Go For Gourmet With Mock Chocolate Mousse Pie!

This little blog reaches folks around the world. For all of us, April has been a challenging month. Between your career duties, family obligations, and health concerns these are pressure filled days.

Beyond the obvious, most of us have been preparing our own meals non-stop for nearly two months. It is exhausting! Here is a quick, tasty, no cook, dessert that I challenge you to delegate to even the most insecure non-cooking partner OR your very young child. It is that easy!

For your next venture to the grocery store - be sure to grab prepared graham cracker crusts. These are inexpensive, versatile, take up little storage room, and they have a long shelf life. I purchased mine at the Dollar Tree back in January. I love the BAMA brand, as they are a designated bakery for McDonald's world-famous apple pies! Kudos to their female leader, Paula Marshall, a friend and author I have known for two decades. Check out the company link below. 

Keeping track of products on hand in order not to waste our precious inventory is also a new domestic job. In this recipe, I had half & half ready to expire, so I used it up. It added a depth of texture and taste to the pudding. 

Especially during these times of long days, gathering at the table to enjoy a meal should be the highlight of your day. Adding a simple, yet luxurious dessert caps the day perfectly.

Bon Appetit!

Easy Gourmet, No Cook, Mock Chocolate Mousse Pie (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 prepared graham cracker pie crust or prepare your own with grahams or cookies

1 small package chocolate pudding

1.5 cups milk or half & half

1 regular 8 oz container defrosted Cool Whip

Shredded chocolate for topping (optional) crumbs work, too

Method:

Prepare the pudding using only 1.5 cups of milk or half & half. Allow to thicken about 5 minutes. Take the defrosted Cool Whip and gradually, lightly add 1/2 container to the pudding to create lighter consistency using a whisk. Add the mixture to a prepared graham cracker crust. Lightly spoon remaining Cool Whip on top. Sprinkle shredded chocolate on top. Refrigerate until serving.

They will line up for Mock Chocolate Mousse Pie!

Three Ingredients + milk = YUM!

Pudding in base before topping with remaining Cool Whip.

Click here for the BAMA website for their variety of products and interesting company history:

BAMA (pie crust here)

French Spin: Italian Zeppole or St. Joseph's Day Cakes

Tuesday, March 19th, marks the feast of Saint Joseph, San Giuseppe in Italian, considered the patron saint of fathers, carpenters, AND pastry chefs. Let's bake! The holiday dates back to the 10th century when during the Middle Ages in Sicily he was credited for ending a devastating drought. In gratitude, Sicilians honored Saint Joseph with a great feast.

In 1621, March 19th, was officially declared Saint Joseph's feast day by Pope Gregory XV. Baked sweets are a hallmark of celebrating this great day in Italy and in homes by people who wish they were in Italy. . .  like chez moi!

The most well-known treats are Zeppole, which translates to St. Joseph cakes. You will find recipes vary from Sicily to northern Italian speaking areas including Croatia. I was drawn to the Naples area recipe thought to be linked to wealthy families that hired French cooks in the 1800s.

All Zeppole recipes have a pastry shaped donut as the base, and this particular recipe begins with a French-style pâte á choux dough. Don't let the fancy name scare you away! Even my mother, a professed not-much-of-a-cook, made delicious eclairs or cream puffs - they are that easy. If you have eaten a French cruller, you have eaten the fried version of pâte á choux.

Zeppole Shells (or Eclairs, Cream puffs)

Preheat oven 425 first 15 minutes reduce to 375 last 25

Makes 8-11

Ingredients: these shells, box of pudding vanilla or Hershey's white chocolate, cherry or jam, powder sugar

Read entire recipe first.

Gather in stove-top pot and bring to boil:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1 stick salted butter

1 tablespoon sugar

Later will need
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Remove boiling mixture from heat and add 1 cup of flour quickly using a spoon. No whisk.

Return to heat briefly until dough forms a ball while stirring. This cooks the raw flour. One minute. 

Then quickly remove from heat and stir in 4 eggs one at a time.  This will take arm power. Two minutes.

Dough will be sticky and shining. Take a large spoon full of dough and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet or silicone baking mat as in this photo. I made 11 here. You can make larger or smaller. Keep size similar whatever you choose.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes reduce heat to 375 for 25 minutes or until brown. If smaller shells reduce the 25 minutes to 20 or so keeping eye on color. Don't undercook though.

While baking prepare a box of vanilla pudding of your choice according to directions. Chill 5-10 minutes. I used Hershey's white chocolate. YUM!

Remove shells from oven and prick each one with a pin (or I used corncob holder here) to let air escape to reduce collapse. Allow to cool completely about 30 minutes.

Cut out a circle size piece of the shell with small knife. Fill with a small spoon of pudding or split in half. Top with a cherry (left side here) or a spot of jam. I used lingonberry from Ikea here (on right side).  Dust with powder sugar.

