Dark Chocolate Mousse with Black Cherries

10:00 pm on 14 February 2004

Makes 6 individual ramekins or 1 large dish.

Ingredients

  • 230 gms blue top milk
  • 230 gms dark chocolate
  • 100 gms butter
  • 4 drops vanilla essence
  • rum to taste
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 6 egg whites
  • 80 gms caster sugar
  • 200 ml cream
  • 75 gms pitted black cherries (canned poached cherries may be substituted)
  • cocoa powder for dusting

Method

Boil the milk, then remove from the heat and add the chocolate, butter, vanilla essence and rum. Place in a stainless steel bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place on top of a saucepan of simmering water until the butter and chocolate have melted.

Remove from the heat. Add the egg yolks one at a time using a wooden spoon to beat until smooth between each addition. Cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature.

Whisk the egg whites for a couple of minutes on high speed, then add the sugar slowly and continue to whisk until smooth. Do not over-whisk the egg whites as it will make the mousse grainy.

Half whip the cream so that it looks like a hollandaise (to test, just make a figure eight with your whisk - it should disappear after 8 to 10 seconds; if you have something that resembles the Southern Alps, you have gone too far). Fold the cream into the chocolate mixture very gently with a spatula or large spoon.

Place the black cherries in the bottom of the dish or ramekins and pour in the chocolate mixture. Gently bang the dish down on the kitchen bench to make the surface smooth and chill to set.

To serve, dust with cocoa powder.

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