Chocolate mousse cake (or chocolate charlotte)

This recipe is the ultimate chocolate treat for chocoholics. It combines 2 awesome features: very easy recipe and best chocolate dessert!
The only problem with the original french recipe is the serving: sponge fingers around and mousse do not like to be cut and at room temperature the mousse looses its consistency. While enjoy your own piece, you see the remaining cake falling apart in the center of the table (or in the kitchen).
My alternative is to make it as individual little cakes.

I always forget to take a picture...

Ingredients for 6 people:
- 12 bands of foil paper about one finger high (you should at least double the foil if thin one) + tape
- 12 round biscuits (digestive biscuits are perfect)
- syrup (30 g sugar + 70 ml water) + few Tbsp of Grand Marnier or Cointreau *
* for kids or if you don't want alcohol, use orange juice instead of water for the syrup
- 70 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml liquid cream
- 200 g 65-70% dark chocolate
- cocoa powder

1) make the orange syrup and let it cool
2) prepare the "molds" - they do not have to look pretty, this is ok!

• pick a mug about the size or little bigger than the biscuits 
• make a square out of 6 foil bands and shape them on the bottom of your mug into 6 cups
• make the edges out of the 6 foil bands left, shape them on the bottom of your mug, tape the outside and place them into the 6 cups

* If too much a hassle, you may serve in ramekins

3) whip the cream and store in the fridge
4) mix the 70 g of sugar with little little water (only enough to make the sugar wet)
5) microwave for a couple of minutes (watch it as you do not want caramel!) but you do want to cook the sugar
6) pour the hot sugar on the eggs and beat until white and cooler
7) melt the chocolate and add to the mixture, mix until cold
8) fold the whipped cream inside
9 ) put one biscuit at the bottom of the foil cups, pour 1-2 Tbsp of orange syrup
10) pour 1/2 cup of the mixture
11) put one biscuit, press a little, pour 1-2 Tbsp of orange syrup
12) pour 1/2 cup of the mixture
13) store in the fridge at least 6h - overnight is 100% warranty solid!
14) remove bottom foil, put in the dessert plate and remove the side foil
15) pour cocoa powder on the top right before serving

PS: for a final touch, you may put on leave on mint, or pour raspberry sauce around the cake and put one fresh raspberry on the top

Voilà !

Buttermilk pancakes

If you are ready for a special little breakfast treat that costs close to nothing and makes everyone happy, give a go with american style pancakes! They are much faster that the french pancakes and they do almost the same job...

Pancakes with fresh fruits

Ingredients for 12 big pancakes:

- 2 eggs

- 2 Tsp sugar

- 2.5 cups buttermilk

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 stick butter

- 2  cups flour

- 2 tsp baking soda

- 2 tsp baking powder

1) beat all together

2) let sit a couple of minutes only until it looks kinda foamy

3) pour 1/2 cup of batter in the hot pan and watch it rise!

4) flip it on the other side as soon as you can lift the pancake

(if it splashes a bit at the landing phase, push quickly the running batter into the good shape!)

5) serve in real time or store in the oven at low temperature until ready to serve

(avoid to stack them directly on each other, otherwise they get soggy with condensation)

You can serve with Nutella (of course), peanut butter, jam, maple syrup, fresh fruits, yogurt, whipped cream... Virtually anything you have in your fridge!

Voilà!