chocolate, shortbread, and strawberries

Got your attention, eh?

Last night we dinnered with our neighbors -- the same ones in whose kitchen I broke my toe last weekend. (Tried desperately to be low-key about it. Of course, they saw it in the first few minutes, despite the remarkable fading of discoloration.)

Their oldest daughter has multiple food allergies, including nuts and eggs. I didn't realize how key these components were to most desserts -- not only were cakes and cookies out, but most puddings and store-bought ice creams.

So I improvised, as I do best in the kitchen.

First, I made an eggless chocolate mousse. I started with maybe 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a small pot, then melted roughly 12 oz -- maybe more -- of a combination of Hershey's Special Dark chips and Ghirardelli milk chips. Kept it over very low heat, so as to not scorch/kill the chocolate. When this was smooth, I took off heat and let cool to room temp. Then, I whipped the remainder of the heavy cream, and folded into the ganache little by little. It was rich, but verrrry good.

To cut the chocolate, I layered with sliced strawberries from Central Market, which were tasty and sweet. Then, to top it off, I'd crushed Walker's Shortbread cookies (shortbread = no eggs) to sprinkle over the mousse and strawberries.

Success! Everyone loved it, and I avoided Allison's food allergies.