After cooking for over 35 years I’m sure you can imagine how many different chocolate mousse recipes I have seen & tried.
But for me, this one that I adapted from Marco Pierre White is my favourite. Intensely chocolate not too sweet and that coffee edge rounds it off. In my new recipe, I have stuffed  the individual mousse portion with Griottine cherries, which for a special occasion is a must!

If you want to show off your dessert making skills during the holidays here is your chance! You will need to buy a couple of sheets of clear acetate for the moulds and have a sharp pair of scissors or a paper guillotine. You can find acetate in most large craft and hobby stores, I bought a pack of 12 sheets ( 12 inches x 12 inches) for £4.99 from The Range (though you will only need 2 sheets).

Chocolate Wrapping
350g  dark (70%) quality chocolate
100g good quality white chocolate

1. Cut out 8 rectangular strips of acetate  8 1/4 inch  x 2 inches in length.
2. Take one of the rectangles and mark one and a quarter inch in from one end and score a line so you have a 1 and 1/4inch fold in your rectangle. Repeat this with the other rectangles.
3. Lay a 2” piece of sellotape at the end with the fold.
4. Break 3/4 of the dark chocolate into small pieces and place into a heatproof bowl and grate or finely chop the remaining  1/4 and reserve in a separate bowl. Melt the larger amount over a pan of hot water (not boiling) until the chocolate reaches 55C-58C (131F-136)  and remove from the heat.
5. Now stir in the grated chocolate and stir constantly until fully melted.  Now bring the chocolate to  31C-32C (88f-90F) which will temper the chocolate to give it a shiny finish.
6. Place one piece of plastic strips onto a clean cutting board or marble slab if you own one. Using a palette knife spread some of the dark chocolate onto the plastic strip up to the fold but not over it. Carefully bring the two ends of the strip together with the fold on the outside and tape the fold down with your sellotape, as tight as you can.
7. If you have done this right the chocolate is on the inside of the plastic strip, do not stand them on their ends or most of the melted chocolate will run out, instead lay them on their sides on a clean separate piece of baking paper.
8. Repeat this process to make 8 dark chocolate wraps. After they are set we are ready to make the mousse.

Dark Chocolate Mousse(serves 8)
200g (5 ozs) good quality 70% dark chocolate
6 egg yolk (use large eggs)
100g ( 3 ozs) caster sugar
75ml of  espresso coffee (no coffee grounds in it)
350 ml of double or whipping cream (whipped into soft peaks)
24 Griottine cherries

Method

1. Break chocolate into small pieces and place into a large bowl then melt over a pan of hot water (not boiling). Once the chocolate is fully melted remove from heat & cling wrap bowl to keep chocolate warm.
2. Drain the cherries, keeping the syrup and places the cherries onto several sheets of paper towel.
3. In a clean bowl whisk egg yolks over a pan of hot water using a handheld electric mixer. Add sugar after 7 minutes then remove from the hot water & whisk the egg mix for a further 3-4 minutes or until cool (should be very pale in colour).
4. Fold the egg mix into the warm melted chocolate, making sure the chocolate is well mixed in.
5. Next stir in the espresso coffee (this will thin the mix down a little).
6. Finally fold in the whipped cream gently but thoroughly.
7. Stand the wraps up on the baking parchment and carefully using a dessert spoon half fill each wrap with the mousse. Now, put 2-3 cherries into each mousse and then cover with the remaining mousse and place in the fridge to set.
8. When  the mousse is set, pour a little more dark chocolate over each one to seal them.
9. Use a paper piping bag and fill with the warm white chocolate and decorate each mousse and allow to set.

To Serve
Carefully unwrap each mousse and place on dessert plates. Serve with a small scoop of ice cream and cherry compote. Whenever I serving 8 plates with an ice cream it helps if you scoop the ice cream onto something like finely chopped nuts or grated chocolate to stop the ice cream sliding around the plate as you walk into the dining room.This trick also slows up the melting process.

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