Lemongrass Coconut Mousse

"A Lifetime Of Love"


                 A dreamy-looking dessert of light lemon sponge cake layered with lemongrass-scented soft creamy mousse, fresh coconut milk and fresh and dessicated grated coconut.

                        Tastes as gorgeous as it looks and is one of my favorite jellies so far.

What I really wanted to do was the original recipe from here, a lemongrass coconut ice cream, but I don't have an ice cream maker and making it with a cake mixer will take hours to chill. I'm not fond of mousses generally although I do like tangy fruity mousses. I've also wanted to bake a Southern US coconut cake for years but never got around to doing it. Coconut cakes with all those coconut flakes look so dreamy and soft, perfect for a tropical wedding cake. Coconut cakes just need minimal decoration, such as big white gardenias or in Martha Stewart's coconut wedding cake, no decoration other than coconut. Simply gorgeous.

                                     Martha Stewart's Dreamy Coconut Wedding Cake.

I feel good after making this. Like I said, have always wanted to make a Southern coconut cake and although this isn't the same thing, I love the effect of those white delicate flakes of coconut on the cone. Besides looking gorgeous, this was a delicious piece of cone. The lemongrass as a flavoring for desserts is new to me. Lemongrass is usually used in cooking curries and other spicy savory dishes. Makes me think that there are so many other ingredients that are yet to be brought out of the box. The coconut milk goes well with the lemongrass, giving it the rich wonderful flavor only fresh coconut can give. What I'd do differently if I had more time is bake my own sponge cake. It's Sunday and I just don't have the time to slave in the kitchen. Betty Crocker's cake mix tasted just like regular cake mix. Ugh. It's been over 10 years, maybe more, since I've made a cake from the box and it looks like there's not been any improvement.

Another week to go before the whole Jelliriffic! Get Your Jelly On! 30-Day Challenge ends. I'v learnt a lot about jellies, made many mistakes and ate many jelllies but I'm looking forward to lunching with my friends again without worrying about the afternoon rain and how my photos will turn out or struggle with the slow erratic Internet service. Personally, the best thing about the whole Jelliriffic thing is I've lost 2 kgs in 3 weeks, something I couldn't do the whole year! Maybe jellies are the new Atkins diet.

I hope many of you have bought the Nick Munro mould, proceeds of which go to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association of Malaysia. That is the real reason for the whole Jelliriffic! Challenge, to raise funds for the Association which is a non-profit organisation set up by medical specialists to help women with breast cancer. There's still time to buy a mould. It's a beautiful, shiny piece of designer mould and its versatility has been proven by all the participants of the Challenge. Get it here.

                 

                    The lemongrass is an Asian herb, used mostly in savory dishes where it gives a lemony citrus flavor that's very refreshing. Most backyards inMalaysia, and even in public parks, have a bush or two of lemongrass growing wild.

    Can you imagine a multi-layered cake of many coconut cones decorated with cascading white Sabah orchids? Wow.
Lemongrass Coconut Mousse
1 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
1 stalk lemongrass, smashed
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp sugar (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp gelatine powder
3 tbsp water
60 ml dairy cream
2 small pieces of sponge cake cut to fit the mould

1. Boil the lemongrass in the water for 10 minutes. Cover to infuse. Let cool. Strain.
2. Mix 1/2 the lemongrass water with the grated coconut, massage well  and squeeze out the milk through a sieve.
3. Dissolve the gelatine powder and sugar in the remaining water over heat. Cool, chill until slightly syrupy.
4. Whip the dairy cream until stiff, stir in the gelatine syrup with a whisk and pour into a rinsed Nick Munro mould stopping halfway to add a layer of sponge. Pour another layer of the mousse and lay a final layer of sponge over the mousse. Wrap and chill at least 3 hours until set.
5. Sprinkle with freshly grated coconut (no brown bits). Serve very chilled.