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Friday, April 06, 2012

It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown!

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

I'm sure that we all have heard this expression at some point in our lives. It's an expression that really should have been tattooed to my forehead when I was younger. Basically, it means that we're all guilty of falling for a trick, lie, or cheat, and we're all entitled to blame the person who set it all in motion. However, if we fall for the trick a second time, then really, we're the stupid people who allow history to repeat itself.

Today's topic is about an annual television special that appears to be based around this very statement...at first.

I'm sure if any of you read my entry on “It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (if you need a refresher, you can read it HERE), you'll know exactly what I am talking about. In that special, Linus is so determined to prove that “The Great Pumpkin” was real, and camped out at a nearby pumpkin patch all Halloween night to prove it. He could never convince anybody else to join him, as they would rather have gone trick-or-treating for candy, chocolate, gum, and rocks. But, somehow, little Sally Brown thought about it, and she decided to skip all the fun to hide out in the pumpkin patch with Linus for a glimpse of the Great Pumpkin. After all, Linus had promised Sally that the rewards that come from meeting the Great Pumpkin would far outweigh the little trinkets that they would normally have gotten from trick-or-treating.

So, imagine Sally's disappointment when the Great Pumpkin did not show, and she ended up missing all the fun of Halloween because Linus had insisted that he would come. She was furious. She told Linus off. It seemed as if Sally would never forgive Linus for that day.

So, why the heck would Sally decide to tempt fate once again and believe Linus when he went on and on about how there was an “Easter Beagle”, that would bring coloured eggs to all the children in the neighbourhood? Did she not learn from last time that anything coming out of Linus' mouth was likely not the truth? Did Sally not once stop to think that she was making herself look like more the fool by swallowing the “used car salesman” logic of Linus Van Pelt?



Sigh...I think it's a great time to talk about the Peanuts special “It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown”. As promised, I would incorporate some Easter references to the special “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Week”, and well...I think this Easter special is really sweet.

The television special, which first debuted on CBS on April 9, 1974, still airs on television annually. It's one of the very few Easter specials that have ever been made, and part of the reason why I love this special so much is because of all the various sub-plots surrounding it. Sub-plots that act as ingredients in making the most perfect Easter celebration.



(Well, unless you're Charlie Brown, that is.)



I've already talked about what the main plot is. Linus is determined to prove that an Easter Beagle does exist, and despite what happened on Halloween, Sally has decided to believe Linus' claims once more. Elsewhere in the Peanuts world, other Easter happenings are going on that have nothing to do with the Easter Beagle.



SUB-PLOT #1 – Peppermint Patty tries to teach Marcie how to make an Easter egg.

Oh, Marcie, Marcie, Marcie...so naïve and inexperienced. Perhaps if she had spent more time learning about Easter customs and less on being Peppermint Patty's slave, maybe the whole experience would have ended a lot differently. Peppermint Patty wanted to colour Easter eggs for the holiday, but Marcie had absolutely no clue as to how to prepare the eggs.

(Here's a hint...you BOIL THEM.)



Try telling Marcie that. Every single attempt that Marcie made ended up being a disaster. Attempt number one, Marcie ended up making an omelet. Apparently, she believed that by frying them in a pan, the eggs would be suitable for colouring. Yeah...no.

Marcie's second attempt wasn't much better. If they wouldn't work in a frying pan, maybe cooking them in a waffle iron would work better. When that didn't work, she tried putting them in a toaster, and then inside the oven. It's a wonder Marcie didn't have Gordon Ramsay knocking on her door calling her a stupid donkey!

Finally, Peppermint Patty explained to Marcie that the best way to make Easter eggs suitable for colouring is to boil them. And, Marcie seemed to get it then.

Well, that is...until Marcie cracked open every single egg, and made egg drop soup.

You know, why don't we move on to the next plot?



SUB-PLOT #2 – Woodstock gets a new home...and then loses it...

