Food p@rn

"Fish Cakes" made for SIL and MIL's birthday.
The cupcakes are the Edmonds recipe, iced with vanilla butter cream.  I used the chocolate minnows for the top.

Maple pumpkin rum cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.














Orange Chocolate Mousse served in my Grandma's crystal glasses.
This is one of the easiest mousse's to make.  It's vegetarian friendly too (so long as they eat eggs) since it has no gelatine in it.  The original recipe uses rum but we prefer Cointreau.

from Sweet As / Alessandra Zecchini (2004) Auckland: New Holland Publishers pg. 54 (this is a great book by the way and you should definitely buy it if you like desserts, baking and sweet things! )

3 eggs (I like Rolling Hills free range eggs)
3 teaspoons brown (or Muscovado sugar)
15ml/ 1/2 fl oz dark rum (I put a little more in when using Cointreau)
100g / 3 1/2 oz dark chocolate, melted
250ml / 8 1/2 fl oz whipping cream
whipped cream to serve (opt)
chocolate shavings to serve (opt)

Half fill a medium saucepan with warm water and set over a medium heat.  In a bowl, whisk the egg mixture together with the sugar using a balloon whisk or electric beater, then add the rum.  Set the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and continue to whisk the egg mixture until creamy and frothy.  Remove the bowl from the heat.  Melt the chocolate and slowly add to the egg mixture, folding it in with a spatula.   Allow to cool, stirring from time to time.  In a separate bowl beat the egg whites into stiff peaks.  In another bowl, whip the cream.  When the cream is almost stiff, add the egg whites and whip for a further 30 seconds.  Slowly add the chocolate mixture, whipping slowly and continuously.  Pour into 6 serving bowls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.  Decorate with whipped cream and/or dark chocolate shavings if desired.