2022 French Mousse-Off Winners Announced
The results are in! The winners of the 2022 French Mousse-Off are seventh grader Luke Gutierrez, eighth grader Annsley Leclerc and ninth graders Louisa Gosk and Lillian Back. Scoring for the annual culinary contest is based on taste and execution as well as overall presentation of the delicious dessert often associated with haute cuisine. Students may choose to use the traditional chocolate recipe, or experiment with others.
Luke, a first-time contestant in this annual Upper School tradition, prepared a white chocolate and raspberry mousse which the judges deemed “excellent.”
Annsley went with a traditional chocolate mousse with strawberries and focused on both taste and presentation.
Louisa prepared her bûche de noël with a chocolate mousse and crêpe-like cake which the judge’s rated “superb” while Lillian gained points for creativity. She made her chocolate cake with a light whipped cream folded in and a green tree decoration. Both were a hit with the judges.
Resilience, it turns out, is the most important ingredient as many students had to start over from scratch following snafus. “It’s definitely harder to do than it looks,” admitted one seventh-grade student.
“The Mousse-Off is a fun way to introduce the students to French culture and cuisine,” said Upper School World Language Teacher Christie Lundquist. “My goal is to make the French language come alive for them through the traditions, customs and foods of France.”
All Upper School French students participate in the activity, both as chefs and as judges. A rubric is used to objectively evaluate the anonymous entries, which are organized by grade. While only four winners earned Mousse-Off bragging rights for the year, everyone went home with a smile, a full stomach and a newfound appreciation for French dessert making.
New Canaan Country School
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