A family that eats together…and a chocolate mousse cake

…stays together. I love a good family get together – planned or impromptu. This weekend was Rufus’ baby blessing which demands an obligatory foodie family get together, or more specifically a pot luck buffet. I’m not into over organising (as you know) so I just called my Mum to make sure between the two of us we had a few sweet and savoury bases covered. My Mum makes delish salads, gorgeous fruit platters and can get her hands on some incredible bread, so that’s what she contributed. What a star! I decided to go with:

• Goats cheese and beetroot tart from River Cottage. This took a while but it was well worth the effort. It was all gone by the time I got to the table and I was told it was amazing. I will be making this again!
• Chocolate mousse cake – recipe below.
• Rhubarb and strawberry crumble which was a variation of this. Healthy and great with yoghurt for breakfast. 
  
• Lemon drizzle cake taken from here. Yes I know mine doesn’t look as good, but it did taste rather nice! 
• Mozzarella, basil and tomato sticks.
• A few nibbles – sundried tomatoes, olives, stuffed peppers, pesto and feta cheese.

Being selected to take part in the #MorrisonsMum challenge could not have come at a better time – with a few extra things to buy it meant I could explore the store and try out some new recipes. I wrote a list and headed to my local Morrisons store (avec the whole fam of course).

I must confess I have a soft spot for Morrisons (along with Lidl and Aldi) – more specifically Market Street, as it reminds me of being on holiday. Not sure why? Possibly the introduction of spraying water on the fruit and veg, the presence of more exotic produce and I do love a good selection of fresh herbs. They also have the best selection of organic fruit and veg out of the ‘big 4’, and I do find it the best value for money. Another reason to head to Morrisons some time soon is because they’ve cut prices on over a thousand every day products. What’s not to love?

I prepared everything on Saturday so we could just load the car in the morning. We had such a lovely day with family and friends. Here is the recipe for the chocolate mousse cake – one of my new favourites. It looks rather plain, but tastes delightful.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

  Ingredients

250g good quality dark chocolate

4 large eggs, separated

110g caster sugar

3 tbsp warm water

Cocoa powder for dusting

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease an 8 inch loose based tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.

2. Melt the chocolate then let it cool slightly. Whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until really pale and fluffy. Carefully stir in the chocolate and the water.

3. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and then fold them into the chocolate mixture, a third at a time.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes. Take it out of the oven and leave to cool, then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).

5. Take it out of the fridge 1 hour before serving. Use a hot, wet knife to remove cleanly. Dust heavily with cocoa powder.

One spoonful and you’re doomed. It is gorgeous! Just opt for gluten free chocolate if you would prefer it to be gluten free.

Seriously…everybody needs one of these. A small, (mostly) helpful person! Great for unloading everything onto the conveyor.

Available for hire. 

I was sent £80 worth of Morrisons vouchers free of charge for the purpose of the #MorrisonsMum challenge. All words and opinions are my own. 

E xx