A Bowl of Chocolate Mousse with Cherry Compote
Photography Aaron McLean.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
200 grams good quality chocolate, chopped
30 grams butter, diced
5 eggs
2 tablespoons brandy
3 tablespoons caster sugar
Cherry compote
200 grams dried cherries
100 grams sugar
1¼ cups water
3 tablespoons cognac or brandy
To serve
softly whipped cream
METHOD
Mousse: Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water then remove from the heat. Do not let the chocolate get too hot or it will be oily and go grainy when you stir in the egg yolks. Separate the eggs. Combine the egg yolks and brandy and gently stir into the chocolate. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks then scatter over the sugar and beat until thick and glossy.
Using a large metal spoon, stir a ¼ of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites, gently but thoroughly, leaving no white streaks in the mixture. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate until set.
Cherries: Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cool.
To serve: Tip the cherries and whipped cream into serving bowls. Pass the mousse, allowing everyone to help themselves. Top with a spoonful of cherries and cream.
Cook's Tip: Prunes can be used in place of the dried cherries.
Menu: Serve with Braised Duck with Calvados and Apples.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.