Every year, New Year’s Eve brings with it resolutions – the promise to lose weight and become fitter being one of the most common resolutions.
Today’s agenda is a boon for those sticking by this resolution, and a treat even for those who are not. The first recipe is about a low fat fish preparation (not a single drop of oil is used) and the other recipe is for chocolate lovers who simply love their chocolates.
Halibut
The name is derived from haly (holy) and butt (flat fish), for its popularity on Catholic holy days. The firm white meat and delicately sweet flavour of halibut combined with its high nutritional value make it a favourite among fish lovers.
Halibut is the largest of the flatfish and one of the largest of the saltwater fish with catches that weigh in at up to 660 pounds. It is a lean fish that features finely textured, snow white flesh that contains few bones, its gray-brown skin is also edible. Halibut is a fish with ultra-low fat content and can complement your diet plans any time of the year.
Halibut are truly a nutrient-dense food. A very good source of high quality protein, halibut are rich in significant amounts of a variety of important nutrients including the minerals selenium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium; the B vitamins B12, niacin, and B6, and the beneficial omega-3 essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are so named because they are essential for our health but cannot be made by the body, they must therefore be obtained from foods.
Steamed halibut
with herbs
Serves 2
Ingredients
Halibut fillet 500gm
Ginger 1 knob
Garlic 3-4 clove
Lemon 1 no
Celery stalk 1 no
Carrot 1 no
Snow peas 100gm
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Lemon zest 1 no
Method
Wash and clean the fish fillet and pat dry with paper towel.
Take a baking tray and line with aluminium foil and scatter ginger, garlic, lemon, celery and carrot slices on the fillet.
Season with salt and crushed black pepper and lemon zest.
Steam in a steamer for 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
If you don’t have a steamer, place the aluminium foil on a heat proof plate over a pan of gently simmering water and cover with a lid to steam the fish.
Mousse
A mousse is a dessert with air incorporated in it to make it light and fluffy. A mousse can be sweet or savoury depending on the recipe.
The origins of chocolate mousse are relatively unknown. After being introduced to chocolate by the Spanish, French chefs have been cooking with chocolate since the early 17th century.
Mousse, which means “foam”, originated in France in the 18th century. It was only a matter of time until cooking with chocolate and making dishes with foamy textures came together for “mousse au chocolat”.
Chocolate mousse is a favourite among chocolate lovers. The mousse is a very simple and easy-to-make food item and does not require much preparation. The eggs make the mousse rich in taste and creamy. But, you can also make a vegetarian variant of the mousse by removing the eggs.
Everybody seems to have their own ideas when it comes to adding flavourings and even toppings, but the main ingredients in a chocolate mousse rarely changes — chocolate, eggs, and sugar. Some recipes also call for cream, butter and egg yolks. While some of extreme-chocolatiers prefer the taste of the chocolate shining through the mousse and addition of exotic fruit in it.
Chocolate mousse
Dark chocolate 300gm
Eggs 3 no
Castor sugar ¼ cup
Cocoa powder 1 tbsp
Cream 300ml
Garnish
Sugar coated balls to garnish.
Grated chocolate to garnish.
Method
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, stir until melted, set aside.
Place eggs and sugar in another bowl and beat till sugar is dissolved and the mixture is double in volume.
Fold in cooled chocolate and cocoa powder until combined.
In a separate bowl whip cream until double the volume and thick.
Using a spoon, fold in the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture.
Set the mousse in glass of choice or set in a bowl and refrigerate for one hour. Garnish with whipped cream and grated chocolate. Serve cold.
Note: As with any recipe that calls for chocolate, the secret is using the very best chocolate you can. Your mousse is only as good as your chocolate.
* Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to:
[email protected]
Steamed halibut with herbs.
