Chocolate mousseline
SERVES 8-10 We infuse our chocolate mousseline with vanilla vodka and pipe it into chilled pot de crème pots. When ready to serve, we add a dollop of whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.
250 ml (1 cup) pouring cream 225 gm dark chocolate
(at least 70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
½ tsp cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
225 gm unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature 1 tbsp vanilla vodka (see note) or orange liqueur 5 large egg yolks
100 gm vanilla sugar (see note), plus 1 tsp extra
3 large eggwhites
Whisk the cream in a bowl until it holds soft peaks. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and melt the chocolate, stirring with a rubber spatula, until completely smooth. Remove from heat; reserve the barely simmering water.
Sift the cocoa powder over the chocolate mixture, then slowly add the butter, stirring with a rubber spatula until completely smooth. Stir in the vanilla vodka.
In another heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, vanilla sugar and ⅛ tsp salt until thick and pale yellow. Place the bowl over the pan of barely simmering water and whisk until the mixture is thick and the sugar has completely dissolved (3-4 minutes). Remove from the heat, then transfer to a large bowl, being careful not to include any cooked egg or solid pieces that may be stuck on the sides of the bowl.
In a clean, preferably copper bowl, whisk the eggwhite with 1 tsp extra vanilla sugar until it holds soft peaks.
Slowly add the chocolate mixture to the egg yolk mixture and stir until well combined. Keep ½ cup chilled whipped cream refrigerated until ready to serve, and gently fold the rest into the chocolate mixture. Add a large spoonful of eggwhite to the chocolate mixture and gently fold to lighten it, then add the remaining eggwhite and fold just until there are no streaks left. Cover and refrigerate until set
(at least 1 hour).
To serve, transfer mousse to a piping bag with a large round tip and pipe into chilled pot de crème pots or small ramekins. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and dust with cocoa.
When we use vanilla beans, we prefer to use whole beans and keep them stored in a jar filled with vodka. The vodka softens the beans, and the alcohol helps to preserve them. The vanilla-infused vodka can be used in place of vanilla extract. For vanilla sugar, after using a vanilla bean (if it hasn’t been steeped in milk or another liquid), we let the pod dry out by leaving it in an open jar for a few days before adding it to a jar of white sugar. As we continue to add dried vanilla pods to the sugar it becomes infused with vanilla flavour, creating vanilla sugar.