| Chocolate mousse recipes abound in all shapes and | | | | to cool a little. Meanwhile, whip the double cream until |
| sizes, some are complicated, and some, like this one, | | | | it just shows the trail of the whisk. Gently fold the |
| are very easy to make. However, that | | | | cream and melted chocolate together. Then add the |
| doesn’t make it any less delicious. This one | | | | Irish Cream, a little at a time, stirring constantly and |
| gets made frequently in our house, and | | | | gently. Pour into individual ramekins, and top with an |
| doesn’t last long! I use a blend of white and | | | | amaretti biscuit to garnish. |
| milk chocolate because I feel that creates a perfect | | | | Leave to set in the fridge for a couple of hours. The |
| complement to the baileys, and the amaretti biscuits. | | | | finished dessert should be consumed within 3 days of |
| This is the sort of recipe that can be easily adapted | | | | making, unless it is frozen, in which case it will keep in |
| with all sorts of different flavours, as long as you | | | | the freezer for at least 3 weeks, if kept inside a |
| retain the same ratio of chocolate to cream, and | | | | tightly sealed box. |
| don’t add too much of any ingredient that | | | | Calories per portion: 585 kcal |
| contains a lot of water, as this could affect the ability | | | | Fat per portion: 44g |
| of the chocolate and cream to blend together | | | | Makes about 6 portions |
| smoothly. I’ve included some other varieties | | | | OTHER OPTIONS: |
| we frequently indulge ourselves in at the end of the | | | | Substitute dark chocolate for the milk and white |
| recipe, which will hopefully spur you on to dream up | | | | chocolate, and add about 200g of fresh raspberries |
| your own concoctions. | | | | to the mix at the end, folding them in gently to avoid |
| HELPFUL HINTS: The trick with this recipe is to get | | | | squashing them. |
| the chocolate and cream to the right temperatures | | | | Replace the milk chocolate with white chocolate, and |
| so that when they are blended together, the | | | | add a few drops of peppermint oil to counteract the |
| chocolate doesn’t “melt” the | | | | sweetness of the white chocolate. |
| cream (which has all the lovely little air bubbles in it | | | | Make some caramel by boiling up 90g of granulated |
| because of all the whisking you’ve been | | | | sugar with 3 tablespoons of water in a heavy-based |
| doing), and the cream doesn’t make the | | | | saucepan until it is a pale golden brown. Pour it onto a |
| melted chocolate instantly solidify into little bits. For | | | | greased baking sheet, and leave for a few hours until |
| that reason, I’d suggest you get the cream | | | | cool, then put in a bag and break into small pieces |
| out of the fridge about half an hour before starting, | | | | using a rolling pin. Replace the white and milk |
| so that it can warm a little, and don’t forget | | | | chocolate with 100g dark chocolate, and 200g milk |
| to let the chocolate cool a little before adding it to | | | | chocolate to make a really richly chocolatey milk |
| the cream! | | | | chocolate, and stir the little pieces of caramel into the |
| INGREDIENTS: | | | | mousse at the end. |
| 300ml (10 fl oz) Double Cream | | | | Double the batch size, omit the Irish cream and |
| 100g (3.5 oz) Milk Chocolate | | | | amaretti cookies, and split the chocolate content into |
| 200g (7 oz) White Chocolate | | | | dark, milk and white (i.e. 200g each of white, milk and |
| 100ml (3 fl oz) Irish Cream (Baileys, or any other | | | | dark chocolate. Mix them up in separate batches, and |
| brand) | | | | either pour into a loaf tin in layers (allowing them to |
| Half a dozen small hard amaretti biscuits | | | | set in between), or pour small amounts into a large |
| METHOD: | | | | serving bowl, stirring together gently at the borders |
| Melt the Milk and White Chocolate together gently in | | | | between the colours, to achieve a marbled effect. |
| a double boiler (or a pyrex bowl over a saucepan | | | | Delicious served with a fruit coulis! |
| with a bit of water in the base), and then set aside | | | | |