“Never eat anything as big as your head unless it’s a scoop of chocolate mousse,” says Natalie Paull. “Fluffy from meringue (heads up: it’s an uncooked meringue, so skip this if eating raw eggs isn’t your vibe) and only touched with a teeny bit of cream, every spoonful meets your tongue with a faint airy crackle. Finish with a drizzle of fancy olive oil and salt flakes, and serve with Negroni citrus compôte or a handful of ripe raspberries and thick plain cream. I encourage you (with soft arm twist) to sample the chocolate you will use. If you’re happy with the bar, you’ll be over the moon about the mousse.”
Ingredients
- 240 g (8½ oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
- 40 g (1½ oz) unsalted butter
- 50 g (1¾ oz) honey
- 40 g/ml (1½ oz) pouring (whipping/heavy) cream (35% fat)
- 180 g (6½ oz) egg whites from approximately 6 cold eggs, plus 80 g (2¾ oz) egg yolks, from approximately 4 cold eggs
- ¼ teaspoon (2 g) cream of tartar
- 110 g (3¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) salt flakes
- Dutch cocoa powder, for dusting
Method
- Melt the chocolate, butter and honey in a double boiler over a bare simmer. Stir occasionally with a flexible plastic spatula to encourage even melting. As soon as the last chunk of chocolate melts, remove from the heat and add the cream.
- Whip the egg whites (see Top Trix 1 below) and cream of tartar on a notch under high speed in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or with hand beaters) for 2–3 minutes until the whites just reach stiff peaks – a beater pulled out will leave a stable peak in the bowl. Add a teaspoon of the sugar and continue whipping for 10 seconds. Add the remaining sugar in this slow (aka tedious) way to ensure the most stable meringue. Once the meringue is done, set aside and get the base ready.
- Back at the chocolate bowl, add the yolks in two batches, stirring them in gently with the spatula – the mix will thicken slightly. Fold one-third of the whites in with the salt until almost streak-free, then the remainder, until completely streak free. Ensure no chocolate is clinging to the base of the bowl.
- Chill. Scrape into a bowl and chill for around 3 hours before serving.
- Serve Leave at room temp to lose its fridge chill for 15 minutes. Then scoop!
- Keep and store Refrigerate for up to 4 days to play it safe with the raw egg. Freezes for up to 3 months and thaws beautifully.
Top Trix:
1. Cold eggs help to set the mousse quickly and trap all that glorious air from the meringue.
Adaptrix:
⁄ Coffee. Warm the cream and dissolve 1 teaspoon of instant coffee in it (or use more for an intense mocha).
⁄ Earl grey. Grind fresh Earl Grey tea leaves to a fine powder and add 2 teaspoons to the cream.
⁄ Booze and smokes. I love a splash (around 20 g/ml/¾ oz) of a woody, heavily peaty whisky added at the melting stage plus a sprinkle of smoked sea salt at the end.
Images and text from Sweet Heart by Natalie Paull, photography by Rochelle Eagle. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99. Sweet Heart is out now and available at excellent independent Victorian bookstores such as Readings, Books for Cooks and Hill of Content.