Greetings one and all, and welcome to yet another V-day post from FoodFlurries. I notice that I have been featuring loads of savoury dishes over the past month or so, hence the conscious decision to put a sweet treat on the blog this time around. I have been meaning to make something like this for a looooong time but as usual, I simply never got round to it, mainly because I doubted my skills in producing a good quality mousse that would hold up on its own. Making those Chocolate Mousse Éclairs however changed all that and, in a way, I have the boyfriend to thank for pestering me to make chocolate mousse, and for not accepting ‘NO’ for an answer.
It is wet and woolly weather outside so I am choosing to stay firmly indoors today. R. has taken it upon himself to walk the dog and pick up lunch along the way at our local fastfood joint. I was told later that the dog did not enjoy his walk in the rain, poor baby. He’s weird … he doesn’t like rain or baths … and if he has to go out in bad weather he simply does the necessary nature calls then he shadows you the rest of the way home close at your heels, as if every step if such torture. I quite happily stayed at home, taking picture of my latest creation. Todays post is pretty straightforward but a touch fiddly, and it requires a few specialty tools … mainly a pastry ring and clear acetate sheets cut in two-inch wide strips. I prepped everything the night before, allowed the components to cool overnight and simply assembled everything the next day.
I started by making the mousse, following the recipe from the Chocolate Mousse Éclairs. That takes only 30 mins to make, then stick it all in the fridge and forget about it until time for assembly.
Now make the brownie mix, either using a box mix or from scratch. Bake them in thin sheets, about one to two centimeters thick. Cool overnight on a wire rack and try not to eat them (as I did). I used Alton Brown’s recipe for chocolate brownines which come out perfect every single time.
The following day cut out rounds from the chocolate brownie and trim them to size. Place a pastry ring onto a plate and line the inside diameter with the clear acetate sheet. Lightly spritz with cooking spray and stuff the cake round inside. The acetate sheet is there to enable you to extend the lip of the ring a few extra centimeters to make a nice tall finished product. You will need one pastry ring per dessert, so if you are planning on feeding four you’ll need as many rings.
The brownie base is nice and dense, and unlike sponge cakes, don’t dry out too easily. Now spoon or pipe in the chocolate mousse mixture and tap the bottom sharply on the kitchen counter to rid the mixture of any large air gaps. Leave about two millimeters short of the top lip of the acetate sheet. Clean up the edges and then shove everything into the freezer to chill solid for a couple of hours.
Take out the frozen dessert and fill up the final two millimeters with some melted ganache. Simply melt 100 g of dark chocolate with a splash of cream. Stir until glossy and pour into the acetate mould. Shove everything back into the freezer to chill completely.
Finally, just before serving, decorate with fresh raspberries, with or without raspberry coulis. Unmould the dessert and serve immediately. If rich desserts are not your thing, then you can always up the romance factor and share this one.
Feeling a bit daunted? Never fear! You can cheat your way through this one by using store bought brownies and store bought mousse. Chocolate mousse + dense chocolate brownies is a winning combination, if a touch decadent, but the raspberries does help undercut all that richness especially if you serve this with some sharp raspberry coulis.
Well, there it is folks … a simple yet visually impressive dessert to serve up on your romantic Valentine’s day dinner. If you’d like some other ideas, check out my other posts like the Black Forest Cheesecake, Bailey’s Chocolate Creams and the Racey Red Velvet Cheesecake.
So do have a browse, pick something you like and give it a go. Stay tuned for more lovey-dovey food coming your way for the month of February. Until then, happy experimenting and I’ll see you in the next post. In the meantime, I think I will go make myself a steaming hot bowl of chicken soup + rice noodles. I don’t know about you guy, but I am freezing today. Quite possibly it’s because I haven’t really eaten anything substantial all day. Too busy editing pictures and writing this post.
~ Enjoy! ~
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