BITTER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH ORANGE ZEST

No

Sheila makes a delicious and extremely easy chocolate dessert (vegan suitable).
It’s made in a matter of minutes. COCOA AND COCONUT MILK MOUSSE  She added stem ginger, finely chopped, for extra interest.

I decided to prepare a more involved bitter chocolate mousse with orange zest – from Daniel Galmiche’s book “French Brasserie”.

The mild bitterness of orange rind and bittersweet chocolate temper the sweetness of this easy dish. You can prepare the dessert up to a day ahead.

INGREDIENTS

1 Orange
100g plain chocolate (66 – 70% cocoa solids) chopped into small pieces
90g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
150ml double cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar

METHOD

Pare the zest from the orange into fine strips. Put the zest into a small pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. As soon as it starts,to boil remove from the heat. Rinse under cold water, drain, and repeat the same process.

This time return the zest to the pan, add 2 tablespoons of caster sugar  and 3 tablespoons of water,stirring to dissolve. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes then leave the zest to cool in the syrup. When cold drain and set aside.

To make the chocolate mousse, put 75g of the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place it to rest on a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water underneath. Heat the chocolate and stir occasionally until it has melted, then remove from the heat and keep warm.

In a separate heatproof bowl mix together the sugar, egg yolks and two tablespoons of warm water. Rest the bowl over simmering water once more and beat until it turns pale, thickens perceptibly and trails ribbon like shapes when you lift the whisk or the beaters from the bowl. This could take 10 minutes or so. Slowly stir in the melted chocolate until well combined.

In another bowl (I used my mixer) whip the cream and icing sugar to soft peaks and gently fold it into the chocolate and egg mixture until it is smooth and combined. Don’t overwork it.

Divide the mousse into four glasses and cover with cling film. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to set and it you are leaving it to chill for a longer time, then remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving

Remove the mousses from the fridge. You could melt the remaining chocolate in a heatproof bowl over water and swirl it onto the top of the mousse, or else you could just grate it onto the top and then eat any chocolate that is left. Your choice. Then top with the orange zest and serve

Original recipe Daniel Galmiche “French Brasserie”