First and foremost, salutations to all and greetings to a new year! There is much to look forward to this year and after enduring a rather unpleasant end to 2013, I think I have finally come round to the idea that there can only be happier things awaiting me in the new year. And as though by some divine providence 2014 was determined to show me positive signs, it kicked off the year by giving us a € 250 win in the lottery, followed by a win again on the Taste.com.au website for a Bake Club Challenge. I won a free cookbook!! Good things are meant to come in threes, aren’t they? I shall wait patiently then.
Anyhoo, this recipe came up because the boyfriend was feeling ‘cheated’ out of mousse. Two years ago he bought me a stand mixer after much pestering from me, under the pretext that the machine would be used to make him yummy things like mousse and meringues. Fast forward two years later and I still hadn’t made him mousse … not a drop. So this time he really kicked up a fuss and even went out to buy the ingredients himself.
Ingredients:
- 5 egg whites
- 50 g caster sugar
- 200 g dark chocolate (45% – 55%)
- 250 mls heavy cream
- 1 sheet gelatine, softened
I would suggest making the mousse a day ahead, just to give it time to set up properly in the fridge. Begin by whipping up the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then add in half the sugar and continue whipping until stiff.
In a glass bowl over hot water, melt the chocolate and some of the cream … just enough to make a ganache and not seize up the chocolate. The rest of the cream is to be kept really cold and whipped up until fluffy, using the balance sugar. Once the cream is whipped put it in the fridge immediately to keep it cold.
The chocolate should be nice and melted but will still be too hot to incorporate either the egg whites or the cream. What you can put in would be the softened gelatine. Mix quickly with a whisk and cool down the chocolate.
Once the chocolate is cool enough, add in the egg whites in three additions. Fold using a large metal spoon or rubber spatula. When there are no more streaks of egg whites, do the same with the whipped cream, using wide figure of eights. When there are no more white streaks left, shove everything into the fridge to chill and set overnight.
You can stop right there if you so wish; the mousse is done and now you can use it any way you desire. Plop them into dessert cups and eat them as is, or use the mousse to fill cakes and things. Here I have pipes them into oblong choux buns and made éclairs out of them. Get the recipe for choux buns here. Once you’ve got the dough right, simply pipe out straight lines on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Allow the buns to cool completely to room temperature, then slice each one and fill with the mousse. The top half of the bun is dipped into melted dark chocolate and then replaced on the mousse.
You can make mini éclairs for high-tea or make regular sized ones for the family. The mousse goes well with a whole lot of other things as well, so get creative and experiment as you go along. In future I shall post other recipes, expanding on the subject of mousse using this very recipe. Until then, adios.
~ Enjoy! ~
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