Eat: Chocolate Mousse

So, as I mentioned, my lovely friend Alice provided the pud to go with the mushroom lasagne overload I was telling you about earlier this week. It was delicious. Even after an obscenely {amazingly} rich main, I couldn't help but inhale the lot. The raspberry coulis helped a smidge, cutting through the rich chocolate with a sharp sweetness. I insisted she share this with everyone and voila. Hope you enjoy as much as we did:

Delia Smith is my culinary hero and I always turn to her recipes before anything else, as the well loved/splashed pages of my copy of her book will tell you. Jamie is another favourite in our flat – his chicken satay or curries from scratch have definitely been staples this year. But my search for a quick chocolate mousse ended with Nigella. I had considered her talents as doe eyed looks at the camera and flurries of silk dressing gowns rather than cooking excellence, but this recipe has been popular with friends, and so maybe I will have to peruse some more of her recipes...

Chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis

Carefully separate 4 eggs and hang on to the yolks. Whisk the whites in a clean bowl until just stiff – this took longer than I thought but keep going to get as much air into them as possible as it will make the mousse lovely and fluffy. Slowly heat 240ml of double cream in a saucepan until it is just about to boil. Finely chop 240g of dark chocolate and stir into the cream until melted. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate mixture and whisk together. Gently fold a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture with a metal spoon, trying not to knock any of the air out. Fold in the remaining egg whites and then spoon the mousse into little pots (I used those little Gu glass ramekins but wine glasses would also look good). Chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. These measurements make 7 full to the brim ramekins, so use smaller pots or double the mixture if you are catering for more people. 

As a finishing touch, decorate with a couple of raspberries and drizzle over raspberry coulis. To make the coulis simply whizz up a punnet of raspberries (200g ish) with a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar in a food processor.

Delish.

The next dessert I’m going to try is Delia’s profiteroles, I’ve been promised they are quick yet impressive!

Sounds good right? I am adamant that Alice needs to embark upon her own culinary blog because I am just as happy to read about it as I am to eat the results. If you agree, please do chime in with a comment or two.

Love B x