Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Ages and ages ago, Skye (who is now gone!) made an avocado chocolate mousse on Masterchef. And of course me being me, immediately decided I had to make it. So a couple of days ago, I finally got around to making it. It's taken me a while, considering we are now down to the top 10 contestants, and this mousse popped up during the qualifying rounds. But nonetheless, the mere sound of it is so weird that I thought it would be something worth blogging about :)

Basically it's a vegan chocolate mousse. So there's no cream or eggs or *shock! horror!* chocolate. Well sort of... there's cocoa powder. The cream and eggs are replaced with avocado. It's also really really easy to make. Much easier than a normal mousse.

Here are the ingredients: (I know, I couldn't resist)

- 4 avocados
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup syrup (eg. maple syrup - I just used normal syrup)
- 1 tsp vanilla

And then you chuck it all in a food processor... yum!

Pulse it till it's smooth...

And voila!

As I said, it's super duper easy, involves no cooking whatsoever, and took me maybe 20ish minutes, and only because I was taking photos at the same time (much to my mother's chagrin).

So how did it taste? Ahem, let me put on my Matt Preston cravat for a moment. It has a very creamy texture but is very, and I mean very, dense. It's very rich, very chocolate-y but not in the way you expect it to be. The cocoa powder is raw so it leaves an almost dry sensation in your mouth despite the creaminess of the avocado and being raw, the chocolate taste is very different to the not-so-vegan chocolate we're used to. One of the good things about it is that it's not very sweet, and you can adjust the syrup to your liking. I started with a little less than a cup, but I reckon I ended up putting it all in. However you can't eat too much at once, and coming from me that's a big thing to say. Because it's so dense, not light like normal mousse, it's very filling and the chocolate is very strong.

All up? I like it. It's a little weird, but it's entertaining. And it's healthy! Okay, okay, Her-cules, there's lots of fat in avocado and a whole cup of syrup! But I think relatively, it is pretty healthy. My brother didn't like it though - the raw cocoa taste was too dry for him and it didn't taste like chocolate, which it doesn't. I also took it to uni for some mass taste-testing, and pretty much everyone liked it - M*A*S*H, Jester and Lizzie all really liked it! So if you're thinking of taking a spin on the vego-side, it's nice to know you won't miss out on chocolate mousse! Woopee!

As for the next Masterchef, experiment... I just finished the Blackforest Cake at 11pm last night for my mother's birthday. Literally the most difficult cake I have ever attempted. But just for the blog, watch out for 5 minute chocolate cake in a mug!

c.c.

Gender bender.

Was in the car last night, it was about 10pm, I was listening to a random am radio station and "Something" by The Beatles came on. And after a while it crossfaded into Shirley Bassey's cover of that exact song. Other than a rather exciting novelty, hearing the songs back to back jumped out at me for another reason - that is, Shirley Bassey's gender switching i.e. singing: "something in the way he moves", rather than the way she moves.

Now it ain't like this is uncommon. It happens all the time and the reasons to do this are really quite clear and quite understandable. "I'm a straight female who'd much rather sing about a man, thank you." And if applicable: "I'm Shirley Bassey and I can do whatever the hell I want."

But the reason it jumps out at me is because I've been listening to quite a bit of new musical theatre on the interweb lately ... and a lot of songs, love songs that is, change hands quite frequently from male singer to female singer and back again. Difference is, with each transaction, the lyrics don't change according to and regardless of gender.

WHA!? You say, a song originally sung by a man to a woman is being sung by a woman to a woman!?

Er, yes...?

I put it down to two things: 1) it's theatre, you're acting, we get it. Pop audiences assume songs are autobiographical. And even when a singer hasn't written the song - he or she chose it because it means something to him or her. Whatever that means. Also, in theatre circles, the lyricist > the singer. "Sing my words or go home... (betch!)".

...which quite nicely leads to 2) the strength of the gay community within "Broadway World". No matter who you're singing to even if you're professing your love to a member of both two sexes within the one night in song, no one is going to bat an eyelid. And if we're being serious, when a man sings about another man, there's a big chance he chose to do it for the same reasons Shirley Bassey wanted to sing about the way he moves.

