Mousse au Chocolat

200 gr chocolate (at least 70% coccoa)

5 eggs

150 gr sugar

125 ml cream

Cut the chocolate into small pieces and melt it on steam (chocolate should not come in contact with water). Separate the whites from the yolks. Make snow from whites and gradually add 100 gr of sugar. Beat the cream.

Mix on steam egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of hot water and 50 gr of sugar until it becomes a solid mass in which are gradually added melted chocolate, whipped cream and finally snow. Mousse should stay in refrigerator for 4-5 hours. Pieces of dark and white chocolate and mint leaves can be added for decoration.

Watercress and Orange Soup

1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bunches or bags of watercress
grated peel and juice of 1 large orange
21/2 cups vegetable stock
2/3 cup light cream
2 teaspoons cornstarch
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a little heavy cream or plain yogurt,
to garnish
4 orange wedges, to serve


Soften the onion in the oil in a large pan. Add tqe watercress, unchopped, to the onion. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes until the watercress is soft.
Add the orange peel and juice and the stock to the watercress mixture. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Puree the soup in a blender or food processor thoroughly, and strain if you want a smoother texture. Blend the cream with the cornstarch until no lumps remain. Stir into the soup, stirring until blended. Season to taste.
Slowly return the soup to a boil, stirring until just lightly thickened. Check the seasoning.
Serve the soup with a swirl of cream or yogurt, and a wedge of orange to squeeze in at the last moment.
If serving the soup chilled, thicken as above and leave to cool, before chilling in the refrigerator. Garnish with cream or yogurt and orange, as above.
Serves 4.

Vichyssoise

about 3 large potatoes, peeled
and cubed
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
12 ounces leeks, trimmed
2/3 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, to garnish


Put the cubed potatoes and chicken stock in a sa ucepan or flameproof casserole and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Make a slit along the length of each leek and rinse well under cold running water to wash away any dirt or grit. Slice thinly.

When the potatoes are almost tender, stir in the leeks. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until both vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally. If the soup is too
thick, thin it down with a little more stock or water.

Puree in a blender or food processor: If you prefer a very smooth soup, process it in a food mill or press through a coarse strainer. Stir in most of the creme fraiche or sour cream. Cool and then chill. To serve, ladle into chilled bowls and garnish with a swirl of cream and the chives.
Serves 6 to 8.

Yoghurt cream

280 ml full-fat yogurt

1 sachet gelatine

2 sachets vanilla sugar

50 gr powdered sugar

For the dressing

2 tbsp raspberry jam

1 lemon or 150 gr canned peaches

Pour in yoghurt melted gelatin and whisk. Add powdered sugar and continue whipping. Finally, add vanilla sugar and whisk to melt. Pour mass in round bowls and cool them in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Cold cream gently pull apart from the bowl and turn around on a plate. Pour the raspberry jam, in which you added the lemon juice or pour over the juice from the canned peaches and garnish with peaches.

Apple dessert

1 kg apples

100 gr raisins

50 gr walnuts

50 gr almonds

cup rum

vanilla pudding

sugar to taste

whipped cream to decorate

cinnamon

Soak the raisins in the rum and leave to rest. Peel apples and cut into cubes, place in a pot and fry. Add sugar if you want to. After five minutes, add the raisins and rum, chopped walnuts and almonds and cook another two minutes. After that thicken with pudding mixed with a little water and stir in a little bit more. Distribute the mixture into four bowls and chill in the freezer. Serve sprinkled with cinnamon and decorated with whipped cream.

Marinated pork chops

4 pork chops

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp mustard

red pepper

½ cabbage

Parsley

5 tbsp vinegar

½ tsp cumin

Oil

Salt

Pepper

Put salt and pepper on pork chops, rub them with strained garlic and mustard, and leave them for 30 minutes. Fry chops for 10 minutes and serve with vegetables side dish. 

For vegetables side dish cut the paprika, cabbage and parsley and pour over marinade made from vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper.

Vitamin salad

50 gr cabbage

50 gr fresh carrots

20 gr celery

20 gr green salad

1 tsp lemon juice

20 gr walnuts

Wash lettuce, dry it, distributing it as a background in the bowl. Cabbage, carrot and celery slice as noodles, then combine everything, add finely chopped walnuts and season with lemon juice.