French Fridays Twofer

I fell impossibly behind with my French Fridays with Dorie project. For the most part, I've made the recipes each week, but I haven't taken the time to get lots of photographs or blog about the results.

To play catchup, I'll tell you about these two Around My French Table recipes I made in January: Michel Rostang’s Double Chocolate Mousse Cake and Chicken B'Stilla.

First, the chocolate mousse cake: a fairly basic mousse recipe, which is divided in half, then you pile half into a springform pan and bake it. After it comes out of the oven, you put the rest of the mousse on top and chill it. Different method, right? And I didn't have the greatest results.



I thought the mousse tasted great before baking. While it was baking, I started to smell something burning, and though I cooked it several minutes less than the recipe directed, the mousse had burned. I tried to cut off the burned parts, and then I piled the remaining mousse on top and chilled it. When it came time to serve, I dusted it with three varieties of cocoa powder, for some color contrast.



I had high hopes for this one after reading the ingredients list and doing a preliminary taste test on the mousse, but the finished product was mediocre. I would rather have served the mousse as it was before baking.

I had much better success with the Chicken B'Stilla. You start with chicken thighs marinated in garlic and spices, then boiled in broth, then shred the meat after it's so tender it's falling off the bone. The chicken is mixed with onions, lemon, eggs, honey, pepper, and chopped herbs and served in a filo dough pie topped with cinnamon and sugar. Very beautiful and delicious!