I did not think I would like the mousse because haven't cared for it before, but this mousse was soooo good! I am going to post the mousse recipes because they are easy and don't have a ton of ingredients.
As for the soufflés, I was really concerned. I had never made them before and knew how temperamental they could be. A tip from our book: 'since the soufflé is a delicate mixture, it is important to prepare it just before baking and to serve it right away. Whipped egg whites, whether cooked or uncooked, deflate quickly'.
All in all, aside from nearly stirring my arm off, this was one of my favorite lessons.
These are the ingredients we saw upon walking into class (OH YEAH!!!):
Chef Bruno folding his mousse:
Finished product - chocolate mousse:
Demo of the cheese soufflés (made with gruyere, flour, milk, egg yolks, salt, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, egg whites, butter, and bread crumbs):
Chef Bruno's cheese soufflés:
Chef made us some salad to go with the cheese soufflés for dinner. Also, one of the other classes brought us some freshly made pizzas (best dinner ever!):
Our cheese soufflés:
One of the pizzas brought to us:
Our white and dark chocolate mousses (heavenly):
Our chocolate soufflés (made with flour, butter, milk, bittersweet chocolate, egg yolks, dark rum, vanilla extract, egg whites, sugar, and powdered sugar):
Grand marnier soufflés (made with milk, vanilla bean, egg yolk, sugar, flour, grand marnier, egg whites, powdered sugar, and butter):
Another class brought us this berry dessert, which was fantastic!
Everything was SOOOO good - it was the first time I thought I might like being a pastry chef. Here are the recipes for the mousses:
Dark chocolate mousse:
5-1/4 oz bittersweet chocolate
14 oz heavy cream
3 egg whites
1 oz sugar
Chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl. Set over a double broiler (aka bain-marie) at a low simmer.
Stir the chocolate gently until completely melted.
Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the double broiler.
Beat the cream over ice until it forms soft peaks. Set aside and hold at room temperature.
In another bowl, whip the whites. When soft peaks form, add sugar gradually until the whites form strong peaks. Be careful not to overbeat.
Remove chocolate from the double broiler and, using a whisk, fold in the egg whites all at once.
When whites are almost completely incorporated, fold in the whipped cream.
Cover the mousse and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until set.
White chocolate mousse:
25-1/2 oz heavy cream
14 oz white chocolate, chopped
3 egg yolks
1 oz sugar
2 sheets of gelatin, softened
Bring 5 oz of heavy cream to a simmer, then add the gelatin.
Beat the egg yolks until they thicken and become pale yellow.
Remove the heavy cream-gelatin mixture from the heat. Set aside to cool for 1 minute, then temper in the egg yolks.
Pour the thickened cream mixture over the chopped chocolate, stirring occasionally until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
Whip the remaining heavy cream to soft peak.
When the chocolate has cooled to room temperature, gently fold in the whipped cream all at once.
Let the mousse set for 1 hour before serving.
Enjoy!
