Cheesecake - not so good.

Ok, so I tried the cheesecake I made for Sugar High Friday - and guess what? It wasn't great. At all. Somehow, it tasted really dry, and I can't really figure it out. I took it out while it was still wobbly and... if anything, I was afraid that it wouldn't hold together. The base wasn't spicy enough (I used store-bought gingersnaps rather than my homemade) and it just tasted bland. The other people said they could definitely taste the cardamom, but I couldn't. The topping was nice (even though it was burned) but didn't go all that well with the rest. In all - no, not a great recipe, and I can't recommend it.

Here's, however, a recipe I heartily recommend. Chocolate Mousse. I think this is my favourite dessert. Simple to make, and an instant hit with everyone who tries it. You can vary it as you want to, using any combination of chocolate. I’ve never tried it with white chocolate though – but I will. I think with less sugar, and maybe a little bit of mint, it’d be a great outcome. Maybe serve with a candycane per portion, too!



It’s rich, but so good that you can’t stop eating. This recipe makes enough for four generous portions. (Obviously depending on greed, I've shared it with two friends and we all wolfed down our mammoth portions.)

Chocolate Mousse
200 g dark chocolate (Fairly cheap chocolate works well here - or you can mix dark and milk, if you want a less intense mousse)
300 ml double cream
3 eggs
3 1/2 Tbsp sugar (50 ml)
1 Tbsp flavoring - you can use your favorite liquor (this works well with whiskey or rum, or Kahlua, Amaretto or Frangelico), coffee, maybe extract (I'd use less of that though) or anything else. Or just leave it out. Mint might be good though!

Melt the chocolate over waterbath (bain-marie?), or carefully in the microwave. Let it cool don a little bit. Beat the eggs with the sugar until you have a very pale yellow fluff. Beat the cream until it holds soft peaks. Add the chocolate and the flavoring to the eggs, stir well to combine. Gently fold in the cream. Spoon into glasses or ramekins - or coffee cups - and let them sit in a cool place for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Note: Sometimes, the chocolate tends to freeze up if the eggs are too cold - the result is kind of a chocolate chip chocolate mousse. You get tiny granules of chocolate in it. Not a bad thing, really, but different. And, one time when I made this, I got the great idea that since the flavoring and the chocolate goes into the eggs at the same time, I might as well mix the flavoring with the chocolate. Not a good idea, at all. The chocolate seized completely. Don't do that.