This sub-plot is probably one of my favourites in the whole episode, mainly because it displays the friendship between Woodstock and Snoopy, but also because it incorporates one of the most iconic scenes in the whole special. Take a look for yourselves.



Wasn't that neat? That scene took place at a department store. Apparently, it's the only department store that actually allows a dog to roam the departments at free will. The reason why Snoopy is there? He wanted to purchase a brand new house for his pal Woodstock. The arrival of spring has brought the arrival of showers. While it's true that April showers may bring May flowers, in Woodstock's case, they only bring misery. Woodstock's nest is considered to be worthless when it comes to protecting the poor little bird from the cold, wet rain. It's clear that Woodstock needed an upgrade, so Snoopy offered to help him find a new home. And, Snoopy ended up getting Woodstock a lovely home.



Problem was that Woodstock found Snoopy's taste to be quite tacky, and he decided to transform the house into a swinging 1970s bachelor pad, complete with shag carpeting, television, sunken bed, and a stereo system.

(Which makes me wonder how the heck Woodstock ended up getting the money to buy all those things, come to think of it.)

But, of course, Snoopy ended up wanting to see the new place, and stuck his nose right into the birdhouse. He ended up getting stuck, and ends up smashing Woodstock's new house into a million pieces trying to get out.

Poor Woodstock. Luckily, Snoopy ended up getting Woodstock another place to live, and all was well.

In fact, Snoopy would end up getting involved in the third sub-plot.



SUB-PLOT #3 – Lucy is selfish.

I mean, let's face it. Of all the Peanuts characters, Lucy Van Pelt has always been the most self-absorbed, thoughtless, greedy person. She charges five cents for psychiatric advice, which is usually best not followed in the first place. She refuses to even let Charlie Brown kick the football. So, naturally, it doesn't surprise me that Lucy would be the one character who would completely miss the point of what Easter is all about.

Sadly these days, Easter is almost as commercialized as Christmas or Valentine's Day, which makes me feel that Lucy would fit right in with 2012 customs. Back in the 1970s, Lucy strongly believed that Easter was all about getting as many presents as possible...a belief that made Schroeder headbash his child-sized piano repeatedly.

So, Lucy comes up with a plan. Unlike poor Marcie, Lucy actually knew how to prepare an Easter egg for painting. She ended up doing up an entire basket filled with them, and her plan was to have an Easter egg hunt. Sounds like a great idea.

The only catch? Lucy arranged it so that she would be the only one hiding the eggs. Furthermore, she would also be the only one finding the eggs. If Lucy had her way, she would end up with all the eggs, and Charlie Brown, Linus, Sally, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Pig Pen, Violet, Shermy, Rerun, Tapioca Pudding, and any other Peanuts character would get zip.

How very “unselfish” of her.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, a certain beagle comes following behind her with a small basket. Every time she hid an egg, the dog would pick the egg up and place it in his little basket.

Hmmmm...considering that the title of the special is “It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown”, I wonder if maybe this is foreshadowing of some sort. And, I wonder if Sally was right to believe Linus after all?



I suppose I COULD tell you what happens at the end, but I don't want to spoil it too much. All I'll say is that Marcie is STILL clueless, Charlie Brown is STILL left out, and Lucy ends up learning a lesson in karmic retribution.

But it's funny. All of the plots of the special are neatly intertwined with each other to create a wonderful and warm Easter.



Unless you're Charlie Brown. Seriously, someone give the kid a hug!

It was nice to see Snoopy offer to help Woodstock find a new home, even if Woodstock questioned Snoopy's taste at first. Their friendship is quite inspiring, and there were funny moments mixed in with the seriousness. I loved how Snoopy ended up sticking it to Lucy. She really needed to be set straight, and Snoopy really is the only Peanuts character with the guts to stand up to her. Peppermint Patty's patience should be rewarded, and I appreciate the humour surrounding Marcie's frustration at not being able to understand how to make an Easter egg.

