Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse

Rough gems.

That's how Ralph Fletcher, a fabulous teacher of teachers and young writers, described rough drafts.

Isn't that language just beautiful? I love the idea of seeing our drafts, our first/second/third tries at writing something, as these gems, not totally polished yet full of incredible potential.

I'm trying to see my writing that way. These past two months, I've started post after post, jotted a few paragraphs and then stopped. I've questioned my words, doubted the power of my stories, hit discard when I felt like I could go no further.

Fletcher's words gave me that permission I needed today to write something messy, something far from perfect, and then to step back, reflect and see the beauty waiting in it.

I'm grateful for those words, and I'm glad to be back here. Writing. Blogging.

Luckily, these past two months have brought no shortage of time in the kitchen.

Here's one of my favorites from our time apart. This is a rich and creamy dessert, nothing rough about it, save for the peanut butter cups crumbled on top. Each bite is layered, loaded with chocolate, peanut butter and more chocolate and peanut butter.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse
recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
Chocolate Cream:
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup heavy cream

Peanut Butter Cream
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons sugar

Topping
1/4 cup heavy cream
8-12 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate Cream: In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it bubbles around the edges. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips, and let the mixture sit for five minutes. Stir the mixture until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, whisk the chocolate until it is fluffy and has soft peaks.

Peanut Butter Mousse: Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the granulated sugar. Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter.

Assemble the Parfaits: Layer chocolate mousse and peanut butter mousse (your layering/number of layers will depend on your serving vessels). Whip heavy cream with a whisk, and place a dollop of whipped cream on the top of each parfait (leave it unsweetened--the parfaits are sweet already). Add a crumble of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on top. Enjoy!