Chocolate orange mousse

A book on food would be incomplete without chocolate. Like wine and coffee, chocolate should always be the best you can afford, so never settle for anything but the best sugar-free dark chocolate (70% and over).

What you’ll need The how-to Start off with what holds this whole mousse together, the avocado. Cut the avocado into blocks and pop them into a blender, along with the orange juice, vanilla extract and 125ml of the cream. Blitz until smooth.

In a small saucepan, gently melt the butter, cocoa powder and xylitol together, mixing constantly. Once melted and the xylitol has completely dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Transfer the avo cream to a mixing bowl and, using a whisk, slowly add the melted chocolatey butter, whisking continuously until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining 200ml cream to stiff peaks. Fold the cream into the chocolatey mixture until well combined. It’s important to fold and not mix or whisk – you want to keep the mousse nice and airy. Refrigerate for at least four hours, preferably overnight.

Serve with extra whipped cream and some grated orange rind as garnish.

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