Darina Allen: Whip these recipes up for National Mousse Day

I use the young leaves for soups or melt them in butter to add to a bowl of fluffy mashed potato. 

Avoid the big specimens, they may look tempting but believe me, they’ll be tough, so go along to the Farmers’ Market and choose small, new-season leeks instead. They’ll be tender and sweeter.

These little leek mousses make a gorgeous starter but best of all they can be cooked earlier (dare I say, even the day before) and gently reheated in a bain-marie.

I’m also sharing the secret of this Bretonne sauce, a deliciously buttery sauce that transforms many simple foods into a feast. It’s a gem to have in your repertoire, and not least because it is literally made in minutes.

Add a few morsels of lobster, plump mussels or shrimp and hey presto, the dish takes on a swanky cheffy appearance… a few wisps of chervil and wait for the 'oohs' and 'aahs' when you serve it to your guests.

This leek mousse is rich as you can see from the ingredient list, so serve small portions for starters but increase the size for a lunchtime main course. 

Serve a salad of fresh crunchy leaves and a few fresh herbs tossed with a little dressing of extra virgin olive oil, a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice, lots of freshly cracked pepper and a few flakes of sea salt.

A really good chocolate mousse is yet another recipe that stands the test of time. 

We’ve got a few versions, but I think this is my favourite, irresistible with just some Jersey pouring cream and — guess what!—I’ve discovered that it keeps for over a fortnight in your fridge, maybe longer. How brilliant is that?

Use really good chocolate; we like 54% cocoa solids and rich cream.

I also do lots of riffs on it, a little crunchy hazelnut praline sprinkled over the top is sublime while a spoonful of candied kumquat compote is a delicious foil to the richness of the mousse. 

Last but certainly not least, I love a spoonful of plump Pedro Ximénez soaked raisins, spoon over a dollop of softly whip cream on top.

Make a batch before the festive season and you are sorted for any eventuality and who doesn’t love chocolate mousse?

This orange mousse is deliciously tender and light as a feather. It looks super impressive. 

We decorate it with diamond shaped slivers of chocolate and ruffs of orange flavoured cream for extra deliciousness. 

Unless the oranges are organic, give them a good wash and use a Microplane or very fine grater to grate the zest. 

All of these recipes can be whipped up the day before for ease of entertaining.

Happy National Mousse Day.

Rory O’Connell’s Leek Mousse with Mussels

With Should The Be Mousse Replaced In Rich Small Can Served Portions Or Be Mussels And And Shrimp Lobster Delicious This Is

Servings

6

Time Preparation

 50 mins

Time Cooking

 20 mins

Time Total

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

ingredients

• Butter 20g

• Sliced Leeks, Washed And 450g

• Eggs 3

• 300ml Cream

• And Ground Black Freshly Pepper Sea Salt

• Sauce: for The

• Yolks Egg 2

• 1 Green Mustard With Tsp Flavoured Preferably Dijon Tarragon Mustard,

• Wine Tsp ½ White Vinegar

• 110g Butter

• Parsley, Tarragon 1 Tbsp Chopped Chervil, Herbs; Chives, Thyme,

• 36 Mussels 48 Fresh

• Need Will Ceramic 6 Approx Metal Or Moulds, You 100ml 8 Each

method

1. Mark 3 Oven 170˚c/gas The Preheat To

2. Moulds Paper Line Brush Baking Bottoms Disc Butter And The Non A Melted Of With Stick The With

3. Add Reserve The With Sided Mixture Moulds, Until On Gentle Melt Minutes Heat Off In The Cook Liquid A Until Foam Salt In In Lid Prepared Butter Saucepan The And Filling Allow Very Liquid Tender Top Leeks The Add Paper All The Taste Place And Cool Cover The To Cream With To Fitting Butter Drain And Just Tight For Excess To And And In A Blender Moulds Later Parchment Low Are And Mousse Purée A The Smooth And Toss Allow A To A Leeks, Press For Small Pepper The And Place The Eggs The Few Correct Seasoning Excess The And Leeks Season

4. Ready Of In For Water The Or Oven Marie Just Place Parchment Half Set A And The When Place Marie To Sheet Cook Tightly Fill In Boiling Paper Preheated Minutes Bain Mousses Are Cover About The 20 Cook, With The A Bain Mousses Until With And

5. Warm Keep The And From Remove Oven

6. Cooking Cooking Clean Reserve The Mussel Add On Liquid Cooking The Release Own Cooked, The And A The And Open Heat Are When Pan As Place To Will The From Gradually The Beard Remove Mussels They With Cover The Place A A Open Pop Juices Lid And Shells Soon Carefully Liquid Their The From Remove Remove Pan Shells Mussels As Start All Low They In And Frying To

7. All Thicken A Reserved Melted Egg The The At I Bring Whisking Place The Sauce The Vinegar Butter A Add Slowly The Of Cooking The Bowl With Continue Butter Gradually To The Time The Sauce Little A To The This The Boiling And Mustard Yolks Chopped Onto Point Been Herbs Of Added Leek And Eggs, Add Drizzle Will In To Butter Boil All Melt Pyrex Has The Until Begin Juices

8. Juice Mussels Cooked Should Sauce The Their Cooking And Add Quite Sauce Thin Be Of Some The To The

9. Garnish And Chervil Little Around Herb, Mousses Warm Mussels Over Dill Each Plates Sauce Relevant Fennel, A The Or Some And With Mousse Unmould Like A On Serve, Drizzle To

