Chocolate Mousse with Konpeito Wasurena-Gusa
After 2 new punk rock albums (which I’ve been screaming my head off to) and a re-assessment of Alkaline Trio’s latest album, my throat has started showing the first signs of swelling and the voice is sounding pretty funky too. What happens here? You stop gobbling down the candies and leave the chocolates alone. But I just gotta keep with the whole image and follow the motto of rebelliousness to the ends of the earth, ya know.
Tonight, I went back to my Thai Green Curry Shrimp Risotto and made-over the recipe with fresh coriander, shitloads of garlic and onions, a more authentic brand of green curry paste and enough parmesan to make a sailor fall in love with me. Mum couldn’t really focus her tastebuds on the dish as the wine went to her head pretty quick. (Lightweight.) It was quite a laugh. Laughing wasn’t really a problem for my throat. Chocolate was. Hence, even more so was chocolate my focus tonight.
Some say a hoarse, deep-toned voice for a girl is pretty hot. Possibly. I’m probably gonna get that quite soon but it’s not too bad since I’ve never had a very sweet-sounding voice to start with, and that’s always worked pretty fine for me. Something else that’s pretty fine was this dessert I tried out today all thanks to Stephanie Jaworski of Joy of Baking. I’m not a big mousse chomper but I like it quite well now and again; reason being the mousse I find are always a little too heavy for me and seem to bloat me up big like a balloon after just a few spoons. While this mousse isn’t too heavy, I still thought it wasn’t airy enough and that was possibly due to my ineptness. It tasted fantastic though and the texture was gloriously smooth. Clarissa wiped the whole souffle cup clean. Mum thought it was a little too sweet and so did I but generally, I find that sweetness is quite subjective so it’s good to go with the flow depending on who you’re cooking for that evening.
Chocolate is an aphrodisiac. It’s a great pick-me-up and reliever of stress. It’s wonderful for pre-times of the month (ladies, you’ll get my drift) and it’s usually your next best friend after that pup of yours. It’s a wonderful strengthener of friendship and means of social bonding. Next to that, konpeito doesn’t seem so wonderful. I mean, rock candy against chocolate? It’s never gonna be a dead ringer for the latter or hold its own against such a phenomenal candy. But I love konpeito so I’m allowed to be biased. I figured chocolate comes into the love scene quite a lot. Therefore, I paired my chocolate mousse with Konpeito Wasurena-gusa from Hidemi. You’re saying, Come again? Wasurena-gusa are Forget-Me-Nots and in flower language, this blue flower is a flower symbolic of enduring love and fidelity. Kinda fits with the whole love theme I’ve got going on doesn’t it? And the blue tint of the sweets is so pretty I can’t get my eyes of them.
To find out more about Konpeito, you can check out my earlier post on that here.
Hidemi’s konpeito comes in 2 sizes – small and large. And these konpeito were much a lot more ‘explosive’ than the ones from Kasugai. They were more spikey and crazily formed (much to my amusement). Prettily package with a pastel-coloured tie around a vacuum-sealed plastic packet, these are preferable for gifts. In fact, the maple-flavoured ones will be posted to a special friend of mine next week as a very late housewarming gift. I’m quite unwilling to do so but it’s not practical to have so many little bags of rock candy around or I’d be toothless before I’m even 21 next month.
The flavour of the konpeito is very faint so if you do get a packet of flavoured ones – whether forget-me-nots, sakura, hydrangea, etc. – don’t expect it to be like your usual candy. There’s only a very slight hint of it, almost like an aftertaste on your tongue and an elusive scent in the back of your nose when you breathe out (at least that’s the only way I can describe it). I thought these were a fun topping to go with the mousse. Very contrasting textures, providing a good crunch to the smooth creaminess of the mousse and looked quite cute as well. I’m starting to think konpeito are pretty swell an ingredient or topping – add it to cakes, puddings and cookies? Yes, no?
Call me obsessive, I know I am, but I REALLY can’t get over konpeito. They made my chocolate mousse so delightful! If you, like me, can wax lyrical about these silly-looking sweets, drop me a comment. We can chat more breeze about ‘em like sugar-psychos, whilst I go on ahead and shock the world with my wonderful husky and rough voice. Watch out.
Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 175g/6 oz semisweet chocolate, broken into chunks
360ml double cream
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup water
You can find detailed directions here at Joy of Baking.
*a little note for my future reference: find that whipping the egg mixture until it’s cool to touch is not quite practical as adding the melted chocolate (even though it’s just slightly warm) causes it to seize. Therefore, need to be mindful about temperatures of the different liquids!
August 30th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Thanks for your comment on my crazy Blog fight! I wish I could say it was over..but now they are still attacking me until I remove the Blog fight post and the video! Mean Mean childish people!
