Chocolate and Olive Oil Mousse

Bertolli Olive Oil has launched an online campaign to educate food lovers around Australia on the benefits of using the correct type of olive oil for cooking. With that campaign, I was sent some of their products to use to try. I thought I would try something sweet, and made a chocolate an olive oil mousse. 

Each Bertolli Oil can be used for different things. A great guide is:

• Classico: Best choice for barbequing & roasting.

• Extra Light: Best for baking and frying.

• Extra Virgin: Best for salads, pasta sauces & dips.

For more information, visit the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BertolliOliveOil?fref=ts

Chocolate & Olive Oil Mousse (8 Servings). Recipe adapted from taste chocolate & olive oil mousse.

300g dark chocolate (chopped)

250ml Bertolli extra virgin olive oil

8 eggs, separated

250g caster sugar

Pinch of salt

1tbsp Hazelnut extract or Frangelico

Optional

Whipped cream

Praline

Crushed nuts

Method:

1. Using a double boiler/bain marie method, melt the chocolate. Once all the chocolate is melted, slowly add the extra virgin olive oil until all combined. Remove from heat.

2. Add 125g caster sugar to the egg yolks, Using an electric mixer, mix until pale and thick. Add in hazelnut extract or frangelico.

3. Add melted chocolate and mix until well combined.

4. Using clean beaters, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Add salt. Once peaks form slowly add in sugar and thoroughly mix after each addition. The end product should look like meringue.

5. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture.

6. Spoon into 8 cups/bowls and chill for atleast 4 hours or overnight. 

7. Top with whipped cream, crushed hazelnuts or praline and serve.

I used paper ice-cream cups for the chocolate mousse.When I made it, I didn't add the salt. This resulted in the mousse to be quite sweet. Also, I used a dark chocolate that was 47%. Next time I would use a chocolate with a higher percentage coca content, and add the salt. However, it was a great textured mousse, and one to keep in my recipe book.

Praline from Morish

Good food, good times!

The Bridge Room @ Sydney /Circular Quay

As a part of my birthday celebrations a friend took me to The Bridge Room.  The Bridge Room  is located in the heart of Sydney, just a few metres from Customs House at Circular Quay. It is considered to be a modern Australian restaurant, however the menu includes flavours of Europe and Asia with the use of seasonal ingredients. The restaurant has a sleek design, with modern furniture, basic design and each table had a lovely little green plant and a candle that set the scene of the whole dining experience. A bonus of The Bridge Room is that they provide a separate vegetarian menu (which was awesome considering a lot of fine dining restaurants don't have this option, and that my friend is a vegetarian).

Complimentary Bread

Ghost mushrooms with sliced potato and fresh herbs

A balance between the subtlety of flavours. The potatoes and mushrooms were cooked to perfection with great textures. I only recently realised the power of mushrooms in food, and how tasty they can actually be.

Raw wagyu shoulder, grilled enoki mushrooms, celtic sea salt, fresh horseradish and soft pickled chilli

This smell of my entrée was invigorating as the aroma of the horseradish was instant. The grilled enoki mushrooms were underneath the wagyu, and added a great bite to the dish. The soft pickled chillies were addicting. This was my first time trying raw wagyu, and with all the sides everything went together. The mushrooms and horseradish definitely made the dish for me.

Asparagus grilled over coals, tomato, black cabbage, capciscum, peas and cumin broth

The chef Ross Lusted likes to use charcoal to cook his dishes. This dish was filled with a lot of flavour. The asparagus had a crunch that went extremely well with the soft tender vegetables. There was a lovely tomato taste throughout the dish, due to the broth that provided a little spice. There wasn't a down side to this dish.

Ash grilled duck, pineapple, muscovado cane sugar with tuscan cabbage and anise

Duck on the menu? Yes please! The way the duck was cooked perfectly with an impeccable taste. There was a sweetness to the dish from the cane sugar, and when eaten with the pineapple there was a boost in flavour. If the skin had a slight crisp it would have made the dish that much better.

