Chocolate Is Our Friend

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This is creamy, silky, chocolately and as rich as a good quality piece of candy...but cold 😛

Well, it’s my friend anyway. Maybe it hates you. I don’t really know. But if it does, can you send it over to my house? I’ll buy it dinner and roses, say sweet things to it, then nibble at it’s silky neck. Man, why does every post I write lately have sexual undertones? What is UP with that? Maybe I just need more chocolate. Yeah, that’s it; more chocolate. Silky, sweet, creamy chocolate *stops to get a towel to wipe up the drool from the keyboard*

I’ve been told that I am a good albeit very random and tangential sort of a writer. I just can’t understand that. You mean all the careful hours of planning I put into each and every painstaking word doesn’t show? The care and love, the blood sweat and tears (and chocolate) I pour into every post I lovingly create for all of you isn’t immediately apparent? Me? Random?

Oooo, shiny thing!!! I’ll be right back.

I’m back. I still don’t understand that random tangential thing though. Hmmpphhh.

My husband, while he likes chocolate as much as any male, jokes (at least he tries to play it off as a joke; I know better.) that men simply don’t have the same hormonal response to chocolate that women do. I have often wondered but have been too lazy to research whether or not there may be some basis in fact for that. I mean, we all know that chocolate is considered a mood lifter due to the phenylephylamine in it which is the same hormone your body releases during those early “omg, I just have to see him! I haven’t seen him for seventeen minutes!” times of being in love. Not that I’m tangential but has anyone but me ever thought that while it might be interesting, it would also be extremely emotionally and physically tiring to stay in that initial “I’m in love and giddy and my heart is racing” phase forever? I think there are valid physiological and psychological reasons that dies down after a while and love becomes quieter.

Where was I? Oh yeah… chocolate and womens response to it. I can’t help but feel my husbands theory has some validity. Most women I know, when we’re having a bad day, we reach for a piece or twelve of chocolate. Men however reach for a beer and the remote (or go hide in the bathroom for half an hour under the guise of bodily functions. Ok, maybe that’s just my husband.) and would rarely if ever think of grabbing some chocolate to self sooth and relax. Oh well, future research territory here when I have another chocolate post 😛

Try this one. I can’t express how much your mood will be lifted. Especially if you just stick your face in it and inhale. What? Think of it as dessert and a facial at the same time. This is a bittersweet chocolate mousse that has been frozen. I added a little cinnamon and cayenne pepper to it but you can omit those if you must. I’ll try to forgive you. It looked naked however so I sliced up some strawberries, added a generous amount of honey and some fresh mint leaves and added those to serve with this heavenly chocolate delight. And whipped cream. Gotta have whipped cream. It’s the LAW. this dessert is beyond awesome and perfect for a dinner party or when you just want to be nice to your family (I.E. you spent too much money at Amazon or Bath & Body Works)

Frozen Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

With

Honey Mint Strawberries & Whipped Cream

  • 7 ounces (approximately 1 1/4 cups) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup plus one tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon bourbon or brandy
  • cocoa and powdered sugar for dusting
  • whipped cream
  • HONEY MINT STRAWBERRIES-
  • 1 lb fresh strawberries, capped and sliced
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
  1. Put the chocolate into a large bowl and set aside
  2. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon and cayenne to a gentle simmer.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and one tablespoon sugar. SLOWLY whisk in half the hot cream mixture. Return it all to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about five minutes. Do NOT boil.
  4. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate. let sit for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the butter, a little bit at a time and then add the vanilla and the bourbon. Whisk until the mixture is very smooth. If you can’t get all the chocolate to melt, you can heat it in 30 second increments on half power in the microwave to melt the chocolate more. Just do this with caution so you don’t burn the mixture.
  5. Spray a 8 or 9 inch bread pan with cooking spray then line it with plastic wrap.  Scrape the mixture from the bowl into the pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and freeze for at least six hours. This can be made well ahead of time and left frozen and well wrapped.
  6. Meanwhile, make your honeyed strawberries. All that entails is mixing the ingredients together and letting it sit for about 2 hours.
  7. To serve, uncover and invert the mousse onto a serving plate. Remove the plastic wrap. Dust with cocoa powder and/or powdered sugar. Garnish with the honeyed strawberries and whipped cream.
  8. Do that face sticking thing I mentioned. Remember… facial.