But the one thing that I appreciate the most about this Easter special is the idea that all the Peanuts gang celebrated the holiday together. They may come from different backgrounds, and have different personalities, but they all still respect and love each other as friends, and can put their differences aside to enjoy the holiday...at least for a few hours.



Happy Good Friday, everyone...and Charlie Brown, if you want an Easter egg, I'll give you one. I'll even make sure that it has never been inside a toaster!



Thursday, April 05, 2012

Sweet 'n Sour (Emphasis On The Sour)

Continuing on with “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Week”, it is time for this week's Thursday Confession. You're probably thinking that because of the theme, this week's confession will involve something sweet.

You would be wrong. Sort of.

I won't sugarcoat my feelings (despite the fact that this whole week is a spotlight on candy-themed pop culture references). My sweet tooth is probably one of the most overactive in the bunch. I reckon that I've eaten so many sweets over the course of my lifetime that I'm amazed at the fact that my sweet tooth hasn't completely rotted away from all the sugar.

I admit that in recent years, I have made serious attempts to keep my cravings for sweets under control, and ended up losing a lot of weight in the process. I still have those days where I really, really want a slice of chocolate cake or an Oreo Blizzard from Dairy Queen, and that's fine, so long as I don't indulge in them every day. My addiction to sweets is far from being as out of control as it was during my teen years, where I basically ate every sweet I could get my hands on to stop the bouts of depression that I endured during that time.

But, that's not my confession. If this were the first time that I was mentioning this, it probably would be, but regular readers would know that I've touched upon the subject of self-medication through food several times in this blog already. It doesn't come as much of a surprise.

And, besides, it doesn't quite fit with the theme for the week, which is supposed to be light-hearted.

Instead, my Thursday Confession for today happens to be related to the assumption that this confession will involve something sweet, and how that assumption is incorrect. Kind of.



THURSDAY CONFESSION #14: Some of my favourite sweet treats are really sour.

Yes, I thought I would dedicate this blog entry to some of my favourite “sour” treats. Various candies that make your lips pucker up the minute they enter your mouth, but turn sweeter and sweeter the longer you leave them inside.

(I see you snickering, and believe me, I understand. That last paragraph was incredibly difficult to write without making it sound “R” or even “X” rated.)

Some kids I went to school with didn't like sour candies at all, but I was always of the opinion that the more sour a candy was, the better. If the candy didn't make at least one of my eyes water, then it simply wasn't sour enough.

Now that I have made today's confession (which considering the subject matter of the topic at hand seems kind of bland in comparison to my previous confessions), I thought that I would dedicate the rest of this entry to open up discussion for sour candies.

I thought I'd make a list of some of the sour candies that I have enjoyed over the years (and still enjoy in moderation), and then I'd turn the floor over to all of you to ask all of you what your favourite sour candies are.

Here's my list, starting with the one sour candy that I will readily admit to being strongly addicted to.



1 – SOUR JUJUBES

Everyone knows what a jujube is right? It's like a gumdrop, only without the sugar sprinkles. Or, naked gumdrops, as I used to call them when I was six. When I was growing up, I loved jujubes, but I only liked certain flavours. Out of the five flavours that were offered for jujubes, I only liked the yellow and green ones. Orange were okay, but the red ones weren't that good. And as someone who has never been able to stomach the disgusting taste of black licorice, needless to say the black jujubes always ended up in the garbage. As much as I liked jujubes, the fact that I threw out (or gave away) so many that I didn't like made buying them seem like a waste of money.

But one day when I went with my mom shopping at the supermarket years ago, I spotted a new candy in the bulk foods section. Sour jujubes. My mom ended up buying a small container of them for us to try, and once we got home, I sampled the yellow, green, and orange ones, just to see what they were like. They were fantastic. It was as if someone took the flavouring of a regular jujube, and amped the intensity of them by 100%. Surprisingly enough, the red sour jujubes were delicious as well, considering that in regular format, the red ones were ones that I didn't particularly care for. I was a little hesitant to try the black ones, because of my dislike of licorice flavoured candy. To my surprise, the “black” sour jujubes were really dark purple. And they weren't licorice flavoured. They were grape. In one final contrasting statement for sour jujubes, the “black” sour jujubes are my favourites of the bunch, where as the black regular jujubes are easily my least favourite. Funny how adding sour flavouring to previously disgusting candies can make them better, huh?