Squisito!

Left topped with a cherry. Right topped jam!

Raw dough pre-bake

Just out of oven prick with corncob holder or pin.

Baileys Irish Cream Desserts for St. Patrick's Day: Even Julia McWilliams Child Would Approve

Imagine my delight to see Baileys Irish Cream for sale in this window of a tiny grocery store on a remote "Calle" in Venice's Ospedale neighborhood. . . from my people! The area had 3 retail shops and a lovely, small cafe literally in the middle of nowhere. I had to snap this picture. Notice, I only purchased water, well, and coffee grounds, but that's another blog post.

The world's supply of cream used to make Baileys Irish Cream comes from County Cavan, Ireland the birthplace of my great-grandparents Mary Reilly and Mathew Sheridan. The Glanbia plant shown here is located in Virginia, County Cavan, the village next to their homes in Ballyjamesduff. The Irish word for milk, bán-chia, translates as white meat, which explains the importance this food source is in the Irish diet. They have many, happy, grass-fed cows.

County Cavan is known as the land of lakes (loughs) about 365, one for every day of the year. Located 45 miles northwest of Dublin, people say it is a 45-minute drive from the airport, but it takes me a wee bit longer! You should book a vehicle with GPS (that accent can be tricky) and automatic transmission so you can concentrate on driving on the other side of the road. It isn't as scary as it sounds!

In Virginia, I've stayed at the Virginia Park Lodge, which has been transformed into an amazing wedding venue. It is owned by Michelin-rated chef and cookbook author, Richard Corrigan. Cookery classes are offered periodically and special occasion meals. Do not miss a stop here! Arrangements may be limited. You can view this lovely property at https://www.virginiaparklodge.com

Another great option is staying in Cavan town about 5 miles north of Ballyjamesduff at the Cavan Crystal Hotel with their award-winning restaurant, Opus One. If you sign up for their newsletter you will be offered local discount savings. You can see for yourself at: https://www.cavancrystalhotel.com

I am sharing two very easy, quick desserts you can throw together for your St. Patrick's Day festivities. Adults only! If you have children to serve, you can make these recipes without using the Baileys.

Baileys in Venice store window

Glanbia Virginia Ireland Baileys 'Cream' Factory

Baileys Brownies 

Baileys Brownies (even Julia McWilliams Child would love!)
Serves 9

Ingredients

1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1 8 ounce thawed container regular Cool Whip
1 shot glass full of Baileys Irish Cream or 1.5 ounces
Hershey's syrup to decorate top

Method

Prepared and bake brownie mix as directed in an 8 X 8 pan.
Cool completely about 1 hour.
When cooled make holes in brownie with a straw or chop stick.
Take the shot glass of Irish cream and spread over brownie to go into holes.
Cover with container of Cool Whip.
Decorate top with streams of Hershey's.
Cool in refrigerator overnight or 6 hours.

Sláinte!

Bailey-os:   No Bake Baileys Oreo Layer Cake Magic
Serves 8-12

Ingredients

1 - 14 oz package of original Oreo cookies
2 - 8 oz containers of thawed Cool Whip
4 shot glasses of Baileys Irish Cream or 6 ounces  (2/3 cup)

Method

Container of your choice. Glass preferred. Size will determine number of layers. Read all the instructions below to determine the size of container needed to hold your ingredients. A glass 9 X 12 will work, too, just fewer layers. Metal or foil containers fine, too, just not as pretty.

Prepare filling by adding Baileys to bowl. Take one tablespoon size amount of Cool Whip and in small amounts incorporate the Cool Whip into the Baileys. Slowly you will allow the liquid to fold into the Cool Whip. Don't over beat or you will deflate the Cool Whip. Set aside.

A little math required.

Open package of cookies and separate tops from bottoms. Keep frosted no frost separate. There will be about 36 cookies and once separated you will have 72 pieces. That's the hardest part!

Take the no frosting cookies and line container. Count how many you used. Divide that amount into 72 and that will tell you how many layers you can make. Here's an example:

If 12 cookies were used for the bottom. Divided into 72 equals 6. You can have 6 layers total. With one layer for topping, you will have 5 layers to top with the Irish cream flavored Cool Whip.

Divide your Cool Whip into 5 servings just using a knife in the bowl. Spoon Cool Whip on top of cookies. Repeat using frosted cookies first until the top. The top layer of cookies should be unfrosted and crushed and sprinkled on top.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator overnight. The cookies will become moist like cake from the Cool Whip!

Sláinte!

1/2  Batch Bailey-os Place Baileys in Bowl

Lightly Wisk in Cool Whip

Layer Separated Oreos Glass Bread Pan = 1/2 Batch

Top Before Adding Crushed Cookies Below

Yum!