Cost-Benefit Analysis

Recipe testing is dangerous for my waistline. Any volunteers out there who have space in their stomach for a pie or two? A small pie. Palm-sized.

These cute little jars were an impulse buy at a restaurant supply store in Taiwan. The last time I went back, my grandmother took me there – a warehouse lined with shelves and shelves of offset spatulas, soy sauce bottles, tart molds, and curry powder. In other words, paradise on earth. This summer, I flew across the Pacific again with visions of cheap cake pans and polka-dotted cupcake liners dancing in my head.

I never look more unattractive than when I’m in Taiwan. Across the street are the dolled up Taiwanese girls, skin porcelain white, glossy black hair perfectly done, waists so small they would fit in my kindergarten class T-shirt. Then there’s me, the American cousin, shorts and baggy T-shirt to hide the washbasin of shaved ice I recently consumed, flip flops, and hair plastered to the sheen of sweat smothering my face. If you’re lucky (actually the chances are quite high, so stick around if you dare), you’ll catch me on day two of a mosquito bite crisis – calf swollen to 1.5x its original size and crowned with a crimson pustule straight from your nightmares.

Oh yeah, this is a food blog. Point is, nothing worthwhile comes without a cost. Ladies and gentlemen, I have paid quite the price for these pudding jars. But really, it was worth it. Nothing stops the itch from a mosquito bite faster than a shopping cart overflowing with bargain ramekins.

Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Pudding Parfaits

I was inspired by Paris Baguette’s puddings to create a multi-layered creamy confection. The bottom layer is a dark chocolate pot de crème, the middle layer is raspberry mousse, and it’s all topped off with whipped cream. This is the kind of dessert that requires an entire day in the kitchen, but you could easily make this across two to three days if necessary.

Dark Chocolate Pots de Crème
3/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 270˚F. Place 6 pudding cups in a baking dish and pour cold water into the dish until it reaches halfway up your cups.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, and heavy cream and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Add dark chocolate and stir until smooth. Take off the heat.
4. Slowly whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks until the mixture is completely smooth.
5. Divide the mixture between the pudding cups, filling them a little less than halfway. You will have chocolate mixture leftover. I baked a couple extra pots de crème. Tap the cups against the countertop to remove air bubbles. You can also pop any bubbles on the surface with a toothpick.
6. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the custard is cooked but still a little jiggly in the middle. Adjust the baking time as needed if you are using larger/smaller pudding cups.
7. Remove the cups from the water bath and allow them to cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator until completely cold.

Raspberry Mousse
1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/8 cup cold water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Puree the raspberries and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Strain out the seeds and stir in the sugar.
2. In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over cold water. Let stand for 1 minute. Then, stir over low heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir the gelatin mixture into the raspberry mixture and refrigerate until slightly thickened, about 1 hour.
3. Transfer the gelatin to a large, deep bowl. Please heed this step if you don’t want raspberry puree splattered across your shirt. Beat on high speed until foamy. Gradually add the heavy cream and beat until thickened, about 2 minutes.
4. Spoon or pipe the mousse into your pudding cups on top of the chilled chocolate. Tap the cups against the countertop to smooth out the mousse. If necessary, use a toothpick to remove any air bubbles and wipe the top of your cups clean with a paper towel.
5. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or until set.

Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat until high until you have a bowl of whipped cream instead of sloshing liquid.
2. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream into your cups on top of the chilled raspberry mousse. Tap the cups against the countertop the smooth out the whipped cream. Again, if you’re going for aesthetic perfection, use a toothpick to remove any air bubbles.
3. Serve!

Say, why do the photos look better than usual today? Meet my new business partner. She has a camera! But don’t worry, my Instagram account is still populated by my delightful iPhone camera shots. Just in case you missed them.