2 – SOUR PATCH KIDS

Of all the sour candies that I have tasted over the years, I believe that Sour Patch Kids were the first ones I tried. It seems hard to believe that these little guys could be packed with so much sourness. And would you believe that when they were first created by Paul Mihalick in the late 1970s that they were initially called Mars Men? They were renamed “Sour Patch Kids” in 1985, and if I remember correctly, they used to be sold for a dime a bag over at a local convenience store called Hengeveld's. At the time, my grandparents lived just down the street from that store, and I would go in there for my fix of Sour Patch Kids. There was just something about getting candy from behind the counter that brought such a rush. Sour Patch Kids came in raspberry, orange, lime, and lemon flavours, all flavours I enjoyed, and before they became available to purchase from store shelves, I looked forward to getting that little brown paper bag filled with Sour Patch Kids and other penny candies. Those were the days.



3 – JOLLY RANCHERS

Jolly Ranchers are candies that you either love or you hate. I know many people who say that they can't stand Jolly Ranchers because the flavouring is too artificial, and because the candy gets stuck inside teeth due to the fact that it gets stickier as it dissolves. As for me, I absolutely loved Jolly Ranchers. I think the first time I ever tried a Jolly Rancher was when I was eleven. It was Halloween, and I think someone must have tossed in a package of Jolly Ranchers in my trick-or-treat bag. They were a package of cherry Jolly Ranchers, and when I tried them for the first time, they were like no other candy I've ever tried. They were incredibly tart, but oh so good. These days, I very rarely snack on them (mainly because it appears that my favourite flavour, lemon, was discontinued, or is very hard to find in Canada). But when I was a kid, they were fantastic.



Believe it or not, there's apparently Jolly Rancher soda. If it wasn't for the fact that they were unavailable in Canada, I would like to try one to see if they are any good.



4 – SOUR WARHEADS

For some reason, these little green and red candies were hugely popular at my elementary school. At least they were with the boys. There were a couple of convenience stores within walking distance from the school I attended (if memory serves me, they were the Little Store, and the Kozy Korner store), and both stores sold these. One game that we kids used to play was to see how many Warheads we could stuff inside our mouths at one time. I never got past three or four myself, but some of the kids in my class put so many Warheads in their mouths that their tongues went numb! I guess this explains why the packages now contain a warning on the label explaining that too many Warheads can cause numbness.

For the record, I wasn't really a fan of Warheads. I didn't mind the occasional green one, but I could take them or leave them.



5 – SOUR CHERRY BLASTERS

All right, so there's not a huge difference between these and Sour Patch Kids, but being a huge fan of cherry flavoured candies, I have to add a special spot for these. One memory that is forever linked to Sour Cherry Blasters involves going to see a movie with a group of friends and smuggling a bag of them inside the purse of one of the ladies with us so we could save money on snacks. It was a great idea upon retrospect, and I ended up paying about seven bucks less for snacks.



6 – CRY BABY GUM BALLS

When I was in the fourth grade, almost every kid in my class chewed these. At a quarter a piece, it was a great way to get a boost of sour flavour. I was always partial to the green and blue gumballs myself, but really, all the flavours had the same amount of sour coating.

That's my list of some of my favourite candies that have a little bit of a sour twist to them. What about yours?

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Welcome To Candy Land!


Have you ever seen the music video for Katy Perry’s song “California Gurls” featuring Snoop Dogg?  If not, you can watch it below.






The song was a massive hit for Perry in the summer of 2010, and was the first of several #1 hits for her from her album “Teenage Dream”.  It also happens to have a loose connection to today’s blog subject.

