MAUDE'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
IT’S TOP OF THE POTS!
Put a bit of oooOMmmmmpf back into
your life with Maudelicious Mousse.
Yoga Instructor, Maude is one of the characters featured in my book, Limbericks. There’s nothing more than she loves doing upon waking than to get straight up or down to it, no ‘moussing’ around, with five vigorous rounds of Yasur Manaskar — that’s Sanskrap for Sun Salutations. Then Maude is ready to tackle anything — well, almost.
But Maude doesn’t only love yoga, she is also an absolute chocomaniac and it’s the weekend that Maude looks forward to the most when she can put on her talented entertaining head and impress the guests with her ‘haute queensine’ like this divine recipe for one.
Instant Karma or what? Well, we had better get cracking, the eggs I mean!
Easy, quick and simply delicious. A sure way to impress your guests — or your family*. Alternatively give them a sludgy green drink and keep them all to yourself.
(Yogis remember though, it’s all about giving!)
As a precautionary measure, because the eggs are only slightly cooked in this recipe, it is best that the very young, old and pregnant ladies avoid eating this mousse. Don’t fret, I have something else up my sleeve for you coming soon.
You’ll need 8-10 mousse pots which will hold a good 3 heaped dessertspoonfuls of mousse each, a sheet of Parchment or silicon baking paper measuring around 14” x 10” (35 cm x 25 cm) and cling film or preferably foil which is least recyclable to cover the pots for storing in the fridge.
1 oz (30 gr) natural castor sugar
2 large organic eggs
250 gr plain Belgian chocolate, or similar
125 gr milk chocolate
16 fl oz (473 ml) heavy or double cream
Place the baking paper onto a chopping board of around the same size. Break up the milk chocolate into pieces into a bowl and melt in a microwave for 30-45 seconds.
Using a silicon spatula either spread a rectangle onto the baking paper and do whatever the fancy takes, for example draw lines or zigzags through the chocolate — or perhaps create some large, circular blobs leaving a little space between them. Keep the paper with the board and refrigerate.
Now break up the plain chocolate into a bowl and melt over a simmering pan of water using a moderate heat. Take off the heat when it has very nearly melted and stir until there are no lumps left.
In the meantime, separate the eggs between 2 large mixing bowls: Put half the sugar in with the egg yokes and the other half with the whites.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy. Mix in the hot melted chocolate as soon as possible which will cook the yolks slightly. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then fold in the egg whites into the chocolate yolk mixture with a metal spoon in an up and over technique in order to keep the texture light.
Whisk up the cream until soft and fluffy but not stiff and add this into the mixture. For an even texture, mix well using the same procedure as for the egg whites or try swirling a fork around for a contrasting cream and chocolate one.
Divide the mixture between the pots, make teaspoon swirls and using a slightly wetted piece of kitchen towel, clean around the rim.
Taking out the set milk chocolate from the fridge, gently bend the paper to loosen up the chocolate pieces and decorate those delicious mousses. It’s time for Top of the Pots!
Cover and refrigerate for up to three days.
*Top Tip: If you are having a dinner party for particular friends and there’s family around, it is advisable to do a pot count well in advance of the event to ensure that there are sufficient quantities for your guests.
