Co-founder Claire's Chocolate Balsamic Berry Mousse to make for your love this Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to cook something special at home for that someone special & my chocolate Balsamic Berry Chocolate mousse recipe would be a triumph of chocolate loveliness for you both to enjoy! The balsamic vinegar cuts through the intensity of the dark chocolate and complements the tangy fruits hiding at the bottom of the cup.
It is simple to make but what ever you do, do not compromise on the quality of chocolate or the balsamic vinegar! This is an adaptation of the recipe in my Chococo Cookbook which is now out of print, but I believe that you may still be able to buy copies on Amazon.
Serves 2
(Note: this makes x2 good sized mousse portions - you could make it stretch to 3 if you want slightly smaller desserts...or have a little extra to enjoy the next day!)
100g fresh strawberries & raspberries (or frozen berry fruits, defrosted)
1 tsp icing sugar
75g dark chocolate, (ideally, if you can find one, a 60-70% cocoa solids origin chocolate made with cocoa beans described as having “fruit” notes)
35g unsalted butter, soft
2 egg yolks, beaten & at room temperature
2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon golden caster sugar
Icing sugar for dusting
2 cups, ramekins or wine glasses to serve
Wash & dry the fruits, keeping a few attractive ones back for decoration, and gently mash the rest together with a fork and the icing sugar for a touch of sweetness. Place half of the fruit in the bottom of each of your dishes.
Melt the chocolate very gently in a heatproof bowl sitting over a pan of barely simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. As soon as the chocolate has melted, take the bowl off the heat, add the butter and stir in to melt. Then add the egg yolks and finally the balsamic vinegar.
In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a handheld electric mixer until softly peaking. Add the caster sugar and whisk again to stiff peaks.
Add a small amount of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture & mix vigorously to loosen it. Then gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture with a metal spoon. A light touch is what is needed here, as if you beat this too much you will lose the air in the whisked egg whites. Ensure you pick up all the chocolate mixture at the bottom of the bowl though as you fold the two mixtures together.
Carefully put the mousse into each cup with a small spoon on top of the fruits. Put the mousses in the fridge to set for at least an hour, or until required.
Take the mousses out of the fridge and allow to return to room temperature before serving, decorate with the reserved fruit and dust with sieved icing sugar to serve.
Happy Valentine's Day!