When you want to impress, chocolate mousse is perfect! You can make it ahead of time, you can dress it up and a little goes a long way!
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Mousse:
- 4 egg yolks
- 60ml castor sugar
- 500ml cream
- 225g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 5ml vanilla extract
Almond Tuiles:
- 1 egg white
- 50g icing sugar
- 50g butter, melted
- 50g almond flour, well sifted
- 2ml vanilla extract
- 30g shaved almonds
To Finish:
- 150ml cream
- 15ml castor sugar
- 2ml vanilla extract
- grated chocolate
METHOD
Chocolate Mousse:
- Place egg yolks, 30ml sugar and 180ml cream in a medium saucepan and mix well.
- Over a medium heat, cook the egg mixture until it is thick. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and vanilla extract.
- Cover with clingfilm over the surface of the custard and allow to cool.
- Whip the remaining cream and sugar until soft peak.
- Fold a third of the cream into the cooled custard and mix to loosen the custard.
- Fold the custard into the remaining cream.
- Divide mousse between six serving dishes; I used small glasses. Martini glasses also make a dramatic serving dish.
- Place in the fridge until serving.
Tuiles:
- Preheat oven to 180ºC.
- In a medium bowl, mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Add the egg white and almond flour and mix well to a paste.
- Rest in the fridge until needed.
- Drop teaspoon amounts of batter onto a silicone mat or silicone paper and spread into a circular shape, getting the batter as thin as possible.
- Sprinkle with shaved almonds.
- Bake for 4 minutes, until the tuile turns golden brown; you will have to watch them carefully.
- Remove from the oven and quickly slide a pallet knife under the tuile and wrap around a wooden spoon or small rolling-pin to shape. Rest on a dish towel until firm. Repeat with remaining tuiles. You will have to work quickly.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter or until you have enough tuiles to serve.
To Finish:
- Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff.
- Place cream in a piping bag with a star nozzle.
- Pipe a swirl of cream on top each mousse. Top with grated chocolate.
- Place a tuile on each dessert just before serving.
- Serve immediately.
ENJOY!
Recipe courtesy Grace Stevens