JR Ryall’s Orange Mousse with Chocolate Wafers

The Theatrical Appearance, The Of Retro Its Diamond Wafers Particularly Mousse Vivid This Chocolate Has I Appeal, And The Pointy And Orange Segments Love Dramatic Contrast

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 4 hours 40 mins

Time Total

 4 hours 40 mins

Course

 Dessert

ingredients

• for The Mousse:

• Zest Large If And Grated Oranges, Of Needed Juice Finely Plus 2 Extra

• 2 Large Eggs, 4 Separated

• 70g Sugar Caster

• Juice Lemon 1 Of

• 4 Gelatine Leaves

• Softly 225ml Whipped Cream

• The for Chocolate Wafers:

• Cocoa Dark Solids) 120g (62% Chocolate

• Orange The For And Cream Flavoured Assembly

• 3 Large Oranges

• Whipped 225ml Cream

• Caster Sugar Of Pinch

method

1. Place Zest Mixer Pale For The The Light Caster Whites Mousse And Eggs Mixture Sugar High In In Yolks The Volume Minutes About The Colour, Bees Until Whisk The Quadruples Bowl And Remaining And Later) The Into Egg Make Electric 2 With On Whole Of 2 Speed And An Add The 8 Orange The To (keep

2. Orange Soak Volume It Remaining Liquid Juices: Bring One Quarters, The Bowl The Ensuring Lighten From Beginning Up Mixture With Remains Set; No The Measure Of Warm The Stir Necessary, Of To Lemon Egg The The Cold Remaining The Saucepan, In Mixture Three Juice If Bowl Layer Bottom To In Point Ice Slightly To Another Bath And Mixing Minutes For Volume One Quarter Juice The Juice Orange To Gelatine Gelatine Into A Mousse By Small The – The Ice A Bowl Fold Cools An The Gelatine Stir And The Of This The Need Gelatine Quarter Mixing The Transfer Gelatine Followed Remove The To And Thicken Chill You Of Leaves As Blend Mixture Is 5 To The Bined Bath Into In Leaves Dissolve Will It, Water Set Thoroughly Meanwhile, Juice Back This Bowl Of The 300ml At And And The Add Begin Soaked In The

3. Whisk Now Into The Fold To Set, Serving And Whites The Pour Place Sure 2 Gently Fold In Bowl Do Grainy, Cream The Finally, Mousse Softly Fridge Turn Mousse Not Stiffly, And They Hours Stiff Reserved About Then To In The Whipped The Egg Into Peaks Making 4 The

4. Into A Pan Baking Water, In In To Paper Leave The Chocolate Bowl Until In Of Square The Diamond The The Set, Then Melted Then Hot A Heatproof From Place Set Remove Heat Melt Make Wafers Chocolate Shape Large Over On Shaped Cut Cool A Chocolate Spread The Wafers, Of A

5. A Of Bowl Zest Make With Flavoured Pinch And Of To Sugar Grate The To Caster The The Oranges, Orange A Cream The Of Add In One Whipped Half Taste Then Mix From Cream,

6. Top A Segments Segment Position Orange The Oranges Flavoured Of On Cream Mousse Segments Decoratively Border A To The And The Wafers Three The Arrange Assemble And In Around Dramatically Edge The Circular And Set Bowl Around Pattern Of The Orange The Peel Chocolate Pipe The Of

Bitter Chocolate Pots with Pedro Ximénez Raisins

Recipe Allen By:darina

The Will Fraîche Extra May Very A Mousse Sweeter Be Or So On Rich Pots These Taste For Crème Mousse Mousse Depending Little Milk Wele 62% Different Chocolate Richer Chocolate, This For A 34% Chocolate Use Are

Servings

6

Course

 Dessert

ingredients

• Quality 110g Callebaut) 54% Dark Use Chocolate (we Good

• 110ml Cream

• Rum 1 Tbsp 2 Jamaica

• 2 Eggs, Separated

• Sultanas 100g Or Plump Raisins

• Sweet Of 60ml Pedro Sherry Ximénez

• Crème Serve Fraîche, To

method

1. Make first, Pots: Chocolate The

2. To Chocolate In Hours Or Preferably And If Whisk Stir Whites Knock To At Add Between Espresso Chocolate Air Turn Least Egg Melts In Allow 4 Overnight Cover Stiff, In Bring Fold Then Heat, The Or The Add To It Chop Egg Until For Yolks Set The Cream Quarter The Off The To Pots Around Of Not Stir Careful 6 And And Out Egg All Gently, Divide Chocolate The And A The Using, Chill In Finely Boil, The The Cream The The Alcohol, The Cups Whisk The The Rest, Until In Up Cream White, Being Just

3. The The Over To Pour Plump Raisins Warm Pedro And And Allow Ximénez Up Macerate Meanwhile,

4. to Serve:

5. A Boozy One Side Saucer Blob Of Add Of Generous A A And Raisins Crème Teaspoon Put Side, On Or Fraîche Or On Plate Small Place Little Teaspoon Espresso A Cup On The Serve The Pot Spoon Other

Seasonal Journal

Farming for Nature Handbook

The Farming for Nature Handbook written by Emma Hart, Brigid Barry and Brendan Dunford has just been published at last. 

An exciting but deeply practical, down to earth guide on how to protect and restore nature on your farm. 

It is jam packed with answers to frequently asked questions and much, much more.

• For more information and to order, see www.farmingfornature.ie

Proby’s Kitchen Now Offering Dinner

Looking for a Christmas Party night out in Cork City? 

Of course, there are many temptations, but we’ve been hearing lots of good things about Proby’s Kitchen located at Proby’s Quay, now open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening from 5-9pm.

• For more information, see www.probyskitchen.ie

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