Berries and Cream
Did I tell you the Blog Monster went back home? Last Sunday. It’s been almost a week since she left and while I can tell you I am missing her… my kitchen must be missing her much more. Gone are the days when the refrigerator was so full that an actual free space was more coveted that Hong Kong prime real estate. Today, I opened it, and it was almost empty. Now I don’t need to fight with anyone for kitchen space – but somehow I miss having to compete over kitchen time.
There was none of the usual tears when she left though. The reason being I knew I was going to see her in a two days! That’s right – there’s going to be a Blog Monster reunion this Saturday! Not only that – my two other sisters will also be joining us. It’s been ages since the “girls” had a week away. Shopping, eating, and shopping some more… It’s going to be fabulous!
So while I say good-bye for a bit (see you back in early February!!) – I will be enjoying the company of the Blog Monster once again!
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a treat which was inspired by a dessert I had when I took my Mum to Quay Restaurant a few days before she left.
Berries with a Vanilla Mousse
How could I let my Mom leave without trying Quay restaurant? She’s probably the only one in my family willing (and wanting) to sit down for more than three hours enjoying the food of one of Sydney’s best restaurants. The dessert I had at Quay was called Cherries and Berries. It was a plated dessert of various coloured cherries, assorted berries, a sorbet and what seemed like their vanilla mousse. This is the super simplified version – but when you have berries as good as what we’ve got nowadays, you just really have to let the berries talk!
Berry Berry Nice!
Recipe – adapted from Quay Restaurant (original post here)
- 250 ml milk
- 50 grams caster sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
- 1 1/2 sheets titanium gelatine (7.5 grams) soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
- 250 ml cream
- 70 ml egg whites ( about 2 eggs from 55 gram eggs)
- 125 grams caster sugar
- Berries in season (I used strawberries, blackberries and blueberries)
- Heat the milk, 50 grams sugar and vanilla bean until just simmering.
- Squeeze water from the gelatine and whisk into the milk until dissolved. Cool slightly (15 to 20 minutes), strain into a bowl.
- Meanwhile, whisk the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggwhites, gradually adding sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the cream and meringue gently through the cooled milk mixture.
- Place in a bowl and refrigerate until set (around 6 hours)
- Top with your choice of berries
Berries and Vanilla Mousse
Oh and, by the way, a big thank you to everyone who has left a comment for the Blog Monster. I feel like you all know her already. I wanted to give you an idea of how she looked like as well as show you some of the “friends” she met while she was in Australia. Enjoy!
The Blog Monster & Friends (Margaret Fulton, Tetsuya Wakuda & Tony Bilson)
Trissalicious 