As you can see from the video, the setting is one gigantic board game.  In the game, Snoop Dogg and his army of evil, gangster gummy bears have total control, and have imprisoned Katy’s friends in prisons made of bubble gum, lime Jell-O, and plastic wrappers.  It’s up to Katy to navigate her way through the jungle of baked goods, tasty treats, and gingerbread men guards to save the day.  It was an interesting concept for a video, and its bright colours, vibrant imagery, and Katy’s bra that shoots out deadly dollops of whipped cream helped make it one of the most requested videos of 2010.

I have my doubts that you’d be able to find a version of Katy’s game in any toy store.  But, today’s blog entry is the next best thing.  Set in a magical land filled with candy and chocolate, it was a board game that many young children played with.  Although I never owned the game myself, I remember playing it at other people’s houses, and finding it incredibly easy, but enjoyable enough.




Today, we’re going to take a look back at the classic board game, “Candy Land”.  The third entry in our special “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Week”.

“Candy Land” was designed by Eleanor Abbott.  In 1945, while she was recovering from polio in San Diego, California, Abbott designed the game, and sold the rights to Milton Bradley.  The first version of the game was made available commercially in 1949.

“Candy Land” was designed for a younger demographic.  In many ways, “Candy Land” was touted as a “starter game” for toddlers and young children, much like “Memory” and “Perfection”.  The object of the game was to find the King of Candy Land by making it to the King’s hiding spot first (the final square of the game).  Along the way, players will have to pass through locations such as Candy Cane Forest, Gum Drop Mountain, and Molasses Swamp. 






But the way that players moved around the board was quite unique.  There were no dice, no spinners, not even a plastic bubble in the middle of the game board like the one used in “Trouble”.

The only thing players needed to know to play the game was colours.

The game board of “Candy Land” is divided up into 134 different coloured squares.  The vast majority of these squares can be found in six different colours; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.  The game also comes with an assortment of cards, with the vast majority of them containing coloured squares of the same colour.






When it was time for a player to move, all they had to do was pick a card from the top of the deck, and move to the next corresponding coloured square.  For instance, if the player were to draw a blue square, they would then move to the next blue coloured space in their path on the board.  Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

It was meant to be.  By using coloured cards, players not only got the chance to learn all about the different colours in the world, but it also eliminated the need to count squares or read game cards.  In short, it was the perfect game for parents to play with children between the ages of two and five.

(Come to think of it, I think my kindergarten classroom had “Candy Land” inside the toy room.  I might be mistaken though.)






In addition to the rainbow squares, there are also pink squares.  These squares act as location squares for Candy Land landmarks, as well as squares where you can meet Candy Land citizens such as Queen Frostina or Princess Lolly.  The pink location squares can also be found in the card deck, and if a player picks one, they have to move to that location, regardless of whether it takes you further ahead, or further back (although prior to the 2004 re-release of the game, there was a rule that stated that younger players did not have to go back in the game).

So there you have it.  The winner is determined by how well the cards are shuffled. 






However, the game isn’t quite so easy.  Somewhere along the Candy Land path are spaces that have dots on them (in the 2004 game, they were changed to licorice spaces).  The spaces with holes on them were coloured just like the other squares, but if a player happened to land on one of these squares, they automatically lost a turn, which meant that other players trailing behind could pass.  I looked up game boards online, and it seems that players who draw one of the primary colours (red, yellow, blue) should tread with caution, as holes are usually found in those colours of squares.

There are also cards with double colours on them.  Those cards allow players to move their marker to the second-next space of the corresponding colour.

The game board has changed a total of four times since it was first sold in stores.  When it first hit store shelves in 1949, the board only contained locations, no characters.  The track was modified slightly in the game’s second edition, in the 1960’s.  Character squares were added in the 1980s version of the game.

2004 was the year that the game made a lot of significant changes.  Some characters were renamed or eliminated.  Some locations were also modified (most notably the Molasses Swamp was turned into the Chocolate Swamp).  And, the final space in the game was changed from purple to rainbow, to allow players to win the game.

