Not all of my recipes are successes right out of the gate. I’m working on some lovely End of Summer Muffins that taste delicious but need to be spooned out of the pan. My gnocchi turn to goo. My Princess Cake came out more like an inverted volcano. The flans before the flan was right… Oh those were hard moments!! I’ve always had a “win or lose” mentality, so these little failures are very difficult for me… but they’re getting easier. I constantly remind myself that these failing is a lesson that brings me one step closer to achievement, and, as I learned with the flan, delicious achievements are worth the wait.
When it feels like the recipe I’m looking to achieve is out of my grasp for the moment, I step back to what I know. I remind myself by creating something I know will work, that I am capable.
One of my favorite quick and easy recipes is a very basic mousse. I have to admit that the recipe is not really my own, but one I have had for years and tweaked to make it my own. I don’t even remember where I first found it. This is also a favorite of my friends and family, and it has been requested more than once for parties and barbecues.
Basic Chocolate Mousse
1 Avocado, peeled and sliced
1 bag of chocolate chips or chunks
2 tablespoons of orange juice
1 tablespoon coconut milk
1 teaspoon orange zest
This one is easier if you have tools – a mixer and a double boiler. If you don’t have a mixer, mash up your avocado first or you’ll be burning your chocolate.
Set up your double boiler on a burner, and set at a medium heat. Pour the chocolate into the top pan along with the orange juice and coconut milk. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the orange zest.
While the chocolate is melting, blend the avocado in the mixer until it is smooth.
Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl a cup at time and mix well. Adding the chocolate mixture in smaller portions keeps it from sloshing out of the bowl. Chocolate is an important part of life and wasting it is just plain wrong.
After the two mixtures are completely blended together, you can start eating it. I prefer it chilled slightly so it’s a little thicker. You can also freeze this for fudge-scicles and non-dairy ice cream. It’s a standard in my freezer!
wanderlust and allergies 