MADE: Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Cups

I think that the process of making these delightful little dessert cups was a bit like the process of giving birth.

Bear with me here.

I've heard that the process of childbirth is so traumatic that a woman's brain and body actually repress it, because otherwise women would just warn their daughters away from the shrieking horror of having babies and the species would die out.

Similarly, these little chocolate cups were SO DARN CUTE and SO FREAKING DELICIOUS in the light of day that it almost blocked out the traumatic, frustrating, painful hours of splattering chocolate and uncooperative latex.

Almost.

Despite that frustration, though, I'm putting the pictures and recipes up on the blog because I'd like to make them again. They were adorable and delicious, as stated, with a definite 'wow' factor that upped my little event to at least a capital-B Brunch. 

Yep. I'm a sucker.

Chocolate Cups

Ingredients

10-12 oz Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chunks

1 package small balloons

Patience

Line a baking sheet (or two, depending on how many cups you're making) with wax paper, parchment paper, or aluminum foil.

In a double boiler (or a fake double boiler setup, with a small saucepan nestled into a larger water-filled one over medium-high heat), melt chocolate until smooth. Then remove from heat.

Blow up the number of balloons you'll need, so that the bottoms are the size that you'd like your cups to be, and then tie them off. I made two dozen balloon-cups, all relatively small (about 2.5" in diameter and 2" in height). I also used water balloons, because I thought they'd be more resilient. (Also, Walgreens only had water balloons. First world problems--I got 'em.) The use of water balloons necessitated filling the balloons up with water to stretch them out, then emptying out the water and blowing them up with air. In the process I got drenched and lightheaded. And every single one of my roommates made fun of me. Fair warning.

Now you've got balloons and melted chocolate. Simple instructions: Dip the non-tied bottoms of the balloons into the chocolate, rolling the balloon slightly to get a smooth covering all the way around, reaching a little way up the side of the balloon.

THIS SOUNDS DECEPTIVELY EASY. DON'T BE FOOLED. Temperature is the tricky part. The chocolate needs to be warm enough to form smooth layers, but cool enough so that it doesn't pop the balloon when you dip it in or roll it around. (This is where the spattering chocolate comes in. And boy, is it fun.) It might take a bit of trial and error, and you might have to go through a few re-warming/re-cooling stages.

Once you've got your balloon dipped in chocolate and successfully non-popped, set it onto the covered baking sheet. Fill up the baking sheet with chocolate-dipped balloons--they don't need a lot of space, just make sure they're not touching--and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Once the chocolate is sufficiently cool and hardened, cut off the knots of the balloons and pull them out. Taa-daa! You've got beautiful chocolate dessert cups! Fill them with chocolate mousse, whipped cream, or ice cream, and serve to your delighted guests! Just make sure that your guests know that the bowls are edible! Otherwise they'll wind up almost trying to wash them, by mistake. (I'm not kidding. This actually happened at the party.)

Oh, and DEVOUR, for good measure.

N.B.: The chocolate cups will get pretty melty pretty quickly, so I'd freeze them if you're not using them right away. Also, don't try to fill them with anything hot. I'm getting stressed just imagining what that would turn into...

MADE: Chorizo Gratin

Sometimes you accidentally wind up at a speakeasy with your good friend Sambert. What's that you say? You've never wound up at a speakeasy with Sambert? Let me tell you--you're missing out, my friend. Specifically, you're missing out on this food.
While the whole "accidental speakeasy" night was pretty awesome overall, this chorizo gratin was a highlight. Such a highlight, in fact, that Sam and I couldn't help but make it for ourselves--in a more generous portion, of course. With a little help from the Seattle Cheese festival, we whipped this up and DEFINITELY DID NOT eat the whole thing.

Pictorial representation of "help from the Seattle Cheese Festival"

Chorizo Gratin*

Ingredients
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb chorizo sausage
2/3 cup diced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 red pepper, diced
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 lb gruyere, coarsely shredded
1 loaf crusty bread, sliced and toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Chop chorizo into small chunks and cook until browned and delicious-smelling. Remove from pan to a medium-sized casserole dish. Put onion, salt, and sugar into the skillet with the chorizo dregs, and keep over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the onions begin to brown and stick to the pan, add a splash of water (about a tablespoon or two) and stir vigorously. Repeat this process three or four times until onions are deep brown and sweet-smelling.

The onions, they are a'caramelizin'

Add diced peppers and tomatoes to the skillet, stirring occasionally for about five minutes, or until you get too impatient.

Dump the caramelized vegetable concoction into the casserole dish with the chorizo and stir together until evenly mixed. Cover--and I do mean COVER--the whole thing with handfuls of shredded cheese. Pop the casserole in the oven for twenty minutes, so that everything gets melty and bubbly. Serve atop your toasted crusty bread and DEVOUR.

*Yes, we are aware that this recipe doesn't actually have a starch base, which possibly negates its claim to being a gratin. That's what the speakeasy called it, however, and so that's what we're calling it. SO THERE.