Eggless Black Grape Mousse

Geeta Aunty made this when I had visited her in Coorg. She has a treasure of recipes and she was generous to share her recipes with me. I got her recipe book photo copied and I am excited to know so many Coorgi recipes. Her recipe collection also has a excellent collection of pot-luck recipes. One of her recipes was Grape mousse. I tried this recipe in India as black grapes were in season when I was there. Black seeded grapes provide a better flavor to the mousse. It is very simple to prepare and makes a great dessert to make for pot - luck party. 

The grape mousse has a creamy part and a glaze which is darker in color. 

Ingredients:

For Cream base:

1/2 tin condensed milk

250 gms black grapes

2 tablespoon sugar

300 gms cream

4 teaspoon gelatin

Method for Cream Base:

Cook the grapes in 1 1/4 cup of water and 2 teaspoon sugar for 10-15 minutes on low flame till the grapes are soft and cooked. Remove from flame and cool completely. 

Blend the grapes in the blender and sieve the mixture in a sieve. I sieve it in a sieve which has slightly bigger holes than a sieve used to strain tea. 

Mix gelatin in 1/2 cup water and hear it on low flame till the gelatin melts. Add the gelatin to the above sieved grape mixture. 

Beat the condensed milk and add it to the grape puree. Put it in a mould or in the container in which you want to set the mousse and keep it in the refrigerator till the mousse is semi-soft. I put it in fridge for around 25-35 minutes. Blend the cream and mix it with the grape mixture. Keep it in the fridge till it sets well (around 3-4 hours).

For the Glaze:

1 teaspoon gelatin

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup black grapes

2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon corn flour dissolved in 2 tablespoon cold water

Method for Glaze:

Cook 1/2 cup grapes in 1/4 cup water with 2 table spoon sugar. Cook properly and cool down. Blend the cooked grapes in blender and sieve it. 

Dissolve the gelatine in double boiler or on very low flame till the gelatin melts completely. Keep aside.

Mix the dissolved cornflour mixture into the sieved cornflour mixture. Cook the grape mixture on low flame till it is thick. I cook it for 10-15 minutes on low flame. Add the gelatin mixture and cook for 1 minute. Remove from fire and once it completely cooled, pour it over the creamy- mixture of mousse which was kept in the fridge to set. 

Keep it for 2-3 hours in the fridge so that the glaze will set over the creamy mousse. Cut it into pieces and serve chilled. One needs to scoop it with a spoon while serving it. I have tried to cut it into pieces like a cake and have not been very successful :) 

Microwave Easy Cooking - FRUITS, Event

This recipe goes to the event organized by Nivedita and Srivalli. Thanks for organizing this interesting event.

Microwaved Pear With Dryfruits

Cooking With Seeds- Nigella Seeds Event

I saw the event organized on Taste Of Pearl City. This is a unique roundup with recipes which use Nigella seeds or kalonji. Kalonji is mostly used for pickles and is extensively used in sabzis in eastern Indian cuisine. I am sending these recipes for the event organized by Ayeesha and Priya.

Baigan Ka Achaar

Bhindi Do Pyaza

Pumpkin Sabzi

Event starting with B

These recipes go for the event Dish Name Starts with: B organized by Akila.

 

Baigan Bharta 

Bruschetta

Banana flower stirfry

Bitter Gourd Sabzi

Bread Upma

Bottle Gourd Halwa

Bhindi Do Pyaza

Beans Sabzi

Black Beans Sabzi

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

Vaina Pooja 2010

My first Vayana Pooja

Godu Pova

Wishing you all a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi. 

We also celebrate Gowri pooja or Vayana/ Vaina pooja before Ganesh Pooja (Chavati in Konkani). Gowri is also known as Ganesh's mother and Lord Shiva's wife. For the Gowri pooja we use coconuts to symbolize the goddess. The coconuts are soaked in turmeric water to purify and then all the fiber is scrapped off the coconuts to smoothen the surface. Then it is marked with chalk or wet rice powder with a circle mid way around the coconut. I decorate the coconut with haldi and kumkum but traditionally they are decorated with sindhoor on the mouth of the coconut and sandal wood paste in between the two eyes. Kajal is applied to the eyes of the coconut and they are decorated with flowers. My garden flowers came handy to decorate my Gowri's :) I got the gowri puja samagri from the Indian store. It consists of black bead magalsutra, the red colored mangalsutra thread, comb, bangles, mirror and haldi and kumkum. The diyas are placed on top of the coconut, but due to the carpets in my home, I place them in a separate plate. I chant the 108 names of Gowri as mantra and with every name chant a pinch of rice and flowers is sprinkled as offering. After the Gowri puja, Lord Ganesh is worshiped. 

I made godu pova as offering to Gowri and Ganesh. It is very similar to Panchkadayi, but a lot simpler to make. We don't make this in my home and this recipe was given to me by one of my good friends C when she made this for her son's birthday.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup jaggery or gur

1 cup grated coconut

1 teaspoon powdered cardamom

2 cups thin pova

Method:

Cut the jaggery into small pieces. Heat the jaggery in a pan with 4 teaspoon water till the jaggery melts. Cool it completely and add the cardamom and coconut. Mix well and add the pova in 2 or 3 batches. 

Mix the pova well into the jaggery so that all the pova is coated with the jaggery.