Friday, February 25, 2011

Women In Wine 2011

Women in wine collage
selection of photos from the evening... some tasty treats and empty wine glasses.


Yes, it is that time of year again.  The annual Women In Wine function which is held by the MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club) Women association.  My friend David and my husband Mark have been attending this annual event for the last four years and we love it!  Not only do we get some delicious food treats, we get to sample some great wines from a different winery every year.  These wineries are selected as they have some inspiring women in charge of the wines, or making them - or both!


menu
The menu for the evening.


This year's winery was Rob Dolan and we were treated to a selection of wines that aren't even available to the public yet!  Very exclusive!


Someone ate my meatball but they got me an extra!!!
I savoured the very last meatball!


As per usual the food was excellent, this year there was a lot of seafood on the menu (not so great for people with allergies!) And the main part of the meal was a tapas style.  I complained a bit about this as while the platters were going around and it eventually came to me, someone had swiped my allocated meatball!  Luckily the great staff there brought me out another plate of meatballs and I indulged in maybe four!  Gotta love a meatball!


Love the Rob Dolan Pinot Gris!
The gorgeous Rob Dolan pinot gris and it's lovely pink colour.

The stand out wine for us was the Pinot Gris which was unusual in the sense that it was quite pink in colour.  It had an excellent nose, was lovely on the palate, so much so that we ordered a case of it to enjoy with our friends.

Again, a fantastic Women In Wine event.  Looking forward to the next one in 2012 (and our case of pinot gris to be delivered!)

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Dark, decadent Chocolate Mousse...

Chocolate mousse


I've been having a bit of a craving for Chocolate Mousse recently and thought that making some would be a great way to use my Kitchenaid mixer.  I like to use dark chocolate in my mousse as I don't really like sweet mousse so here's my recipe for a more bitter, dark and decadent chocolate mousse!

Ingredients:
  • 200grams of dark chocolate (I used 2 blocks of Lindt 70% chocolate)
  • 3 large eggs separated
  • 1 cup of cream
  • 1/3 cup of freshly made espresso coffee
  • 30ml of dark rum
  • 2 tablespoons of caster sugar.
  • pinch of salt

Chocolate mousse


How to:
  1. break up chocolate into small pieces into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Make a fresh espresso coffee (it must be hot!) and pour 1/3 cup of it onto the chocolate. The heat of the coffee will start to melt the chocolate.  Begin to break it down and mix it until it is smooth.  If you have trouble melting the chocolate with the coffee, pop the bowl in some hot water in the sink to get it to finally melt.
  3. add the rum and the egg yolks to the slightly cooled chocolate and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy.
  4. Beat egg whites until smooth peaks form, add 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
  5. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mix.  You should start with just one spoon full of the egg whites to get it going, then fold the remainder in.
  6. Whip the cream and fold into the chocolate mix.  Add a pinch of salt.
  7. Spoon out the chocolate mousse into small containers and chill for at least 2 to 3 hours.

Chocolate mousse


I used this cute bird teacups to hold my chocolate mousse! Cute huh?  You can serve your mousse with extra whipped cream and berries, raspberries with the chocolate are a match made in heaven! Enjoy your decadent chocolate treat!

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