I am finding that I am erasing more shows on tivo than I actually watch.  I started watching this show called Make It or Break It, and it’s a gymnastics soap opera.    So, I had erased everything on the tivo except this, and I have got to catch up on this.  OMG!  What is wrong with me?

Also, I have decided that I cannot live without my ATT wifi stick.  It is essential for airports and hotels. 

I am finally tweeting on Twitter again.  I like this.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Pop Rocks Mousse

For the Pop Rocks candy base
3 oz whole hazelnuts
1 ½ oz milk chocolate
2 tsp ginger spice mix
3 ½ oz pop rocks candy  (Strawberry works best)

For the chocolate mousse
12 ½ oz dark chocolate
14 oz heavy cream
Pinch of salt

For the chocolate glaze (ganache)
¾ oz chocolate (same type as for the mousse)
4 oz water
8 whole coffee beans
Couple of pinches of salt
1 oz cocoa powder
2 ½ oz superfine sugar

To make the base, preheat the oven to 350F and roast the hazelnuts for about 10 minutes until lightly golden. Blend to a paste in a food processor, then set aside. Melt the milk chocolate in a bain-marie (a large stainless bowl over a saucepan of simmering shallow water — take care that the water does not touch the bowl) and stir in the ginger spice and pop rocks candy. Next, fold in the hazelnut purée. Place the 3-inch ring molds on a serving dishes and gently press ½ inch of the finished mixture into the base of each mold.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until hardened.

To make the mousse, chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a metal bowl.  Bring 4 oz of the cream to the boil in a small saucepan. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir extremely gently until all the chocolate has melted, watching carefully to ensure it doesn’t take on a granular texture. Add the salt to taste. Once the chocolate cream has cooled to room temperature, lightly whip the remaining cream in a mixer to soft peaks, but do not over-whip. Fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour over the base in the ring molds and place in the fridge to set for two hours.

To make the glaze, chop up the chocolate and set aside. Place the water, coffee beans and salt in a saucepan, whisk in the cocoa powder, then set over a medium heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, put the sugar in a small pan and melt over a medium heat. Superfine sugar will caramelize quickly, so keep an eye on it; when it does, pour over the coffee and cocoa mix — stand back, as it will bubble and spit. Beat in the chopped chocolate and, when melted, pass through a fine sieve (strainer, i.e. a chinois or china cap). When cool, but still liquid, pour over the mousse to your preferred depth and return the finished molds to the fridge to set.

To serve, run a hot knife around the inside of the rings before removing the desserts.

I’ve noticed that my office seems to get cluttered more and more every day.  I don’t bring anything else in, and yet it turns into a massive pit very quickly.  Omg!  So, it took me nearly an hour to sort through a bunch of papers, books, EOB’s, statements, etc.  I thought it would never end.  I think it’s a lot like socks in the washing machine, but in this case there are not as many that come out as those that went in.

I am taking a break and watching a movie before I finish grading papers.

One more thing…..I have decided that when I marry again, I want a Tiffany diamond.  It’s the little girl dream that I didn’t get the first time when I was with Ichabod Crane.  Here’s the picture of the ring.

I bought a really great artisan bread book, and I am going to work my way through it and make every bread in it.  My friends will be sick of bread, but that’s what they’ll be eating!  I am trying to get back into baking more bread, because I want to teach a baking lab. 

So, I had a migraine today and found myself surfing the web in my darkened room with my computer screen at its lowest light.  This is what I found:

www.thewebsiteisdown.com

www.stephenlynch.com  and look up Stephen Lynch on youtube.

I also spent time watching George Carlin clips on youtube.  Rest in peace George.  I will miss you, and I thank you for making my formative years worth it.  I also thank you for seven words I couldn’t say on television and the ten commandments in your words.  Thanks George.  I’ll see you in about 50 years.  :)  

George Carlin, May 12, 1937 to June 22, 2008.