Focus on food: February 12, 2008

Chocolate Mousse Swans for Valetine's Day!

“ Baking With Cream Puff Pastry With Chef Patti Babbit”

Make one recipe of cream puff pastry. In making the shells for swans follow directions for éclairs. The only difference is you want to make a full oval shape. You will need to make an equal amount of swan necks. To do this just fill a pastry bag with tip #12 in it and make an s shape.

Chocolate Mousse:
Ingredients:
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 lb. butter
• 2 cups heavy cream

Directions:
• In a double boiler put sugar, milk, egg yolks, and chocolate mix ingredients together.

• Stirring occasionally cook until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and add butter.

• Once butter is completely mixed in put mixture in refrigerator to cool. Stir it while it’s cooling scraping sides of pan.

• Whip heavy cream until it is firm but not stiff. When chocolate is luke warm take it out of refrigerator.

• Now you are going to fold whip cream in one third at a time. Make sure it’s been folded completely before adding more cream. This really needs to be refrigerated over night.

Filling Swans:
Directions:
• Take the shell and cut top third off. The piece you cut off will become the wings you’ll need to cut in half-length wise.

• Now fill a pastry bag that has tube #2D in it with chocolate mousse.
Twist top of bag so mousse won’t squeeze out of the top of the bag. Squeeze bag forcing mousse out until shell is full.

• Take the two wing pieces and push them into the mousse. Now take the swans neck and push it into the mousse.