White and Dark Chocolate Mousse with Red Berry Coulis
Preparation time: 20 minutes for each mousseChilling time: 2 hours for the dark mousse and then overnight for the white and dark mousse
Use: 18cm (7in) bottomless ring mould
Serves: 8–10
Ingredients:
Dark Chocolate Mousse
100g (31/2 oz.) organic
dark chocolate, (minimum 60% cocoa solids, broken into pieces)
40g (11/2 oz.) icing sugar
80g (31/4 oz.) unsalted organic butter, softened
3 large eggs, separated
40g (11/2 oz.) cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
100ml (31/2 fl oz.) organic whipping cream
40g (11/2 oz.) icing sugar
80g (31/4 oz.) unsalted organic butter, softened
3 large eggs, separated
40g (11/2 oz.) cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
100ml (31/2 fl oz.) organic whipping cream
White Chocolate Mousse
200g (7oz) good-quality
organic white chocolate, broken into pieces
2 leaves gelatine
300ml (1/2 pint) organic whipping cream
3 large organic egg yolks
125g (41/2 oz.) icing sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
2 leaves gelatine
300ml (1/2 pint) organic whipping cream
3 large organic egg yolks
125g (41/2 oz.) icing sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Red Berry Coulis
225g (8oz) organic
strawberries or organic raspberries
40g (11/2 oz.) icing sugar
40g (11/2 oz.) icing sugar
To decorate
4 tablespoons of cocoa
powder or
2 punnets of fresh organic raspberries
2 punnets of fresh organic raspberries
Method:
To make the dark chocolate mousse, melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Add the icing sugar and stir in the butter, then beat in the egg yolks and the cocoa and salt.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks start to form. Separately whip the cream until thick, and then gently fold the egg whites and the cream alternately into the chocolate mixture. Do not over mix, but ensure that the mixture is well blended.
Place the ring mould on a large, round serving plate. Pour the mousse into the mould and chill for about 2 hours before making the white chocolate mousse.
To make the white chocolate mousse, melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Ensure that the water does not touch the base of the bowl as white chocolate is especially sensitive to being overheated. Dissolve the gelatine in about four tablespoons of cream that has been warmed in a saucepan.
Whisk the egg yolks and icing sugar until thick and creamy and then add the Grand Marnier, the gelatine and cream mixture and the melted chocolate.
Whip the remainder of the cream until thick and fold it into the chocolate mixture.
Pour the white mousse on top of the dark mousse that has already set and chill overnight.
To make the coulis, purée the berries in a blender and then pass through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in the icing sugar to taste.
To unmould the mousse, dip a palette knife in boiling water; dry it, then slide it around the inside edge of the mould. Lift the ring mould off carefully and smooth the sides of the mousse with the palette knife.
To serve, sieve the cocoa over the top of the mousse to cover or scatter with whole raspberries. Pour some of the coulis on to the plate around the edge of the mousse and serve the remainder from a jug. Slice the mousse using a palette knife dipped in hot water.
HINT: This mousse should be refrigerated before serving, but don’t add the cocoa powder and coulis until you are ready to serve.
