Strawberry Mousse Gateau

I once read or may be heard from somewhere that our life is just like an inn, where many people come and go; some stay in our memories, some just fades away and some leave behind a strong impression. Last year, on the way back from the hubby’s work, he met a person from Kerala who was on the same train and after talking for a while he said that he lived in the same estate as ours. When I was told about this, I was on cloud nine as it is quite difficult to find any Indian living so close by and that too from Kerala. We soon acquainted ourselves and came to know that they were going to be here only for a year. Myself and the friend had great time, we baked few things together, went for long walks on the beach on regular basis and the kids had fantastic time together. A year went away so fast and they have gone back leaving back some beautiful memories. Every time I drive past their flat, and don’t see their car any more, I just wish if she was still here. Jameela, I miss you and here is the cake you have been asking me for long. 

Summer is almost over but just before it bids adieu, let me share this great recipe with you all. Strawberries are still available in plenty and this is a great way to use them up in a delicious way. This was made many a months ago for our 10^th anniversary. I usually bake goodies using strawberries during our anniversary and for the husband’s birthday as he loves strawberries and a white sponge combination. I am not much of a berry person, so this cake didn’t go down well with me but I was told that it tasted great and our friends and the husband loved it. But berry lovers, give it a shot.

The recipe is quite simple, but I admit, it takes a bit of time. I made it along with my friend Jameela and we had great time making it. Prepare the sponge one or two days ahead so that you don’t tire yourself up making it all at once. The recipe is adapated from one of my cake books, but they have used a butter cake instead of the sponge one. To reduce the fat a bit, I chose sponge cake instead of the butter cake.

Strawberry Mousse Gateau

Serves 16

Ingredients:

For the Gateau (Sponge cake layer):

1 cup plain flour

1 cup caster sugar

6 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla essence

3 tablespoons vegetable oil/melted butter

For the Strawberry Mousse:

600 g strawberries

2 cups (~500mls) double cream

1 ½ Tbs gelatine

3 tbs water

½ cup sugar (Use less if you want it less sweet)

2 tbsp strawberry jam (optional)

1 tbsp orange rind

Few drops of vanilla essence

For glaze:

½ cup orange juice OR water plus 3 tbsp sugar

2 tsp gelatine

For decoration:

400g strawberries

150 g dark chocolate

Few sprigs of mint

Preparations:

For the gateau:

1.Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Grease and line a very deep 9 inch loose bottom or spring form pan.

2. In a bowl whisk the eggs sugar on high speed for about 10 minutes until thick and pale and leaves a thick trail when the beaters are lifted. Add in the vanilla essence and beat again until incorporated.

3. Fold in the flour with a metal spoon, being careful not to knock out any air.  Then trickle in the melted butter and continue to fold until everything is well mixed. Note: Do not over mix the batter here as it will knock out air bubbles and result in a hard cake than a soft and fluffy sponge.

4. Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn the cake on the wire rack, peel the parchment paper and leave to cool completely.

For Mousse filling:

1.Dissolve gelatine in 3 tbsp of water in a small bowl placed in a saucepan of hot water. Add orange rind, mix and reserve.

2. In a blender or processor, puree strawberries with sugar. Add few drops of vanilla essence.

3. Whip cream using an electric whisk until it is thick and holds peak when the whisk is lifted.

4. Quickly stir gelatine mixture into the strawberry mixture, then fold in the cream.

For assembling:

1.Cut the sponge cake in half horizontally and place one half into the greased tin, with sides lined with cling film or baking paper.

2. Pour the mixture into the tin and place the second half of the cake on top.

4. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or until the mousse is set.

5. Once the mousse is completely set, release the cake from the cake tin.

Once the mousse cake is done, make the chocolate lace border.

For the chocolate lace:

1.Cut a baking paper to the size of the cake, measuring height and the circumference.

2. Break chocolate into small pieces and place them in a bowl. Place the bowl on a pan of simmering water, making sure that the water underneath doesn’t come in contact with the bowl on top. Choose a bigger bowl for chocolates, so that it sits on the pan of water. Stir until melted and glossy. Else, melt chocolate in microwave, stirring every few seconds until the chocolate is melted completely.

3. Make  a cone with baking paper, pour the melted chocolate just until halfway up. Fold the top tight and snip the tip. Make patterns or designs of your choice or simply scribble on the baking paper with the melted chocolate and let it sit for a while until the chocolate start setting. The chocolate should be just set and soft enough to wrap around the cake. It should NOT be too set that it breaks or too soft that it stick to your hand once you touch it, but soft enough that it bends without breaking when lifted.

4. Slowly, grab the baking paper, wrap it around the cake, pressing it very gently on the cake and then slowly peel the baking paper off leaving the chocolate lace on the cake.

Once the chocolate lace is done, slice the strawberries into two and arrange it on top of the cake. Brush it generously with the warm glaze and leave it in the fridge until ready to serve.

For the glaze:

1.Mix gelatine in orange juice or water mixed with sugar in a small bowl. Place the bowl in a pan of simmering water and stir once in a while until the gelatine dissolves. Once it is warm, using a pastry brush brush on the strawberries arranged on top. Serve chilled.

