sweet miscellany

100th Post – Salted Chocolate Mousse

August 23, 2012 By Courtney West 5 Comments

I like chocolate but I’ve never been over the moon crazy about it. When I was younger, I preferred my chocolate ice cream with a bit of vanilla and strawberry to balance it out. I didn’t want a chocolate cake with chocolate icing for my birthday. I would instead opt for a yellow cake with choclate icing. And, I was never a fan of a straight hershey’s bar, but didn’t have a problem eating it in a s’more where marshmallows and graham crackers evened it out.

So, why on earth would I post a straight-up chocolate mousse? Because dear friends I found a balance. I love my chocolate with a bit of salt. It was a revolutionary moment when I first had salted chocolate (and salted caramel for that matter). Salt really brings out the flavors and provides a nice contrast. In this case, it’s like sprinkles for grown-ups. Hooray!

This chocolate mousse is nothing, I repeat nothing, like any sort of typical mousse. There’s absolutely no dairy involved, and the base of it is made from three simple ingredients. Yes, just three. Avocados + Unsweetened Cococa Powder + Honey = Yum. Although in my opinion, avocados plus anything equals yum…

On a totally unrelated note, temperatures are slowly creeping down so that means I’ll be eagerly turning on my oven again. I’m making a lot of plans for fall that should be yummy, spicy, and pumpkin-y…

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Baba Ghanoush & Kamut Flatbreads

August 18, 2012 By Courtney West Leave a Comment

Whoa, two posts in a row with 2 recipes each! I’m on a roll! Well, not really. It’s just a matter of mere coincidence. Though perhaps there aren’t coincidences at all…. it’s getting philosophical over here this morning. Time to stop and change the subject before my brain explodes trying to ponder that one.

Soooo, baba ghanoush! I’ve always secretly loved baba ghanoush more than it’s more famous friend hummus. Hummus can be a bit too beany sometimes if it’s not done right (or rather the way I like it to be done). Also, hummus tends to get way more attention, finding it’s way into grocery stores and restaurants everywhere. It’s a bit…tired. I think baba ghanoush deserves a chance in the sun.

When thinking about how to use up some baby eggplants from the farmer’s market, baba ghanoush automatically popped into my head. And, since I couldn’t make a dip without something to eat it with, I made kamut flatbreads. The flatbreads are super simple and somewhat similar to naan bread. I’ve been experimenting with kamut flour lately (an ancient grain), and decided to make some flatbreads with it. Try this super simple recipe and then let me know if you had enough will power not to finish all of it in one sitting….
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