When you want to impress your dinner guests, chocolate mousse is perfect! You can make it ahead of time, you can dress it up and a little goes a long way. Awesome!
I love the velvety texture of mousse, and this recipe delivers. However, I think that you need a bit of crunch to round it off and these almond tuiles, are fantastic to add some drama to an already fabulous dessert.
I make the mousse up to two days ahead of time and the tuile batter can be made up to a week in advance and just kept in the fridge until the afternoon before you eat them. Bake a few tuiles at a time, so you can shape them before they harden up. I usually do four at a time. After baking them, keep them in an airtight container to avoid them going soft.
I pipe the cream on an hour or so before my guests arrive and place the tuiles on just before serving. Stress-free entertaining ! Let’s face it, our guests come for the dessert, so we can’t disappoint.
Chocolate Mousse:
4 egg yolks
60ml castor sugar
500ml cream
225g dark chocolate, finely chopped
5ml vanilla extract
Almond tuiles:
1 egg white
50g icing sugar
50g butter, melted
50g almond flour, well sifted
2ml vanilla extract
30g Shaved almonds
To Finish:
150ml cream
15ml castor sugar
2ml vanilla extract
grated chocolate
Chocolate Mousse:
Place egg yolks, 30ml sugar and 180ml cream in a medium saucepan and mix well.
Over a medium heat, cook the egg mixture until it is thick. Remove from the heat.
Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and vanilla extract.
Cover with clingfilm over the surface of the custard and allow to cool.
Whip the remaining cream and sugar until soft peak.
Fold a third of the cream into the cooled custard and mix to loosen the custard.
Fold the custard into the remaining cream.
Divide mousse between six serving dishes, I used small glasses. Martini glasses also make a dramatic serving dish.
Place in the fridge until serving.
Tuiles:
Preheat oven to 180ºC
In a medium bowl, mix the butter, sugar and vanilla extract.
Add the egg white and almond flour and mix well to a paste.
Rest in the fridge until needed.
Drop teaspoon amounts of batter onto a silicone mat or silicone paper and spread into a circular shape, getting the batter as thin as possible.
Sprinkle with shaved almonds.
Bake for 4 minutes, until the tuile turns golden brown, you will have to watch them carefully.
Remove from the oven and quickly slide a pallet knife under the tuile and wrap around a wooden spoon or small rolling-pin to shape. Rest on a dish towel until firm. Repeat with remaining tuiles. You will have to work quickly.
Repeat with the rest of the batter or until you have enough tuiles to serve.
To Finish:
Whip cream, sugar and vanilla extract until stiff.
Place cream in a piping bag with a star nozzle.
Pipe a swirl of cream on top each mousse. Top with grated chocolate.
Place a tuile on each dessert just before serving.
Serve immediately.
Chocolate Mousse:
- 4 egg yolks
- 60ml castor sugar
- 500ml cream
- 225g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 5ml vanilla extract
Almond tuiles:
- 1 egg white
- 50g icing sugar
- 50g butter, melted
- 50g almond flour, well sifted
- 2ml vanilla extract
- 30g Shaved almonds
To Finish:
- 150ml cream
- 15ml castor sugar
- 2ml vanilla extract
- grated chocolate
Chocolate Mousse:
- Place egg yolks, 30ml sugar and 180ml cream in a medium saucepan and mix well.
- Over a medium heat, cook the egg mixture until it is thick. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and vanilla extract.
- Cover with clingfilm over the surface of the custard and allow to cool.
- Whip the remaining cream and sugar until soft peak.
- Fold a third of the cream into the cooled custard and mix to loosen the custard.
- Fold the custard into the remaining cream.
- Divide mousse between six serving dishes, I used small glasses. Martini glasses also make a dramatic serving dish.
- Place in the fridge until serving.
Tuiles:
- Preheat oven to 180ºC
- In a medium bowl, mix the butter, sugar and vanilla extract.
- Add the egg white and almond flour and mix well to a paste.
- Rest in the fridge until needed.
- Drop teaspoon amounts of batter onto a silicone mat or silicone paper and spread into a circular shape, getting the batter as thin as possible.
- Sprinkle with shaved almonds.
- Bake for 4 minutes, until the tuile turns golden brown, you will have to watch them carefully.
- Remove from the oven and quickly slide a pallet knife under the tuile and wrap around a wooden spoon or small rolling-pin to shape. Rest on a dish towel until firm. Repeat with remaining tuiles. You will have to work quickly.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter or until you have enough tuiles to serve.
To Finish:
- Whip cream, sugar and vanilla extract until stiff.
- Place cream in a piping bag with a star nozzle.
- Pipe a swirl of cream on top each mousse. Top with grated chocolate.
- Place a tuile on each dessert just before serving.
- Serve immedietly.