Chocolate chestnut mousse, campos caramel, toffee, butterscotch and crispy crepes

This was delectable, the crispy crepes is what made the dish. The fried bits of batter added a new level of flavour that had never been experienced. A combination of chestnut and chocolate within the mousse added an element of nuttiness. The dish just got better with every spoonful, another dish that didn't have a down side.

Burnt caramel cream, candied packman pears, pistachio crumb, mint and purple basil

A lovely smooth vanilla creme brulee with a burnt caramel top, pretty sure the best I've ever tried. The down side to this dish was that there were sultanas within the brulee (which is because I don't like dried fruit), lucky for me my friend likes sultanas so all works out well. The pears were a great choice for the autumn/winter season dessert, going by the chefs use of seasonal ingredients for great taste. The mint and purple basil added a freshness to the dessert.

The overall experience at The Bridge Room was wonderful. The restaurant provides exceptional service, and food that doesn't disappoint. Since they provide a vegetarian menu, the dining options can suit everybody's taste buds. A special mention to the friend that came along for a great way to celebrating my birthday!

Good food, good times!

Peter Doyle @ The Quay, @ Overseas Passenger Terminal

First things first, Peter Doyle @ The Quay is not to be confused with Quay. Peter Doyle @ The Quay (The Quay for short) is a restaurant by Peter Doyle, as Quay is by Peter Gilmore. The reason why a lot of people may get confused is due to the fact they are both at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Moving on..

The dining experience took place on a beautiful Autumns day, where the skies were clear. The reason why the weather is such a big deal, is due to the view from The Quay. If you are dining inside, you have a great view of the Sydney Opera House, and if you are dining outside, you can enjoy the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as well. It is in prime location for some of Sydney's best views of the harbour with delightful food. The lunch menu was pre-set, from a travelzoo voucher.

On arrival we received a glass of Marquis de la Tour (French sparkling wine) and marinated olives. On a side note, I find it weird when you are given forks to eat olives, especially when they still contain the seed. You can't pick up the olive without causing some to fly out of the bowl, or just not being able to grab it all.

Confit of ocean trout, wasabi cream and salmon pearls, served with spiced soba 

noodle salad and shitake mushroom & radish

What a dish! A great combination of flavours. The trout was nice and fresh, and didn't have a fishy smell or taste to it. The wasabi cream was even better, especially with the trout, I wish there was more of it on the dish. The down side of the dish was the noodles, I was expecting spicy, but I found it more on the sweet side of things. But, the mushrooms and the sauce made up for it. The mushrooms were perfectly cooked and the brown sauce complemented them very well.

Half lobster thermidor in a brandy cream sauce, with mushroom and parmesan gratin,

served with potatoes and roasted vegetable timbale

Scotch fillet or lobster were the 2 possible mains, but my friend and I both chose the lobster, because no one says no to lobster right? The texture lobster was rather rubbery and the parmesan was overpowering, to the point when there was minimal of the lobster. It was still edible though, just a bit too cheesy The  timbale on the other hand was delectable. Encased within the eggplant were perfectly diced and cooked potatoes, tomatoes, onions and eggplant. The tomatoes created a burst of flavour within, it was a great side.

Chocolate mousse cake with passion fruit foam

The other choice of dessert was a cheese platter type dish, but we both have a sweet tooth so we chose the same dessert. We were both expecting a dish with a little slice of cake a pile of passion fruit foam. To our surprise, 2 slices of cake were displayed on each dish. The cake itself had something crunchy on top that was combined with the chocolate topping. The base was a normal chocolate cake. The passion fruit foam was addicting, I could eat a bowl of it with anything. All went well together, the passion fruit helped the sweetness of the chocolate.

The overall dining experience was wonderful. The service was a bit weird, where we constantly had different waiter/waitresses throughout the whole time. The view has got to be one of the best things at The Quay.

Good food, good times!