On another note, how absolutely stunning is she...
This past Saturday we had three of my best girl friends over, along with the men in their lives. I cooked a four course meal for eight! {with the much needed help of my wonderful boyfriend, Cara and Nate}
On the Menu:
The table:
The Mousse was AH-MAZING. Courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa herself. It was definitely a labor of love, but SO worth it.Combine the 2 chocolates, 1/4 cup water, and the vanilla in a glass bowl. Set it over a pan of simmering water just until the chocolate melts. Cool completely to room temperature. Whisk in the orange zest and butter until combined.
Place the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick and pale yellow. With the mixer on low speed, add the chocolate mixture. Transfer to a large bowl.
Place 1 cup of egg whites (save or discard the rest), the salt, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until firm but not dry. Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture; then fold the rest in carefully with a rubber spatula.
Without cleaning the bowl or whisk, whip the heavy cream and the remaining tablespoon of sugar until firm. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mousse into individual dishes or an 8-cup serving bowl. Chill and decorate with whipped cream and oranges. Serve with extra whipped cream on the side.
Whipped Cream: 2 cups cold heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, dash pure vanilla. Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't overbeat, or you'll end up with butter!
Dark chocolate, wide-plank hardwood floors! This past weekend the bf, some of his handy friends and my brother made one of my long-time wishes come true: they laid a beautiful chocolate brown hardwood floor in our back room/office/where I go to watch Gossip Girl and read a book. It's not entirely finished - floor boards still need to be nailed, some touch up paint - but it's so close! {photos to come}
Our walls are dolphin fin gray by Behr and it couldn't be more perfect.
