Brazo de Mercedes...

Brazo de Mercedes is a type of rolled cake made of egg whites and when you cut into it the you can see the rich custard filling. It is a very popular type of 'merienda' (snack) here in the Philippines. One of the most popular place to get a taste of this is at Goldilocks. Goldilocks is a local bakery which has grew into an empire. It's cakes and assorted desserts has been a staple in Filipino diet specially during celebration for generations.

When I was a kid, I have no idea what Brazo de Mercedes taste like. My mom is never a big fan of sweets so she never really is the type who will buy rolls of cake for no reason at all. In my family, cakes are meant for special occasions only. I tasted Brazo de Mercedes when I was in high school and fell in love with it, but we being a family with history in diabetes I don't indulge in it.

Making this Spanish-Filipino treat is something different for me because I seldom do traditional Filipino desserts for some reason. But for the whole week last week for some reason, I've been thinking about making it. So I did!

Technically speaking, it was easy and there are tons and tons of recipe online on how to do this. Me? I followed a recipe in Food Magazine Expanded Edition just did minor tweaking. The cake itself is made just like making a meringue the difference is that it's spread onto a roll pan and baked until the top is soft but firm and not crispy like meringue. The filling on the other hand is something else, it's like liquid 'yema', another Filipino favorite, which basically is a cooked custard candies. The original recipe called for WHOLE CAN of condense milk, but knowing the fact that Filipinos have a very sweet tooth, I only used half the can and same amount of egg yolks and cook over a double boiler until thick consistency. Everything was going smoothly until it's time to roll the cooked egg whites, I got impatient and did not sift powdered sugar on the parchment paper where I would roll it. Well...you can guess what happens it STICKED EVERYWHERE! And the silly thing cracked with I was trying to take it out. I got myself a lope sided roll and it isn't pretty. I'm so exited in tasting it even though it's not pretty...utter disappointment tasted eggy. Nothing to do to remedy it, I just sticked it inside the fridge and hope for the best. Thankfully a night stay in the fridge did make it taste better less eggy taste and less sticky and very addictive :D

Mousse the Express Way

On a lazy Saturday night, I wanted to make something that is good and satisfying at the same time for me that would be chocolate mouse. I love chocolate mouse! The first memory I have of eating chocolate mousse is when I was a kid my mom and dad would always take us to KFC for Sunday lunch and I love ordering the mousse there.

As I mature with age( ahem ... ahem...) like wine my taste gets more complex and I have tasted many kinds of mousse out in the market. My recent favorite is Red Ribbon's chocolate mousse, but sometimes I don't want that whipped cream topping. that's why whenever I see a recipe for chocolate mousse I try to make it. I've even tried making the French kind with the egg yolks and stuff, I must admit that French method mousse sure taste divine however it's just plain tedious! Has tons of step and more importantly can't be eaten right away.
When I saw Nigella's version of the chocolate mousse, considering I'm a huge Nigella fanatic, I knew I have to give it a shot and I'm glad to say its good!

Considering I made this on a LAZY Saturday night, I didn't feel like slaving away on a hot stove, I did the next best thing I could think of, I used the microwave. In a glass container, I mixed in the starting four ingredients and in every 30 seconds, I stop the microwave and stir until some of the chocolate and butter melts. Being such an impatient person that I am, I couldn't wait for all the chocolates to mix in, I threw in a whole bag (eerr...minus 2 pieces :P couldn't help myself) of marshmallows I used the big kind for the simple reason that's all I had. At first I thought this recipe wouldn't work seeing that it looked curdled and unappetizing, I just kept mixing and mixing until all the marshmallows have melted and the mixture turns smooth. Leave it out for few minutes to cool down or else the cream would melt. Remember the work Lazy??? I didn't beat my whipped cream, I didn't even use whipped cream. I used plain all purpose cream that's readily available in the market. Our fridge is always full of that cause my mom use it for her pasta dishes. Using I wire whisk, I whisked the all purpose cream until creamy and lump free and gradually add the chocolate mixture and voila! Instant Chocolate mousse! If by some chance yours turn soupy? Don't worry just pour it in a mold/bowl and stick it in the fridge and after an hour you'd be ready to enjoy these.

Instant Chocolate Mousse
Recipe from Nigella Lawson, Nigella Express
Serves 4-6

• 150g mini marshmallows
• 50g soft butter
• 250g good dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), chopped into small pieces
• 60ml hot water from a recently boiled kettle
• 1 x 284ml tub double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Put the marshmallows, butter, chocolate and water in a heavy-based saucepan.
2. Put the saucepan on the hob, over heat, though keep it fairly gentle, to melt the contents, stirring every now and again. Remove from the heat.
3. Meanwhile, whip the cream with the vanilla extract until thick, and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until you have a smooth, cohesive mixture.
4. Pour or scrape into four glasses or ramekins, about 175ml each in capacity, or six smaller (125ml) ones, and chill until you want to eat. The sooner, the better!