French Chocolate Mousse with Passion Fruit and Nougatine
User Reviews
5
French Chocolate Mousse with Passion Fruit and Nougatine
Description
French Chocolate Mousse with Passion Fruit and Nougatine brings together dark chocolate (72% cacao) melted with cocoa powder and gently folded into passion fruit-sweetened whipped egg whites. Passion fruit juice is sieved to remove seeds, adding a bright fruity note to the rich chocolate. The mousse sets in individual dishes chilled to develop a smooth, airy texture.
The accompanying nougatine combines toasted almonds and pistachios caramelized with butter and brown sugar, producing crisp shards with nutty richness. This contrast of textures complements the mousse's lightness. This gluten-free dessert can be prepared ahead and chilled overnight for convenience.
Serving options include topping the mousse with nougatine shards or extra passion fruit for enhanced flavor and presentation. Precise weights for ingredients help achieve consistent results, suited for careful home cooks.
Ingredients
Chocolate Passion Fruit Mousse
- 170 g (6oz) dark chocolate (I use 72% cacao - use only good quality)
- 15 g (0.5oz/ 1 tbsp) cocoa powder I use Van Houten, unsweetened
- 210 g (7.5oz) egg from 6 fresh organic eggs, white
- 30 g (1oz/ 2 tbsp) caster sugar
- 2 passion fruit juice sieved off, seeds removed
Almond-Pistachio Nougatine
- 140 g (5oz/ 1 cup) almonds slivered
- 100 g (3.5oz/ 1 cup) pistachio or a mix with walnuts, unsalted
- 50 g (1.75oz/ ¼ cup) butter unsalted
- 140 g (5oz/¾ cup) brown sugar organic, light cane sugar
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Mousse
- Melt the chocolate and cocoa powder together in a bowl over a pan of simmering water ('bain-marie'), taking care not to overcook the chocolate (don't have the water at a rolling boil; simmer gently). As soon as the chocolate is easy to stir, switch off the heat and stir until smooth, keeping the bowl over the pan to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, sieve out the seeds from the passion fruits. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites (using a stand mixer or electric beaters) with the sugar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the passion fruit juice to the whites and continue to whip until firm.
- Fold the chocolate into the whites using a spatula.
- Divide the mousse into 6 serving dishes and chill for at least an hour.
Almond-Pistachio Nougatine
- Place the nuts in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet and lightly toast them under a hot grill for a couple of minutes. Keep your eye on them and don’t move away from the grill, as this happens quickly and you do NOT want them to burn (any burning will make the nuts bitter). Toasting them lightly brings out their natural flavour. When toasted, set them aside to cool.
- In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter on a medium heat. As soon as it’s melted, add the sugar. Using a wooden spoon, initially stir the sugar and butter together, then wait about 5 minutes until the mixture starts to form a liquid and a caramel forms. As soon as this happens, stir until smooth and it’s light brown (not dark brown, otherwise bitter), add all the nuts.
- Stir in the nuts until they’re all well covered and sticky in the caramel. Turn out immediately on to a patisserie mat (Silpat) or directly on to a clean, marble surface.
- Leave to cool on the counter for about 10 minutes or until the caramel hardens. Store in an airtight tin or jam jar and eat within a month.
Notes
- This recipe is gluten free.
- The mousse can be prepared in advance and chilled overnight, improving flavor and texture.
- Serve topped with nougatine pieces or fresh passion fruit for added contrast.
- Using digital kitchen scales for ingredient measurements ensures accuracy.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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