Chocolate Mousse Napoleon

Ingredients

2 cups chocolate ganache cooled and slightly chilled but still fluid
1 store-bought frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for an hour
2 pints fresh raspberries, halved

Method

Ø  Preheat the oven to 400° and have an oven rack in the center of the oven.

Ø  Whip 1 ¾ cups of ganache using stand-mixer or hand mixer on high-speed until it is thick and holds a peak, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Ø  Place the whipped ganache in a large pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and reserve. (If no pastry bag is available, fill a gallon-size plastic storage bag and cut a small piece of the tip off with scissors).

Ø  Lay the puff pastry sheet out on a cutting board. Pierce it all over with a fork. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 6 rectangles. Transfer the dough to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, spacing them about an inch apart. Top the dough with a second sheet of parchment paper. Place an inverted wire rack or another tray directly on top of the parchment paper. Place in the oven on the middle rack until the dough is slightly puffed, golden brown in color, and is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the puff pastry pieces to a wire rack to cool. Once fully cooled, using a knife, split the rectangles into 12 halves.

Ø  To build the Napoleons: place a puff layer on the serving plate. Pipe a thin layer of whipped ganache and top with a single layer of raspberries. Top with another puff pastry rectangle. Repeat with a second layer of mousse and raspberries. Top with a third puff pastry rectangle, exterior side up. Using a small, off-set spatula, glaze with about 2 tablespoons of the reserved ganache. Repeat to build 3 more Napoleons.

Chocolate ganache

I have taken this recipe from Simply Ming and adjust the ingredients according to my taste.

Ingredients

1½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
½ lb. semisweet chocolate

1 tablespoon sugar

Method

Ø  In a sauce pan, mix the sugar and cream. Heat this mixture, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar and avoid burning sugar on the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to just below a simmer.

Ø  Combine the butter and the chocolate in another bowl, pour the cream over the cream mixture. Let it stand for at least 2 minutes, then stir with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are fully combined and the mixture is smooth.

Ø  You can refrigerate for several weeks.

Village Style Chicken Curry

Ingredients

2 lbs. Chicken

1 big onion

2 vine ripe tomatoes

2 teaspoons ginger/garlic paste

¾ cup coconut

1 teaspoon curry masala powder

2 teaspoons red chilli powder

3 teaspoons coriander powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

4 cloves

1 inch cinnamon stick

4 cardamoms

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

Curry leaves

2 tablespoons oil

Method

Ø  Grind coconut and poppy seeds and make a coarse paste.

Ø  Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon, cardamom, clove, fennel seeds and curry leaves. Add onion and sauté until gets nice and golden color. Then, add ginger garlic paste and mix well with onion.

Ø  Reduce the flame, add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and curry masala powder. Mix well and cook till raw smell goes away.

Ø  Add the chicken, increase the heat to medium high flame and coat the masala with the chicken. Add coconut paste and 2 cups of water (or increase the amount of water), salt. Cover and cook till 90% done.

Ø  Then, add tomatoes, cover and cook for few more minutes, till done. Open the lid, mix well and add some more curry leaves.

Ø  Serve with rice, chappathi, idi or dosa.