Chocolate mousse is a classic, you can’t go wrong. Its so simple and smooth with a lovely rich flavour. The bubbles lighten it and stop it being too sickly. Honeycomb works great with this, the sugariness counters any bitterness of the dark chocolate and adds crunchy contrast.
The mousse recipe is one of Delias.
Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients (Makes 6 servings)
200g Dark Chocolate (min 70% cocoa content), broken into pieces
120ml Warm Water
3 Large Eggs (yolks and white separated)
40g Golden Caster Sugar
In a heat proof bowl place the broken dark chocolate and warm water together. In a small saucepan bring water to a boil, once boiled keep at a gentle simmer. Place the heat proof bowl of water and chocolate above the water, melt this at a gentle heat till all the chocolate has melted, keep stirring towards the end to make sure no chocolate sinks and catches at the bottom.
Once melted, place the chocolate/water mix to one side to cool slightly.
In another large bowl, add the egg whites and start to whisk into stiff peaks with an electric whisk. Ensure the bowl is completely clean and dry before whisking to get maximum peakiness (the official whisking term!). Once the egg whites hold their own shape and take a glossy look on, gradually add the caster sugar, whisking throughout to incorporate it evenly.
Beat the egg yolks into the slightly cooled chocolate mix.
Using a large metal spoon, add a heaped spoon of the egg white mix to the chocolate mix. Fold gently till lumps have disappeared. This will help to loosen the chocolate mix. At this point you can pour the chocolate mix into the remaining egg whites, patiently fold the mixture as gently as you can till no white remains and lumps have gone.
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Pour into your selected ramekin/cocktail glass or other serving dish and cool for at least 4 hours. This can be made the night before but won’t keep much long than about 2-3 days, the air starts to escape and you lose the whole moussey effect!
Honeycomb
This takes about 10 mins maximum from start to finish. Timing is key. I love how the mixture bubbles up when the bicarb is added. This is a dangerous recipe to master cos you are never more than a few mins from crunchy, golden honeycomb.
Ingredients
80g Butter
80g Golden Syrup
160g Caster Sugar
2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
This is a really sticky messy mix so I find it easier to just get a medium heavy set saucepan out that you will cook it in and measure everything in there on the scales.
First lightly grease a baking tray of roughly 20cm using vegetable oil.
Cube the butter and sprinkle in the pan, add the sugar and syrup. On a medium heat gently melt till bubbles emerge and the sugar has dissolved completely. Don’t be tempted to stir at any point. If the mix looks over dark or as if its burning on one side, swirl the liquid ever so slightly in the pan to even this out. Once all sugar has dissolved, bring to a rapid boil. When the mix takes a dark golden colour and bubbling up take off the heat. Very quickly add all the bicarb and whisk very fast to make the mix even more frothy and bubbly.
Pour out evenly as you can onto the greased tray. The pan and mix will be extremely hot so allow both to cool completely. The honeycomb should set within half an hour/hour kind of time. You can then break it up easily.
Enjoy on its own or its great sprinkled on mousse, ice cream or as someone suggested to me when I brought it into work – coated in chocolate!
To assemble with the mousse, place the shards of honeycomb in a sandwich bag and bash into teeny pieces using a rolling pin, alternatively use the shards as spoons for a fondue kind of thing.
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