Friday April 11, 2009
ABC Cooking
Tokyo, Japan
Warm and Beautiful Spring Day
Its a bit strange being in Japan in one of the holiest weeks for many. Its actually business as usual in Japan and I would have forgotten about Passover and Easter had it not been for my ex-pat friends. So what did I do during this holy week? Work very long hours albeit again not very productive and for Good Friday decided to go learn how to make a Mousse cake.
So off I was to ABC Cooking for my first class in April. I have not been able to go to any because I've been so busy and because of up coming holidays and business trips, this will be my only class in April. I learned how to make Mousse au Cassis.
I've always wondered what Cassis is and found out its blackcurrant. Cassis is the French word for blackcurrant. The recipe requires pureed Cassis which can be bought at any specialty store or one can make it by slowly cooking the cassis with a little bit of sugar and then passing the puree through a sieve to make sure its smooth.
What was interesting about this recipe is that any type of puree can be used. Just make sure you add gelatin to the puree before using it to flavor the mousse. Making the basic mousse is easy. First you make whipped cream sweetened with sugar. Then you make the meringue by whipping egg whites with sugar. However, before using the the mixer to whip the egg whites, first break the membranes by "cutting" the egg whites with a fork or with the beaters of the mixer (do not turn on the mixer!). Then whip until shampoo like, add 1/2 of sugar, whip some more and then add the rest until stiff (do not overmix). Now add your fruit puree to the whipped cream but do it in thirds and fold with a large whisk (this prevents air bubbles from entering). Once the batter is marble like, it time to add the meringue. Again add in thirds and fold with a large whisk and finish with a rubber spatula so that it is completely blended (again don't overmix). So that's basically your "batter". You just fill a mode with the batter and layer with cake or cookies and then refrigerate until set.
We also made a cassis jelly topping to set the mousse. Making the jelly topping is easy because its basically mixing the cassis puree with syrup and Mizuame and hardening with gelatin. In Japan, Mizuame is commonly used as sweeteners. Its a thick, sticky, sweet liquid similar to corn syrup. However, its made from potato. The "high quality" mizuame is made from rice and malt but is hard to find. So one can use corn syrup if you can't get mizuame. I prefer mizuame because its less sweet than corn syrup. When pouring the jelly topping on the mousse you have to work quickly though as the jelly will harden very quickly as the mousse is cold.
1.5 hours later, I was done and it was a pity I could not try it as I had an appointment for a small medical procedure so had to fast. So I gave it to the concierges at my apartment and they enjoyed it.
Mousse au Cassis
