White chocolate Mousse with Pomegranite sauce!

 My friend and neighbor, Kris (otherwise known in the Hood, as "The Mayor"), created this for a ladies luncheon at Christmas 2007. I ran across the recipe as I was scouring my notebooks for recipes for my "Ugly Sweater Party". It is a light dessert and received lots of praise at her luncheon, as well as my party.

 Ingredients:

3 c. Pomegranate sauce
1/2 c. sour cream
10 ounces white chocolate chopped
1 c. chilled heavy whipping cream divided
3 large egg whites
3 T. powdered sugar
Pomegranate seeds

Boil pomegranate juice until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 20 minutes) Fold in sour cream and transfer to small cup, chill (can be made a day ahead) 

Stir white chocolate and 1/2 cup of cream over heat until melted. Transfer to large bowl and cool (about 10 minutes)

Using an electric mixer whip remaining 1/2 cup cream in medium bowl to soft peaks; fold 1/2 the cream in to lighten, then fold in the remaining cream. 

Next, again using the mixer with whip attachment, whip the egg whites until frothy, add powder sugar and beat until soft peaks form. (Watch it as not not whip to dry peaks)

Fold the egg whites into chocolate in two additions, first to lighten then fold in remaining. 

Divide the mixture among your vessels. I put the sauce on the bottom of my shooters and on top. Then garnished with the pomegranate seeds. Kris recommends martini glasses as pictured below, I created one for a sample. This one is the mousse on the bottom, then the sauce and garnished with the seeds.

~the pomegranate sauce would also make a nice sauce for lamb as well.

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Today my goal is to bring your family around the table.  Lets get the family together, and in wake of the Newtown shooting on Friday, we are encouraging everyone to give your loved ones extra hugs as we remember those lives that were lost. This post was written last week, so I apologize if it seems too festive for the occasion. Let's get out those cookies we baked over the weekend, a jug of milk and sit together with our loved ones. I will be embracing my family at a dinner on Wednesday, and hugging all my little nieces and nephews, extra hard.

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The cookies are all baked, decorated, boxed and delivered to our friends and loved ones. Now lets move on to preparations for Christmas dinner. Whether you are hosting Christmas Eve or Christmas day, or bringing a dish, I have a plan and you can adapt one or all my ideas to your Christmas celebration. My draft below is just idea's.

Christmas Dinner:

Possibilities for Nibblies:

I like to have a few nibblies for cocktail/wine hour, before dinner. It is just a social preparation for what is about to come. Not meant to fill us, but for that extended period between when guests arrive and when the meal is eaten. Depending on how many are coming, I like to have a couple of nuts, one meat/cheese and a vegetable or sometimes just two nibblies. That way there is something for everyone.

Just click on the recipe you want and go directly to the page!

Spiced mixed nuts
Thyme roasted Marcona almonds
Veggie shooters or a fresh vegetable platter
Figs wrapped in mascarpone and proscuitto
Cheese and fruit plate

Caprese Boats
Caramelized Bacon

Soup

Hearty Vegetable Soup
Pumpkin soup with popcorn garnish
Tomato Soup with grilled cheese crouton skip the crouton unless you are having a light dinner

Salad course

My daughter, Tink, loves Caprese Salad so much, she makes it a lot for her Italian dinners and frequently orders it when we are out for dinner.  I love it as an appetizer before a meal and I love the color for Christmas. Caprese is truly a magical and perfect combination of flavors, textures, and freshness: ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, and some kind of drizzle of either olive oil or balsamic…or both. I like to drizzle a reduction of balsamic; either reduce or you can buy it already reduced.

BLT salad with aioli dressing 
Pear, field greens and gorgonzola salad The family favorite!

Arugula with cranberry viniagrette
Watermelon and Spinach Salad

Entree Course
Slow Roasted Prime Rib Braised Short Ribs

Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb
Filet of Beef Bourguignon

Sides:

Roasted Pearl Onions
Rosemary and gorgonzola scallop potatoes 
Three mushroom Risotto
Vegetable Timbales
Salt Crescents
Scalloped Potatoes
Spicy Long Beans

Dessert: Find under Desserts above or under the month on the right side-

White chocolate mousse with Pomegranate sauce (today's blog)
White Chocolate Coeur le creme with raspberry sauce
Maple Pecan Pie 
Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies Part two
Molten Chocolate Cake 
JJ's gooey Mud Pie



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Christmas is the time to rejoice in the glories of Christ's birth and celebrate all the blessings of the Holy Spirit.

Cheers!
JJ