(Though in my opinion, the 2004 revamp dumbed the game down even further.)

There have since been several different versions of “Candy Land” made.  A Winnie-the Pooh version of “Candy Land” was commissioned, as well as a version starring Dora the Explorer.  In 1986, a version of the game was made that came with a VHS tape, which players were encouraged to watch as they played along.  I vaguely remember the VCR game, as one of the kids in my first grade class brought it in for us to watch, but I’m unable to find any clips of it on YouTube.  A separate DVD version was also released just a few years ago.

At any rate, “Candy Land” is widely considered to be one of the most successful board games ever created.  In the December 2005 issue of Forbes magazine, the game ranked at the top of the list of Best Toys of the 1940s.  That same year, the game was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.  Until 2006, the Toys R Us location in Times Square, New York City, incorporated a “Candy Land” theme for their candy and chocolate section.  And, it has been reported as recently as January 2012 that a “Candy Land” feature film is in the works...though I have to admit that I have no idea how such a movie could possibly be made.






But if a Katy Perry video, a section of a popular toy store, and a possible motion picture idea can be inspired by a simple board game, it had to have made its mark on pop culture in a big way.

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

April 3, ????

“Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Week” continues on with the Tuesday Timeline, and as you’ve probably guessed, today’s timeline will be focusing on an event that happens on April 3.




One thing that is a little different is the lack of a year.  Unlike most other Tuesday Timeline entries where we go back in time to a specific year, we are instead going to focus on the date itself.  Believe it or not, April 3 is a significant day in the world of desserts, and has been celebrated for quite a few years.  I wish I could have found more information as to when the tradition began, but I was unable to do so.  Hence the reason why the year has been replaced by four question marks.

That will be the only change to this week’s Tuesday Timeline entry though.  The rest of it remains exactly the same.

So, why don’t we see what else happened on April 3rd, shall we?  We’ll start with celebrity birthdays.  Famous people blowing out the candles on their birthday cakes today include Doris Day, Jane Goodall, Eric Braeden (that’s Victor Newman for you soap fans out there), Wayne Newton, Tony Orlando, Alec Baldwin, David Hyde Pierce, Eddie Murphy, Sebastian Bach, Picabo Street, Jennie Garth, Aries Spears, Cobie Smulders, Leona Lewis, and Amanda Bynes.

As well, we’ll take a look at some historical happenings for April the third.

33 A.D. – While not confirmed, it is widely believed that the historical crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth occurred on April 3

1860 – The first successful Pony Express run took place between Missouri and California

1865 – Richmond, Virginia is captured by Union during American Civil War

1882 – Jesse James is killed by Robert Ford

1885 – Gottlieb Daimler is granted German patent for his engine design

1895 – Trial begins in libel case instigated by Oscar Wilde, results in his imprisonment on charges of homosexuality

1936 – Bruno Richard Hauptmann is executed for kidnapping and killing the Lindbergh baby

1948 – Harry S. Truman signs Marshall Plan; on the same day, Jeju massacre occurs in South Korea

1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. Delivers his “I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” speech

1973 – The first handheld mobile phone call is made by Martin Cooper, of Motorola

1975 – Bobby Fischer refuses to play in a chess match against Anatoly Karpov, giving Karpov the title of World Champion by default

1981 – The first portable computer, the Osbourne I, is unveiled at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco, California

1996 – Unabomber suspect Theodore Kaczynski is arrested in Montana

2000 – Microsoft is ruled to have been in violation of antitrust laws by keeping an “oppressive thumb” on its competitors

So, as you can see, just based on the facts and trivia that I have gathered up, it’s some very interesting information, but none of it really works with the theme for the week.

And since I already had plans to make this week a theme week, I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to find an appropriate topic for today.  It really wasn’t until I did a little bit of work on Google that I discovered something very interesting about April 3.  It happens to be associated with one of my favourite sweet treats, and once I found that out, the rest fell nicely into place.




