You Can Cook Too 17 - A starter good enough for Charlie - Snaffles Mousse

Patricia shows you how to make the famous Snaffles Moose, once beloved of Ireland's great and good, more the former than the later.

She pairs it with the Dubliners version of the Rare Ould Times.

 

Ingredients and Instructions

1 leaf of gelatine

1 can of Campbell or Baxter’s consomme

300g cream cheese

2 heaped tsp curry paste or a good pinch of curry powder

1 clove garlic crushed to a paste (optional) – I’ve never used it

Immerse the gelatine leaf in cold water for several minutes, to soften. Put 2 tablespoons of the consomme into a small pan and gently heat. Once it is hot but not boiling, lift the gelatine leaf from its water, squeeze out any excess and add to the hot consomme. Swirl together to melt the leaf and set aside to cool to lukewarm. Pour the remaining consomme into a liquidiser (a food processor will not give as smooth a finish) and add the cheese, curry paste, garlic, and, finally, the small pan of consomme and gelatine. Whiz until very smooth indeed. Pour this into individual ramekins or small glasses (it should make between six and eight) and put it into the fridge to set for at least 6 hours

Serve with melba toast, ideally, or ordinary toast. Decorate with prawns and roe or just as is with a twist of cucumber of a sprig of parsley on top.