Share love with chocolate mousse
Love is in the air! A decadent chocolate honey mousse requires only a few ingredients and yields a wonderful dessert that is ready for you this Valentine’s Day.
For best results, make a day ahead to allow plenty of time for the mousse to chill and firm up in the refrigerator.
The best food is made with love, and who doesn’t love chocolate, so get the good stuff. Make sure to have all your ingredients at room temperature before you start.
We use a double boiler for melting chocolate to gently raise the temperature and not burn any of our most precious ingredient. Only put an inch of water in your pan, find a bowl that fits your pan snuggly with little overhang, and keep the boil at a low simmer.
When combining the egg yolk and hot honey, it’s important that one hand is constantly whisking while the other is pouring the honey. Chefs like to put a dampened paper towel under the bowl so that it doesn’t start to travel around the countertop.
To serve, I love topping mousse with brandied cherries, chocolate shavings, and/or toasted and chopped hazelnuts. A dollop of fresh hand-whipped cream or homemade caramel sauce also works, with the added benefit of showing off a little. No matter what, do it with love!
CHOCOLATE HONEY MOUSSE
YIELD: 2 large servings
INGREDIENTS
3 oz dark chocolate (65% or higher)
1 ½ oz honey
1 egg yolk
½ t dark rum
5 ½ oz heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place chocolate over a double boiler to melt.
2. Boil honey. Whisk egg yolk in a mixing bowl.
3. Slowly pour hot honey into yolk mixture while whisking and continue whisking until thick.
4. Add chocolate, then rum.
5. Whip cream to soft peak (by mixer, beaters, or by hand) and whisk gently into chocolate base.
6. Divide between 2 rocks glasses or mason jars immediately and chill.
7. Chill at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Top with boozy fruit, chocolate shavings or nuts.
Dan Moe is a Chef Instructor at Flathead Valley Community College’s Culinary Institute of Montana. For more information, visit fvcc.edu/culinary