I am so happy because last week I finally got to read this book that I had somehow missed out on for years.  My Life in France by Julia Child.  As if it were possible for me to love Julia even more it has happened. Have you read this book?  I loved it beyond words! The way Julia described first arriving in Paris in 1948 gave me chills.  Her first French meal that changed her life and how she could not believe that people actually drank wine with lunch?!

 Julia enrolled in  Le Cordon Bleu cooking school to fulfill a passion she had for cooking.  She did not speak a word of french and was in a class of all men.  Determined to succeed (after failing her first final exam) she graduated and a star was born. 

 With the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia succeeded in changing the way Americans related to food.  She gave us the courage to try new things and taught us is OK if they don't always come out perfectly. Julia was awkward and sometimes clumsy in the kitchen, but she would never apologize.  "It's okay" she would say.  "You are alone in the kitchen".  She was real.  She was what we all wanted to be. 

 Without Julia there would be no Food Network or the celebrity chefs we know today.  Julia was a pioneer.  And her first book was not published until she was 49 years old.  In some ways, that's my favorite part.  If you are a fan of Julia or just love to read about inspirational, determined women, give this book a read.  I promise you will love it.  ♥

 

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Thank you for joining me in the Heartfelt Home Café today.  I hope you enjoyed your visit.  Drop me a line and let me know what you a reading.  I'm in between books right now and looking to start something new.  It's getting darker earlier now and somehow books are more a comfort at night, with a quilt and a hot cup of tea.

 

Enjoy your week, my friends! Let's meet again soon! xo

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, My Darlings!

Did you all know that today is Julia Child's birthday?  She would have been 99 today.  I first discovered Julia in elementary school.  I remember watching The French Chef everyday after school with my mother and my grandmother.  I was fascinated with everything she did and couldn't wait to grow up and have my own "Julia inspired" dinner parties.  Those were the days before the Internet or Food Network - the world had never seen anything like Julia Child.  She changed the way we thought about food.  She taught us it's okay to make mistakes and not be perfect.  She showed us it's okay to have fun in the kitchen. And she gave us the courage to experiment.  My favorite Julia Child quote is " Remember, you are all alone in the kitchen and no one can see you".  So True ~

Have you seen the movie Julie and Julia?  I LOVED this movie! Meryl Streep was incredible as Julia Child.  {On a side note I adore everything that Nora Ephron directs.  She is responsible for most of my favorite movies: When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and now I can add Julie & Julia to the list.  She's another one of my hero's that I'll talk about another time}.  Anyway, I loved getting to know Julia in a whole new way.  She was a strong, determined woman who had husband who loved and adored her.  She also lived in Paris which that in itself is enough to make my heart sing.  Just another reason to love Julia. 

This movie was also my first introduction to a new thingy called "blogging".  Until then I was not that familiar with it.  Fast forward a few years and her I am with a food blog of my own.  You think subconsciously the movie might have had something to do with my motivation to do this blog? Maybe just a little bit....wink, wink...

Speaking of birthday's we had a very special one on Sunday.  We celebrated my son's 4th birthday with family and friends. All gathered around my kitchen table we ate meatball subs (by request - they are my son's FAVORITE), chicken salad sandwiches, Caesar salad, calzones, and fruit salad. 

The chicken salad sandwiches are my Dad's specialty.  He has a secret blend of seasonings he uses and also adds dried cranberries, which is a delicious touch.  He even has a special stainless steel bowl he uses just to mix the chicken salad.  I found this out when I accidentally borrowed it once. This is serious. 

Instead of birthday cake we had cupcakes, ice cream, and an Italian trifle that my mother made.  She soaks (almond toast) biscotties in rum and layers them with vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, cool whip, and cherries.  It's sooooo good (and has a little zing to it...: )

I'll post the recipe and further instructions for that later in the week.  You can see it there on the left in the picture above.  There was not much left by the end of the party.  I polished off the last of it for breakfast this morning. I'm not kidding.

My kitchen/living room area is on the smaller side and whenever I entertain a large group I worry it will be too close for comfort.  I do love having an open layout,  however, sometimes I wish I had one of those TV sitcom kitchens with the swinging door - like on Threes Company.  Mental note for next house : )

Overall the party was a success.  My little one loved having his cousin's over to play with and got many, many generous gifts from family and friends.  He's a very lucky boy.  He happily played all day and meltdowns didn't occur until the end of the night (once the cupcakes kicked in).  He was smiling all day and that's all I could ask for on my baby's birthday.  He makes us so happy every day!!!! 

My-my, how four years have gone by fast.  I can't write about this now or I will cry.  Truly.

Because my son's birthday and Julia Child's birthday are just one day apart I wanted to add something "Julia inspired" to the party.  This was not easy considering it was a Thomas the Tank Engine themed party, but Julia and I are kindred spirits and this is what I came up with.

For an appetizer I made Pear, Walnut, & Ricotta Costini.  I didn't get this recipe from Julia, but I felt like it would be something she would serve - maybe at a birthday party of her own - in Paris perhaps.  They are simple and elegant, slightly sweet but not overpowering.  All you need to make them is:

ricotta cheese

pear slices

chopped walnuts

salt & pepper

honey

For crostini I used a french baguette, cut into 1" slices, and toasted for 5 minutes in the oven.

Spread ricotta cheese evenly over crostini.  Season with salt and pepper.

Apply each piece with a ripe pear slice.  I used Bosc Pears with the skin on.

Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

I have to admit my son was much more interested in the crackers and cheese, but the adults liked them : )

I think I might have become slightly addicted. Several got consumed while preparing this platter.  eeek!


Today was a rainy day so we didn't go to swimming lessons.  We spent the day in our pj's assembling train tacks, reading directions, playing with new trains, and riding a scooter up and down the hallway.  What better way to spend the day after a party.

Nothing can stand between a boy (well, my boy) and his trains.

Life is good at four years old!