Titus gets an A+++ for acting on this one. The gender non-switching thing doesn’t happen until 1:07 and then again at about 2:15. The references are scarce, but you register them... and then you start to imagine with this added detail what heck kind of a relationship this guy’s got himself into.

Same goes for this next one. It only happens ONCE at 2:40, he sings “Smelling boy in that empty twin bed”. This video’s phenomenal, may I add. If you’re a fan of Imogen Heap, look out for the influences – especially at 2:50. Watch it. Watch it NOW.

All the above examples are of songs which were originally written for a heterosexual context and have been re-arranged/transposed to be sung by the opposite gender – just randomly. Or maybe not so randomly. Homosexual songs will make some sort of impression on the countless billions who’ve been living on girl-boy, boy-girl songs for generations. Which I’m guessing is everyone. It’s just another way of saying to everyone that gay is normal and I can sing whatever the hell I like without having to change the lyrics.

I said before that switching gender pronouns wasn’t uncommon, but the same can be said for not switching gender pronouns. Think folk songs for girls sung by girls (see Cara Dillon’s “Black is the Colour”) or choral pieces where the entire SATB choir has to sing to one gender.

Ok, so I don’t have a big message about anything to do with music, theatre, society or culture. I just hope that one day when I sing “Lisa” in public – (which I will, you watch!) – I don’t get weird looks from old timers from the Shirley Bassey days. I think I’ll leave you now with a song which wasn’t transplanted from one sex to the other but was actually written as a duet between two homosexual male characters. Let’s hope you don’t die of squeeeee.

---Pâte Brisée

rainbow cakes and george bush

First of all, a very happy birthday to louis tiffon!

I don't want to start a precedent of birthday posts (apart from this one) but I was going to post anyways and there happened to be a cake in the post, so louis enjoy the cake (if you don't find the vibrant colours too off-putting!)

Image from: lovelorn unicorn

Secondly, and completely unrelatedly (well sort of; the cake was also a celebration of eightstreet's revival i guess), I had meant to post the below sign during the barren times where posts were few and far between, but typically, didn't get round to it, but thought I'd post it anyways in the hope that I'll never need to trot it out again.

originally seen in the mX (my reaction: hahahahaha...... NO!)

Hope you are all having a productive stu-vac!

c.l.

Inaugural restaurant review: Soban

I’ve diversified!! (Nothing is safe from the scrutiny of Who.) Yes, this is a restaurant review. Just want to make a few things clear – I won’t be talking about ‘palettes’ and ‘infusions of flavour’, but rather a layman’s perspective on the world of food. I believe I eat enough of it to pass judgement on the quality of food I’m presented with in various restaurants.

Soban is a recent addition to the 6^th floor of Westfield Chatswood. It’s situated next to Kam Fook (the ridiculously popular yum cha restaurant) which could potentially be good for business... or backfire.

On the two occasions I’ve been there, the place has generally been quiet, the service quick and relatively friendly and the food was very, very fast to arrive (tick!). Both times I ordered the bulgogi – a beef dish.

The set meal, as you can see, is generally well presented. The beef is sufficiently tender and slightly charred, served with rice in an extremely hot stone bowl. The bowl actually makes the rice go crunchy (that’s how hot it is) and you have to eat the rice before it cools and hardens. The thick, sweet, spicy sauce combined with the beef is amazing! No doubt the best part of the experience.

The red stuff is the amazing sauce. The soup in the other bowl is the seaweed/miso stuff.

My dining partner (ok, it was my mummy) ordered broth of chicken stuffed with rice. We didn’t expect what came out of the kitchen – literally half a chicken sitting in soup!! I would imagine many people finding it difficult to finish such a large meal. The black rice (yea, you read that right) stuffed in the chicken was amazing too – really fragrant. It came with a separate topping of grainy sea salt mixed with sesame seeds. I made the mistake of liberally rolling a piece of chicken in the topping and nearly gagged at the saltiness. But in smaller quantities, it’s a delightful addition to the relatively mild-tasting chicken.

The side dishes accompanying the mains range from kimchi, potato salad, Korean-ised miso soup, pumpkin soup and spicy snake beans with tiny, crunchy prawns. It’s all very cute, with manageable portion sizes. However, I’m left wanting more of some of the side dishes, like the spicy snake beans. Also – two soups is a little overkill.

