I make - Berry mousse cake

Too early for berries? Naa, that's what frozen berries are here for! The cake looks more complicated than it is. The only real work is to make the mousse. It may be steppy but actually quite easy. Oh, it may also require cleaning several bowls afterwards, but I hope you will be so convinced and pleased by the final product that it's worth it.

Berry mousse cake

For berry mousse
- 500g fresh/frozen berries (I used a pack of frozen summery berries which contain blackcurrant, redcurrant, strawberries and raspberries)
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar (adjust to suit your taste/berry acidity)
- 3 sheets of gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water
- 100 g water
- 300 g whipping cream
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (or lemon juice), optional

For base:
- ladyfingers
- cold water

For top:
- strawberry-flavored jello prepared as instructed on the pack

To prepare berry mousse, cook the berries with 1/3 cup of water on the stove. When the pot comes to a boil, turn the heat to low-medium. Add in the sugar, start with 1/3 cup, taste and decide whether it needs more. Stir and squash the berries gently (I used a stick blender to mesh up). After 10 minutes, turn the heat off. I also added some crème de cassis (blackcurrant liquor) to intensity the berry flavor but this is optional. Pass the berries and the juice through a sieve. Strain out the seeds and press the pulp against a wooden spoon. Try to get as much coulis out as possible. Let the coulis cool to room temperature.

In another pot, boil the 100 g water. Squeeze out the water from the gelatine leaves and put them in the pot. Stir to melt the gelatine completely. Once the gelatine has dissolved, turn off the heat and mix in the berry coulis. Stir to fully incorporate both.

In another clean and grease-less bowl, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar (if used) to firm peaks. Keep it in the fridge before using.

In another metal bowl (as big as you can, it is the bowl to mix everything in). Beat the whipping cream to soft peaks. Mix in the cooled and gelatinated berry couli, fold gently and mix two thoroughly. Finally, fold in the egg whites. This is your berry mousse.

Paper line the sides of a 20-cm cake tin with removable base.  Cover the base with water-moistened ladyfingers as much as you can. Pour in the mousse. The cake will need at least four hours to set in the fridge.

To create the mirror top, prepare the strawberry jello as instructued, carefully pour onto the top of mousse cake. Set it for another hour in the fridge.

Decorate the mirror top with a mixture of berries.

A caprice of nature

Why do molecules "rationally" designed for Target A frequently turn out to be better for Target B? In my a decade long (and hopefully growing) career, I have seen this happen again and again. Needless to say, there are also plenty of well-known examples out there, Fleming’s discovery of Penicillin and the little blue pills, Viagra (talking about those happy patients under clinical trials). We all like to think we approach our lives rationally but ah, the joy of serendipity.

You can also find serendipity in the culinary world. I often wonder about and admire the first person ever to taste stinky tofu (臭豆腐), thousand-year-old eggs (皮蛋) or cheese. What a brave person s/he must be!

But I digress.

I am actually going to share with you a couple of recipes (or flavor combinations) which I didn't expect to like but I am glad I tried and now love them.

- Raymond Blanc's chicken fricassee. Watch out his tip in boiling first the vinegar and wine before adding to the chicken. It's brilliant!

- Kraft's cabbage casserole (I used blanched cabbage leaves. No need to slice or sauce them).

The initial reason I tried both recipes was because some ingredients were fast approaching use-up or bin-down dates. The joy of being a resourceful domestic cook, I like to think. Wink.

Three pretty good things: 14 March

1. Nigel Slater's classical porridge.

How can someone make the humble oat sound so humorous and tasty? I love oatmeal and I adore Nigel Slater.

2. My baking bug has come back. 

Recent goods include a pretty good Blueberry tart, one nearly chewy brownies and a Chinese new year cake to satisfy my Asian stomach. My next target is white chocolate and cherry bars.

3. Spring has finally arrived.

With longer day time and flowers budding everywhere you turn, how can it not make anyone happy?

d'Arry's, Cambridge

First dine-out of the year. Have spotted this restaurant for a while which seems another "local" restaurant (hallelujah). After watching The Artist, it's just a short stroll away.

Here is what we ordered:

Starters: Deep-fried Whitebait and Mezze Platter
Mains: d'Arry's fillet burger and Fish & Chips.

Wow, we were very pleasantly surprised. Although d'Arry's mentions seafood to be their strength (freshly delivered everyday), their burger is possibly the best I've tasted in Cambridge. Tender, juicy, flavorsome and it comes with a healthy portion of salad, nicely dressed. And yes, both Whitebait and Fish & Chips were all expertly made. The light tempura coating on my sea bass remained crispy while I ate and this is the first ever Fish & Chips I've had where the coating does not separate from the fish. That shows you the fine craftsmanship this restaurant has.

Overall, our first visit of d'Arry's is very satisfied. Fresh ingredients, properly prepared, generous portions, tasty all around, cozy ambiance, attentive but non-intrusive service. What more can I say?

Will come back.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 9/10


d'Arry's
2 - 4 King Street
Cambridge CB1 1LN
Open everyday
Live music on Sundays