Today is April 3.  National Chocolate Mousse Day!

Believe it!  April 3 is the day where we celebrate the delicacy that is chocolate mousse!




Um...no, not chocolate MOOSE...I mean this stuff.




Doesn’t that just look delicious and appetizing?  Rich, smooth, cool...definitely one of the finest dessert treats one can have.  I believe that the first time I ever had it was when my sister got married in the late 1980s.  One of the desserts offered at the reception was a little dish of chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream.  Being eight years old at the time, I was in love with anything that even so much as resembled chocolate, so I decided to try some, and it was love at first bite.

However, one thing that I learned a bit too late about chocolate mousse was that you had to be careful when eating it.  Otherwise, you may end up dripping some all over the rented tuxedo that you were forced to wear during the wedding.  Oh, yes, that was an interesting story to tell the rental place for sure.

So, what exactly is chocolate mousse anyway? 

According to Wikipedia, chocolate mousse originated from France.  Mousse itself is the French word for foam, which mousse greatly resembles.  Mousse is a prepared food that incorporates air bubbles in order to give it a light and airy texture.  Depending on the recipe that is used, the mousse can appear light and fluffy, or creamy and thick.

Mousses can be made in any flavour.  I’ve seen vanilla, strawberry, raspberry, and even orange flavoured mousse.  However, I find that chocolate mousse is probably the flavour that is considered to be the most popular.  After all, it does have a day named after it.

I thought that in celebration of the chocolate mousse, I’d post a recipe for chocolate mousse, so that you can celebrate “National Chocolate Mousse Day” today as well.  Doesn’t that sound like fun?




Okay, so this recipe comes to us courtesy of late chef, Julia Child.

JULIA CHILD’S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS:

-      1 cup semisweet baking chocolate

-      4 tablespoons strong coffee

-      6 ounces unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)

-      4 egg yolks

-      ¼ cup rum or ¼ cup strong coffee

-      4 egg whites

-      ¾ cup instant superfine sugar

-      2 tablespoons instant superfine sugar

-      Whipped cream (optional)            

PROCEDURE:

-      Place the chocolate and 4 tbsp strong coffee in a sauce pan and place in a pan of hot water.  Stir for a minute or so, until melting begins

-      Place egg yolks in a bowl and beat, adding the sugar in a thin stream.  Continue beating until mixture is thick, pale, and forms a ribbon.  Beat in the rum.  Set over a pan of almost simmering water and beat for an additional 5 minutes.  Test with your finger to make sure the mixture is warmed through.

-      Allow to cool.  It should again form a ribbon and have the consistency of thick, creamy mayonnaise

-      Stir the chocolate until smooth, and gradually add the softened butter.  When totally in corporate stir the mixture into the yolks and sugar

-      In a clean bowl, beat the room temperature egg whites.  Begin slowly and increase the speed until soft peaks are formed.  Sprinkle with 2 tbsp of sugar and a pinch of salt.  Continue beating until stiff peaks are formed.

-      Fold ¼ of the stiff egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it.  Scoop the remaining egg whites on top and delicately fold them inches.

-      Place into a mold or serving dishes and chill for several hours or overnight

-      Serve with whipped cream if desired.

And there you have it.  You now have your own recipe for chocolate mousse, courtesy of the French chef.  I must warn you, like most delicious desserts, the chocolate mousse isn’t exactly the healthiest food choice.  Although a standard serving is only 287 calories, most of those come from saturated fat.  
So, enjoy in moderation!




If this recipe doesn’t tickle your fancy, fear not.  If you Google chocolate mousse recipes, you’ll find hundreds out there for you to make.  Or, if you’re a klutz in the kitchen, might I recommend Jell-O mousse pudding cups?  They come in several flavours, and are only sixty calories a piece.  I’ve had them before, and I have to say, for a Jell-O product, they aren’t bad.

I hope each and every one of you have a happy National Chocolate Mousse Day today, and remember, snack responsibly!