oh, Marilyn! I think I need a cigarette!

Linda

Very pretty! I love food that looks great!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Oh they look beautiful Marilyn !

Can you tell us how you made the white chocolate cups ?

SharonCb

Wow Marilyn...they look amazing! I'm interested in the recipe too, and what did you have for dinner?

Cindy

Thank you ladies!

Cindy, after the first glass of wine and an appetizer of Oysters Rockefeller (awesome) I shortened my menu, lol!
Grilled beef filet with a large scallop pan fried in butter...sinful, served with roasted asparagus, broccoli, red and yellow peppers, red onions and garlic. It was all so good!

The cups, ala Giada:

8 oz. good quality white chocolate (I only did 4)

Line 8 muffin cups with paper liners. Melt the white chocolate in top of double boiler (I used a small non-stick skillet over low heat) over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Spoon 1 tablespoon melted chocolate into each paper liner. Using a pastry brush(I used the back of a spoon), coat the chocolate evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the liners. Freeze until the chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. Remelt the white chocolate in the bowl. Spoon 1 tablespoon into each cup and brush over the bottom and up the sides, forming a second coat. Freeze until completely set, about 1 hour.

Then I filled them with my mousse recipe using {{!gwi}} or milk chocolate. Then I folded in stirred seedless raspberry jam. Served with fresh raspberries that really finished if off!

{{!gwi}}

6 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate
3 tablespoons butter
3 large, very fresh eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
whipped cream and chocolate curls; garnish

First, place a stainless steel bowl and a wire whisk in the refrigerator. Then chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium, non-stick skillet along with the butter; melt over low heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat to cool slightly.

In a medium size bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tarter and continue to beat gradually adding 3 tablespoons granulated sugar until it forms stiff peaks; set aside.

Stir the egg yolks into the slightly warm chocolate in the skillet, 1 at a time.

Using the chilled bowl and whisk, beat (donÂt use a mixer) 1/4 cup heavy cream until it begins to foam and add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks then add the other half of the cream and vanilla. Continue to beat with the whisk just until stiff peaks.

Gradually and gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in skillet. Then add chocolate and egg white mixture to whipped cream in cold bowl and gently fold it in. Do not over work the mousse! Spoon into 4 martini glasses, cover and chill at least 2 hours. Garnish as desired.

Marilyn

Oh and Cindy, I want to know how yours turned out too!

Marilyn

Thanks Marilyn - the cups sound like a lot of work, were they difficult to do?

Hehe, we had pizza last night - between meetings and the last home basketball game none of us were here at the same time for dinner :) I did make a valentine dessert for Lauren and her friends, though.

CIndy

Marilyn, do you remove the liners somewhere in the process? Or just serve in white liners to match? Knowing me, I'd break up the chocolate trying to get the paper etc. off.

Cindy, these were way easy to make...I enjoyed it.
Jessy, the paper easily peels off the outsides after they are completely cool. They held up really well without breaking. I think the white chocolate must be harder than milk chocolate.

Marilyn

Great, thanks!

Thanks Marilyn.

I imagined the cups would be very difficult to make. They look fantastic !

SharonCb

Beautiful !!

I've made them before, and the cups are not difficult to make at all. Perhaps a little time consuming. I would think they would work quite well in the silicone muffin cups also. I don't care for white "chocolate." (You can't fool me into thinking white is chocolate lol) But I think I will try this with the chocolate mousse. The raspberry swirl won't show, but I could probably just put on whip cream and garnish with red raspberries (if I can even find them in Feb. in the midwest)
Sherry

Sherry, for a long time I resisted white chocolate because I knew it wasn't chocolate. Now, I love it, especially in mousse and with raspberry! I just don't think of it as "chocolate" anymore, just a really good, creamy treat.

The raspberries are available at most store here (Indiana), I got them at Marsh.

Sherry, I'm like you, I don't care for "white chocolate" by itself, I flavor it with something else, like maple extract or mix it with something, like cream cheese. Then, of course, it's no longer white chocolate. (grin)

Good luck on those raspberries, I looked for some here at Christmas. I found some but they were soft, mushy and all the bottom ones were moldy. I finally melted some of my homemade raspberry jam and used it, so that might be an option for you, you could "drizzle" instead of "sprinkle".

Annie

I put off looking at this thread till we got a quiet Fri afternoon, and yes that is almost orgasmic. In my distant past I also made chocolate cups by dipping the bottom half of inflated balloons into melted chocolate - color and flavor of choice. You let it harden into a tulip cup shape then pop the balloon eh voila! The cups Marilyn describes really aren't hard to make, just a bit fiddly.

This all reminds me I have raspberries in the fridge here at work to eat up...sadly with only plain yoghurt. Healthier but somehow a little flat seeming after that picure. Oh sigh...Maureen