{Guest Post} Chicken manchurian by Finla of My kitchen treasures

Hi all, Thank you all for checking on me. I Hope you all had a great time, Eid and a blessed Ramadan. On my side, I have been keeping great. I Had great time in India and Abu dhabi. It’s about 20 days that I am back from my holidays, but still in the holiday hangover. I always feel refreshed and totally energized after a holiday that also means I stay relaxed.

This is another guest post from one of my dearest bloggers, Finla. I have to apologize to her for doing this so late. I was hoping to schedule it for the time I was away so that blog doesn’t deprive of attention. But sadly, I ran out of time, was stuck with packing, cleaning up the house etc before we left and I could barely finish the previous post!

It’s not easy to get back to normal life after vacation, at least not me.  After the laid back life back home and lot of pampering, chit chats, gossips, late night talks, hogging on like no tomorrow, takes a while for me get back to routine. After every holidays, you would have noticed I take a while to get back in action. I realise how much of time blogging really takes. After my return, I haven’t shot any pictures and I see myself having so much of time to relax and to lazy around; less dishes to wash, less cleaning up and less stressful too.

Finla is my one of my favorite bloggers, my Mac-buddy. Apart from all the mac research I do, she is the one whom I ping on and off with all my silly doubts. She is a great person, warm, charming and full of energy. She’s a great baker, bakes amazing goodies and macarons. When I asked her to do a guest post for me she had great deal of choice for me which included macarons, but I chose her chicken Manchurian recipe. I loved that recipe of hers and it looked great. Check her blog Kitchentreasures out for real treasure and a feast, I tell you, you will enjoy the tour. Finla, thank you so much for your time and doing this post for me. I loved it.

I have never done a Guest Post as mostly when someone ask me to do a Guest post I say no, as I myself don't have that much inspiration to write a post in my blog so how can I do them for others. But then, when Shab's asked me to a Guest Post, I coudn't say no, as we have been having so much fun on facebook admiring each other's food and baking especially Macarons. And also she is going for a month of holiday, so she really needed friends doing guest post for her. I have to admit I have had fun doing the guest post.

I am sure if you are Non Indian you have never heard about this dish .Chicken Manchurian an Indo- Chinese cuisine, is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to suit Indian taste buds. The Indo Chinese cuisine is said to have been developed by the small Chinese community that  lived in Kolkatta (formerly Calcutta) for over a century. Today, the Chinese food has become an integral part of the Indian culinary scene. It is also enjoyed by Indian and Chinese communities in Malaysia, Singapore, North America etc...

Manchurian Chicken, consists of chicken with vegetables in a spicy sauce. It is entirely a creation of Chinese restaurants in India, and bears little resemblance to traditional Chinese Cuisine. It is said to have been invented in 1975 by Nelson Wang. Wang described his invention process as starting from the basic ingredients of an Indian dish, namely chopped garlic, ginger, and green chilis, but next, instead of adding garam masala, he puts in soy sauce, followed by cornstarch and the chicken itself. A popular vegetarian variant replaces chicken with cauliflower, and is commonly known as gobi manchurian. Other possibilities include prawn, fish, mutton, or paneer.

Chicken Manchurian

Ingredients:

½ kilo Chicken breast

1 1/2 cup Chicken Stock

1 Egg

3 tbsp Flour

2 tbsp Corn flour

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Pepper powder

1 cup Oil for frying or more depending on the pan you use

1/4 cup Spring onions ( I have used onions when I don't have spring onions)

4 to 5 Garlic cloves chopped finely

1 small piece Ginger chopped finely
2 to 3 chillies chopped ( optional)

1 Capsicum chopped

2 tbsp Celery ( optional)

3 tbsp Oil

2 to 3 tbsp Corn flour

2 to 3 tbsp Soy sauce

2 to 3 tbsp Ketchup

Salt for taste

Extra spring onions for garnish

Preparations:

1.Make a paste using egg, flour, corn flour, soy sauce, and pepper powder.

2. Heat the oil for frying in a wok and dip the chicken pieces in the paste you made and deep fry and drain on a kitchen paper.

3. Don't overload the wok; you can fry the chicken pieces in batches. Keep them aside.

4. In a another wok/ pan heat 3 tbsp of oil.
 

5. Add the spring onions ,garlic, ginger,chillies, capsicum and celery and fry for few minutes.
 

6. Add the soy sauce and Ketchup. Give it a stir and then add the chicken stock.

7. When it boils mix the corn flour with a little cold water and then add so that the sauce getes thicker.
 

8. When the sauce thickens, add the fried chicken and the extra spring onions and serve directly with rice to noodles.

Notes:

1.If you want more gravy then add more chicken broth, but then use more corn flour to get the thickness for the gravy.
 

2. If you think you sauce is too thick just add a bit water or chicken broth.
 

3. This is a recipe you have to make and eat it straight away, which otherwise the fried chicken goes soggy because of the special paste method used for frying the chicken.
 

4. If I don't have capsicum at home or spring onions, then I just use normal onions and don't use capsicum.