BLACK FOREST DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
SERVES 6 | 5 MINS PREP TIME | 20 MINS COOK TIME
I often find myself sharing this recipe at many of my workshops and demonstrations because of how simple it is! Inspired by a two-ingredient white chocolate mousse hack that the always-brilliant Matt Preston taught us during a masterclass on my season of MasterChef, this is my dark and decadent version. Warning - if you make the serving sizes too large, this will tip your guests over the edge and straight into the land of food comas. Less is more. Trust me.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups preserved morello cherries
2 cups morello cherry preserving syrup
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
200g dark chocolate, finely chopped
600ml thickened cream
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
50g dark chocolate, shaved
METHOD
To make the black forest syrup, place morello cherries and cherry syrup into a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until syrup has reduced. Gently stir through fresh cherries. Set aside to cool.
To make the mousse, place a medium saucepan of water over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low heat. Place chocolate into a medium-sized heatproof bowl and carefully place on top of saucepan, ensuring the water is not touching the base of the bowl. Using a metal spoon, stir chocolate until almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Pour cream into a mixing jug or bowl. Add vanilla and icing sugar. Using a stick blender or electric beaters, whip cream to soft peaks. Reserve 1 cup of cream for serving.
Gently fold melted chocolate into whipped cream until just combined. Transfer mixture to a piping bag. Carefully pipe mousse into serving glasses. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, place generous spoonfuls of remaining cream and black forest syrup into each glass. Top with shavings of chocolate. Enjoy!