Dark chocolate and hazelnut mousse

On my ever-growing list of items I need to get to on my white board in my office: Cleaning and organizing my drawers. I've been staring at those words for months.

My bathroom drawers. My kitchen drawers. My en suite bathroom drawers. Don't even get me started. No, I'm not going to tell you I got around to doing that.
Instead, I'm going to alleviate some of my guilt by cleaning out my virtual drawers. I'm getting around to blog posts I've been meaning to get to for a long time. I first made this at a French bistro cooking class more than two years ago but then made it again more recently when I had some francophile friends over for dinner.


I've made chocolate mousse before, and blogged about it but this recipe tops the other one, easily.

When it comes to creme brulee, I'm a puritan. I don't like any coconut-infused, berry-tinged creme brulees. Keep it simple. But I don't mind a bit of experimentation with my chocolate mousse. Not that this is too far off the beaten path. After all, the dark chocolate and hazelnut mix is a tried-and-true combination.

I ran out of time so I skipped making whipped cream, instead I bought hazelnut almond puffs which you'll see in the photos. My one regret is that the mousse doesn't look quite as silky smooth as it does with the previous chocolate mousse recipe, and that's my fault. If you want it to look more professional, simply pour the mousse into the plates you will serve them in, and then chill the mousse, rather than spooning them in the serving dishes just before serving.

Ingredients:

• 200 g chopped dark chocolate (the best you can possibly find, like Valhrona)
• 4 egg yolks (leave out at room temperature)
• 2 oz Frangelico, you can also use Marsala but I prefer the former
• 1/4 cup 35% cream
• 11/2 tbsp sugar
• 375 ml 35% cream
• 1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
• 1 pinch kosher salt

Directions:

1. Place a small pot, half full of water, over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl ta fits over pot of simmering water (but does not touch water.) Melt chocolate gently, being careful not to let the water boil. Once it's completely melted, remove bowl from the heat and set aside. Let water continue to simmer.
2. Meanwhile, whip 375 ml cream to stiff peaks and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Whisk yolks, sugar, Frangelico, and 1/4 cup of cream in a separate heat proof bowl. Place bowl over the pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until thick and hot.
4. Pour melted chocolate into hot frothy eggs and let cool slightly. Gently fold in the whipped cream adding about one-third at a time until all of the cream has been folded in. Lastly fold in the hazelnuts and a pinch of salt and chill for several hours or overnight before serving.

Substitutions:

None.

Would I make this again?

Maybe, but I'll probably try another chocolate mousse recipe because I still haven't found the holy grail of recipes that remind me of the mousse I've eaten in Paris.

Grade:

Three-and-a-half stars out of five. This mousse hits all the right notes, it won't disappoint, but it's forgettable. It doesn't shine. And I want something that sings as it's sliding down my throat.