August 30th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Thanks Diva
All the positive comments coming my way assure me that I am in the right! And that these holligans are just low lifes!
August 31st, 2008 at 9:19 am
Candy and chocolate mousse? What an unusual combination! The mousse looks silky and rich, good job. Your throat could do without the rebellion, though
August 31st, 2008 at 11:31 am
this konpeito looks and sounds so neat! chocolate mousse doesn’t need much help to be out of this world, but those little candies would surely do it.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I like having that husky Demi Moore voice sometimes.
Stop with your cool candy! I’m jealous. This candy may be cuter than the last.
And I love mousse.
September 1st, 2008 at 1:49 am
Those Confeitto look so interseting. I wished I could get my hands on some.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:42 am
I have this feeling you have a great voice. Am I right?:) Your mousse looks tempting and I am falling in love with those confettos of yours:)
September 1st, 2008 at 8:39 am
Yay, to the sexy new voice.
Yay, to konpeito.
Yay, to mousse. But not to salmonella.
Have a great holiday, Diva!
September 1st, 2008 at 5:57 pm
That chocolate mousse looks good! Look at all of the different coloured Konpeito.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I love those little konpeito, I’ve always found them intriguing…and moreish. Putting them on mousse? Totally inspired
September 1st, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Oh, that silky mousse looks positively alluring.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:23 am
What a perfect way to showcase those little sweets! Your mousse is so smooth – well done!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:47 am
This is one of my favourite desserts. I can never get enough. Yours is very lovely.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:12 am
What a gorgeous presentation! Such lovely little candies!
September 4th, 2008 at 2:13 am
Great photos, this looks soo good!
September 7th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
love love love chocolate mousse. Your decorations are so cute
September 8th, 2008 at 12:59 am
Come again? Sure…what a tongue twister & very yummy looking one at that. Great great mousse Diva…pretty presentation too!
September 8th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
The chocolate mousse looks delicious! And Wasurena-gusa sounds very intriguing
September 9th, 2008 at 6:27 am
manggy: yea, the throat’s still pretty much trying to deal with its hoarseness..taipei night market snacks didn’t help at all!
grace: these little candy sure are out of this world! in fact, now that i think abt it, they kinda look like little constellations. alien sweets!
emiline: agree. the demi moore voice is very useful sometimes. these are indeed a lot prettier than the last. lovely colour too.
maybelles mom: i realized you can actually get them off Amazon
farida: i really doubt it. it’s quite terrible when i sing. the whole house shakes and every one really just wants to tell me to shut the hell up LOL. i’m sure u’re as in love with them as i am.
dee: thanks! i’m back from the holiday and woop woop, no salmonella or any other weird bodily diseases.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:31 am
kevin: indeed, konpeito usually come in a nice range of colours within the same packet itself..very lovely.
laura:i thought myself they would be so moreish but guess what? they aren’t too bad since they’re pretty sweet and i can’t really chomp down on plain sugar loads..put them in tea though! highly recommended
Susan from Food Blogga: awww thanks. geee..
Christie@fig&cherry: i did find a few pots with bubbles of air at the surface though. gutted.
Dragon: cheers dragon. my sister Abby loves mousse so i was very happy to make these.
Elle: cheers Elle..beautiful sweets arent they? i can’t get enough!
Bobby: i do try. although i’m lusting after a new camera. this old baby is pretty damn old but still pulling through.
Kate: ah. another chocolate mousse fan!
Deeba: i know! the title totally cracked me up but thought it was quirky.
Vera: actually wasurena-gusa is super romantic, at least to me..and hope it stays in your mind always like what it means – forget me not!
xx
September 9th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
The mousse looks like SILK and the konpeito, which we just don’t have here, is just too darling! I adore it.
And chocolate for pre-times? OH YES. The nectar of the goddesses, my lovely.
April 3rd, 2011 at 11:51 pm
OMG! I have been looking for these EVERYWHERE, but no one is carrying them. Where did you buy yours if i may ask? (I checked amazon and tried the Hidemi site, no luck)
April 10th, 2011 at 6:17 am
Loki: Hi there I got mine from a Japanese sweet seller but I know that this particular brand of konpeito is hard to find right now and they’re definitely no longer available on Amazon. I do not know any other sellers who stock them. All the best finding them. Sorry I can’t help. x
April 10th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
aw… well thank you for taking the time to tell me! I’ll just have to keep looking.
June 11th, 2011 at 6:30 am
If anyone is looking for these konpeito candy, it might be quite hard to find them online. However, if you do go to Japan these are quite easy to find, especially so in Kyoto. Try Nishiki market!
x