Literally melt in your mouth good

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38 thoughts on “Chocolate Is Our Friend”

  1. No way would I omit the cinnamon and cayenne, they MAKE it!

    I’m still mourning the loss of Häagen-Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream. How could they say it didn’t sell well? I bought all I could.

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    • I had seen that flavor but never tried it. When I saw it had been discontinued I kicked myself for not trying it.
      I think you’ll like this. It’s got to be one of the best chocolate desserts I’ve ever made if I do say so myself.

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      • Honestly, the Mayan Chocolate was the only flavor I found impossible to eat the whole pint in a sitting (not that that was a regular thing or anything). Rich enough though that I didn’t want a lot.

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        • I’m pretty sure that by saying you didn’t want a lot of something chocolate, you may have broken laws in many states and small countries

          Reply ↓

          • Okay, “want” was the wrong word. Try, “If I ate the whole pint, I’d be headed to have my stomach pumped.”

          • that could be a bit of a problem and might, just MIGHT put one off of ice cream for a while.

  2. Women and their chocolate *roll*
    It means nothing to me, NOTHING!

    *polishes off carton of rocky road and grabs the plain chocolate*

    Hello my dear.
    It’s been exactly 17 minutes since I held you in my hands.
    Ever since I have been dreaming of your silky, creamy th –
    HEY! What are you people staring at?
    Get outa my fantasy

    Reply ↓

  4. I have to disagree with your husband. Most of the volunteer reviewers on The Chocolate Cult are men. Men like it as much as women perhaps in different forms or maybe I just attract chocolate lovers of all genders and sexes.

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  7. That’s right-Chocolate for women and beer for men and i would not think about making any type of trade! The most irritating thing in the world is someone that eats chocolate and then complains about the taste-drives me nuts.
    Thanks for sharing a dessert with something we all love-chocolate-YUM

    Reply ↓

  9. mmmm…..heavenly chocolate….we’re great friends, chocolate and I…such a great recipe! I love the whipped cream on top as well….I must leave in the cinnamon and cayenne…I just drooled on my key board…..

    Reply ↓

    • Thanks Lindsey! Be warned; it is difficult to slice. You kind of have to hold it as you do. But that just gives you chocolate on your fingers and that’s never a bad thing 😀

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  11. Wow. I’m totally won by this recipe. I’ve never thought of having frozen chocolate mousse (and I’ve always been a lover of chocolate mousse!). I must absolutely try this, it looks so chocolaty and good!

    Reply ↓

    • Lol, I’m glad it’s not just in my household. When I clean the bathroom, I have to pick up 45 books and magazines first 😛
      I’m so sorry chocolate doesn’t like you. I wouldn’t mind if liver…or maybe cows tongue hated me but chocolate? *SOBS*

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  15. Chocolate is definitely a friend! To some it’s their bestestest friend, to others just a good friend. 🙂
    Delicious dessert…this is something my hubs would go crazy for. Thank you for sharing!

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  16. So happy to hear that we share a BFF. Our BFF never disappoints, always returns our calls, REALLY listens when we talk and knows when to shut up and just melt…sweet bliss.

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    • Ahhh, you have just made me remember why I gave up 95% of the human race…cause of all the reasons you listed lol. Now I want some chocolate 😀

      Reply ↓

  19. If I stayed in that boy crazy phase forever I would never get anything done. Lucky for me my husband does a few idiotic things every week to make it wear off a bit before I bounce back on the “all i can think about is you” wagon. Good place to be but nothing would ever get done – i just cannot live like that.

    Reply ↓

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