The ambience is quiet and low-key. Lots of people are there to have a quick meal before watching a movie at Hoyts next door. It’s generally a relaxed, unrushed atmosphere.

The prices are very reasonable – my bulgogi was $16.90 and the chicken dish was $25.

Overall, the food is good but if you're looking for a 'substantive' meal then it might not satisfy you. It's a little restaurant you can go to for a relatively cheap, quick meal but it's by no means fancy or exceptional.

~ Hurley Who?

PS. Sorry for the bad photo of that chicken. You can't even tell it's a chicken.

The Uni Life - a 1/2 year student's evaluation

I love uni. I'll say it again. I love uni. When I left school, I was completely ready for a change, even though I didn't think I was ready for uni specifically. Having got here, however, I'm pleased I am here. However, in my first semester a few myths and treasures about uni have been revealed. I shall start with the gloom and work my way up. First on the list: the social life.

Contray to my expectations of uni life, I have not been sucked into a vortex of lights, dancing and music every night (which is good, just to clarify - I'm not sure I could survive staying up till 1am every night... ). But I find uni life quite docile in comparison to the amount of time I spent out of home during the year 12 to uni transition period. However, I'm willing to put this down to sudden release of a year of stress and a complete lack of responsibilities over this period.

What I find really suprising is that an arts degree generally means that you are very isolated. The amount of freedom and movement in such a degree (discussed later) basically means that you're lucky if you see the same person in two different lectures. It makes forming friendships very difficult, and very awkward. Unless you're going to invite someone you've met twice to, lets say Gloria Jeans for arguments sake, generally this wierd acquaintance-friend relationship prevails. Generally, the more solid friendships I have formed have been with pre-uni acquaintances. This is something I had not expected at all from uni life. I had previously viewed uni as the epitome of sociality - where all the previous barriers forced upon you by school's institutional segregation were stripped away in this kind of cross-age/gender melding. But apparently, the only way to initiate any real group social behaviour at university is to provide alcohol, and a lot of it. I find this disappointing. Having come from such a tight school social group, drifting in and out with randoms is somewhat lack lustre in comparison. It's just a bit too shallow.

Another down point for me is the clubs/societies. Not only do you have to pay for them (I'm not made of money people!) but there is generally a real lack of either:

1. Originality
2. Organisation

Those clubs that are original lack organisation, and those clubs that are organised are usually so because they designate weekly pub nights. I have nothing against going and having a drink, but when it becomes the centre of that club and the only way in which to unify people, particulary if it involves regularly drinking to excess, I loose interest quickly. So when universities talk about a range of social groups to broaden a person's interests, I now tend to be cynical rather than optimistic about the potential benefits to round out my interests/hobbies as a person or to my ability to bond with other uni students. On the quirky side, I did find this:

Pole Dancing Club at Cambridge

On a slightly more positive note, I adore the freedom that going to uni gives. Not only do I spend less time in classes which I find less than useful or interesting, I don't have to spend any time in the at all! I have complete freedom to pick and choose whatever interests and challenges me. I love the choice and the flexibility. It's great motivation. And it means reduced hours! No more 8am - 3pm days, with my every movement structured around a rigid timetable with teachers checking you at every corner. The only person disadvantaged by me not turning up to class is me, and the only one keeping me accountable is me. I know there are people out there who dislike this new found responsibility/freedom, but I love it, it makes me feel that much more in control of my life.

So I guess in the end, uni wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it's good. It makes me appreciate all the more the friends I have and extends my academic interests at the least. Now all I need to work on is getting the rest of life together...

Wolfmother

VideoPhonnne

Rome - Phoenix, Lanny Merge remix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)

(Below is the very French-looking band stylishly trying to look athletic. Or maybe they're just chasing a pink bunny mounted on the back of a ute. So much for polysemy.)




Personally, I prefer the original album version of Rome but then again, this video seems to be the epitome of 'hip' so why not?



Giving Up The Gun - Vampire Weekend (Contra)

This video broke the drought of my not-impressed-by-this-music-video spell.
That is to say, this video is impressive. And it has Jake Gyllenhaal in short shorts. What's not to like?




[disco.read]

covers / acoustic

Something good on Nova for once:




Just for you, d.read:










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