Cherry & Chocolate Mousse

Serves 6

Cherry and chocolate, what better combination is there? These make a quick and simple dessert for any dinner party.

• 100g (3.5oz) dairy-free dark chocolate

• 4 tbsp maple syrup

• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

• 5 tbsp almond milk or coconut milk drink

• 2½ tbsp cocoa, sieved

• 2 large ripe avocados, flesh scooped out

• 1 jar Opies Black Cherries with Luxardo® Kirsch, syrup reserved (keep some cherries back too for decoration)

To serve:

• Reserved cherries

• Dairy-free dark chocolate, grated

1 Set aside 25g (0.7oz) of chocolate for decoration and break the rest into squares. Melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (not boiling). Make sure the base doesn’t touch the water.

2 Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, almond or coconut milk, ¼ tsp fine salt and the cocoa until smooth.

3 In a blender or food processor, whizz the chocolate mixture with the avocado flesh until silky smooth.

4 Dollop a tablespoon of mousse into the serving glasses/bowls then add some cherries and kirsch syrup, before layering on another spoonful of mousse and repeat until all the mixture has been added.

5 Garnish with any remaining cherries and a sprinkling of grated dark chocolate then chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

6 To make the decoration, scrape the edge of the reserved chocolate using a vegetable peeler to make long shards. Scatter over the mousse just before serving.

Recipe by Opies Foods, opiesfoods.com @OpiesFoods.