A magical mousse

Did someone say chocolate? Yes, but not just any chocolate – dark, rich and creamy and smooth chocolate mousse. I apologize for the delayed first post of the month. I’ve been feeling a bit stuck -- it's that time of year where I have to re-think life and work, and torture myself with deep and existential questions.

Now to get out of this rut. I guess one way is to just throw yourself into something. For me the easiest way to do that is just by going into the kitchen and whipping something up. There's something wonderful about focusing on one thing at a time; cracking eggs, beating and whisking cream, pouring and sifting - all simple actions and for me stress-relieving.

So here is what I’ve made to get myself un-stuck: chocolate mousse.  This is not what you think about mousse. It's not light and airy: unadulterated chocolate and sweet cream – this recipe makes one magical mousse.

chocolate mousse

recipe adapted from a variety of sources

serves 4

*use organic and good quality where possible – makes a big difference!

50g dark chocolate (85%)

100g dark chocolate (70%)

150ml cream (35%)

2 egg yolks, room temperature

2 tbsp honey (depending on desired sweetness)

1 tbsp dark cocoa powder

First place chocolate and 50ml cream in a bowl placed above simmering water (make sure bowl doesn’t touch water). Stir until melted.  Take off heat and leave aside. In a separate bowl place rest of cream and 1 tbsp honey, and whip until stiff peaks formed and place in fridge to keep cold. Next, place egg yolks and 1 tbsp honey in a bowl above (again, not touching) simmering water and beat until lighter in colour and larger in volume – about 5-10 minutes*. Make sure not to overheat egg yolks – don’t want to scramble them! Take off heat and add melted chocolate mixture. Take out whipped cream and gently – really gently! – fold into chocolate mixture. Place into serving cups and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Take out and sift with cocoa powder. Enjoy!

*When you beat egg yolks in a bowl over simmering water you are essentially cooking the egg yolks (often because this is safer than raw).  Sabayon is the name of a basic beaten egg yolk and is a dessert by itself (often dessert wine/marsala is added). Basically egg yolks are beaten with sugar until light and fluffy.