Easy Chocolate Mousse

Mr T and I love having family over on a Sunday afternoon and we normally cook a nice dinner - nothing fancy just good old-fashioned home cooking. A few weeks back we got roast beef as a gift from a friend which we froze for future purposes - what better purpose than to feed a family. We had pan-fried cabbage and mashed potatoes with the meat (rubbed with mustard and roasted in the oven on top of some onions - the gravy was simply delicious). But what to serve as dessert??? I went through the cupboards and found a bar of chocolate that Mr T hadn't found yet (he can smell chocolate miles away), so chocolate mousse it was.

This is a very simple recipe for chocolate mousse but it is still very rich - don't be tempted to add more chocolate, it will not improve the dish but will be too rich to eat after a meal. I used milk chocolate with 35% solids but you can of course use darker chocolate - the flavour will be less sweet but more intense.

Delicious Chocolate Mousse

Just before serving, I whipped up some cream and topped the mousse with it. It looked like a mini pint of Guinness.

For 4 people you will need:

• 120g chocolate, broken up in small pieces
• 4 medium eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp caster sugar (or more if you prefer it sweeter)

Fill a saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and set a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan making sure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the hot water. Add the chocolate pieces to the bowl and let the chocolate melt - stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Keep an eye on the chocolate to avoid burning (you will have to start over again when that happens).

While the chocolate is melting, beat the egg white until just stiff, add the sugar and whisk again. 

When the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and stir until it cools slightly. Add the egg yolks and stir until well combined. Now add 3 tablespoons of the egg white and fold it into the chocolate mix. When well combined continue with the rest of the egg white. 

Spoon into glasses and place in the fridge until properly set. Serve either with whipped cream or cold custard.

Bon Appetit