Dark chocolate mousse

A little indulgence to finish off after all your hard work!

Ingredients:

170g dark bitter chocolate (65-70% cocoa solids)
80ml full-fat milk
1 egg yolk
4 egg whites
20g caster sugar

Method:

Chop the chocolate with a serrated edge knife. Place the chocolate in a shallow heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until it has completely melted. Remove from the pan.

Bring the milk to the boil. Pour onto the melted chocolate, stirring with a whisk. Add the egg yolk and mix thoroughly. Check the temperature by dipping a fingertip in the chocolate (being careful not to burn yourself!). It should feel hot but not burning. Allow to cool.

Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks, adding the sugar pinch by pinch. Fold one-third of the whites into the chocolate. Whisk briskly, then fold in the rest of the whites, lifting the mousse from the middle of the bowl up and outwards and holding the bowl with the other hand, turning it as you go round.

Pour the mousse into individual cups or dishes or one large serving bowl. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

If you are feeling extra decadent, decorate the finished mousse with chocolate curls.

A little history:

If you are in France, no matter which region, no matter where you eat, you will most likely be offered the divine French dessert Mousse au Chocolat. You can find it in corner cafés as well as expensive gourmet restaurants. It is a staple in this gastronomically versed country.

In fact, it comes as no surprise that they are the inventors of our wonderful chocolate mousse.

The word “mousse” is a French word that means foam, so Mousse au Chocolat means chocolate foam. When mousse first hit the culinary scene in 1894 it was reserved for savory dishes like fish and vegetables. Then in the early 1900’s the famous French artist Toulouse-Lautrec had the brilliant idea of mixing in chocolate to the graceful and airy invention. Thankfully the name that he first gave it, ‘mayonnaise de chocolat’, has been changed and it has been donned with the more appetizing moniker that we know it by today.