My Chocolate friends are waiting

I’m always the last dressed and ready!

All Dressed Up

Since every year my Oscar invitation seems to get lost in the mail, rather then sitting around and sulking I implemented my own Oscar bash about 10 years ago! I am sure Leonardo DiCaprio, Natalie Portman, and Jeff Bridges felt badly they were unable to attend Bobbie’s Oscar Party, but they did have another engagement!

Walking the White Carpet

The 73rd Academy Awards, in 2001, was the debut of my wonderful Oscar Party, it started with four families and all their children. That year just to have a flash to the past Gladiator won best picture, as did Russell Crowe for best actor as Maximus the Gladiator. Julia Roberts was best actress for Erin Brockovich, and Marcia Gay Harden won best supporting actress for Pollock. I believe Steve Martin hosted the Oscars that year, and that is the plethora of information I remember.

This year the stars aligned; everyone including the children of my friends were able to participate. I was so surprised, in the past ten years these cute little “munchkins” have grown up, some are in college, earned their driver licensee, graduated from both high school, and one of them college. To have everyone be able to celebrate in one house was shocking and exhilarating. The menu had to be one for the “A list”, especially the desserts.

Just begin to prepare, Oh No my tag is showing!

A week prior the to the Oscars Sydney began to plan the menu, we decided on:

Stuffed mushrooms with crab and avocado (recipe to be in a later blog), Palmiers, and a nice cheese plater for the red carpet walk.

Shrimp with a subtle white wine garlic sauce and fillet mignon with pink peppercorns while James Franco and Anne Hathaway began their “Inception.”

Crème Brûlée and of course my Tuxedo Mousse Cake for the finale.

The Tuxedo Mousse Cake consists of Framboise white chocolate mousse, dark chocolate crème mousse in the middle with Raspberry Gelée  and joconde cake. The entire mousse is airbrushed; the top half with white velvet spray and the bottom with bittersweet velvet spray. The Kitchen was a cloud of white and brown!

Tuxedo Mousse Cake:

Makes 15- 6cm diameter mousse 5cm/2-inches high.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/ 355ºF and prepare your mise en place.

Joconde:

9 large egg whites, at room temperature

30 grams/ 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

225 grams/ 2-cups blanched almonds

225 grams/ 2-cup toasted hazelnuts

450 grams/3 3/4-cups icing sugar, sifted

6 large egg yolk

6 large eggs

156 grams/ 1 1/2cup cake flour

56 grams/ 4-Tablespoons clarified beurre noisette

56 grams/4-Tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 218ºC/ 425◦F. Line two 15½ by 12½ inch sheet pans (½ sheet jelly roll pans) with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

Using a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade, process the almonds and hazelnuts to a very fine cornmeal-like texture.

In a bowl of you standing mixer with the paddle attachment, on low speed mix the almond/ hazelnut flour, icing sugar, and cake flour, just until combined. Increase the mixer to medium-low speed, beat 1 egg yolk at a time making sure each egg is beaten for a couple minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides, then beat in each whole egg one at a time. It is imperative that each egg is added and beaten for a couple of minutes. Once all six eggs are incorporated continue to beat, on medium speed for 4 minutes insuring that as much air as possible has been incorporated.  The mixture should be pale yellow in color and voluminous. Set the batter aside, or if you do not have another mixer bowl scrape the batter into different bowl.

In a very clean bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat the egg whites and egg white powder on medium speed to aerate. When the egg whites begin to form soft peaks slowly add the granulated sugar and whisk until the peaks are stiff and glossy. Keep a careful eye on the egg whites they can very quickly turn from satin shiny glossy peaks to gloomy dry and an over mixed nightmare. (If this happens don’t panic, however you will need to repeat the process with six more egg whites).

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond /hazelnut mixture, in two batches. Take about ½ cup of the batter and fold into the melted butter, this method keeps the butter from falling to the bottom of the bowl, and then fold the melted butter back into the batter (making sure it is completely incorporated into the batter).

Pour the batter into flexipats or 2 half sheet jellyroll pans lined with a silpat bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into a 6cm/ 2 1/2-inch circle, or the size of mousse ring you are using.

White Chocolate Mousse:

250 grams/1 ¼ -cup cream

413 grams/ 1 2/3 white chocolate

8 grams gelatine/ about 4 sheets

500 grams/2 ½-cup heavy cream

1-vanilla pod

Place the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until very finely chopped.

Place 250 grams/ 1 ¼ -cup cream in a small saucepan, and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add gelatin, and stir for 30 seconds to dissolve completely.  Pour into food processor with the motor running, and process until chocolate mixture is smooth.

Transfer to a medium bowl and chill until mixture is thick enough to fall from a spoon in ribbons. The mixture should be at room temperature.

Incorporate 500 grams/2 ½-cup heavy cream to soft peaks, add vanilla seeds and add icing sugar.

Fold into chocolate mixture.

Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse:

125 gram/ ¾-cup cream

125 grams/ ¾ cup liquid crème fraîche

375 grams/13 ounces bittersweet chocolate

8 grams/ about 4 sheets gelatine

170 grams/ 3/4-cup crème fraiche

230 grams/ 1-cup heavy cream

Place the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until very finely chopped.

Place crème fraîche and cream in a small saucepan, and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add gelatin, and stir for 30 seconds to dissolve completely.  Pour into food processor with the motor running, and process until chocolate mixture is smooth.

Transfer to a medium bowl and chill until mixture is thick enough to fall from a spoon in ribbons. Once again the mixture should be at room temperature.

Incorporate whipped heavy cream and crème fraîche to soft peaks and add icing sugar.

Fold into chocolate mixture.

Assembly:

Place 6mm stainless steel rings on the upside down flexipan half-spheres; line the rings with food safe acetate. Fill each half way up with chocolate mousse, try to prevent any air bubbles forming. Freeze  while preparing bittersweet mousse.

Remove from freezer and fill with the  bittersweet mousse almost to the top leaving about 1cm/ 1/4-inch space from the top.

Add the Raspberry Gelée and finish with a joconds sponge.

Freeze till solid.

Final:

When the mousse is completely frozen spray with white velvet and bittersweet velvet.

The Velvet Sprays:

White velvet:

250 grams white cocoa butter heated to 34 degreesC/93 degreesF this is very important the temperature must be precise!

Bittersweet Velvet:

250 grams/8.82 grams cocoa butter, heated to 34 degreesC/ 93 degrees F

230 grams/8.11 ounces melted dark chocolate, tempered to the same temperature as the cocoa butter.

Whisk both components together until completely homogenized .

Spray the top with the white velvet and the bottom with with the bittersweet velvet. For the tuxedo design contact me at my blog  and I will send you the template with complete instructions.

Decorate the center with Framboise Purée.

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