Cooking Therapy

Chocolate Mousse is a delicacy that packs an immense amount of chocolate flavor in a texture that feels silky and airy to your taste buds. This is a dessert for the chocoholic in your life. One spoonful, and they will be licking the bowls clean. This mousse recipe includes a tasty, syrupy, bourbon cherry compote that combines well with the semi-sweetness of the chocolate to add some sugar and fruit flavor to the bitterness of the chocolate!

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Wait Time: 1.5 Hours

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

6 oz. (1 cup) of semisweet chocolate

2 ½ cups heavy cream

4 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons Nutella or another hazelnut-chocolate spread

2 ½ cups dark cherries, pitted (can be fresh or frozen)

¼ cup bourbon

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon of orange zest

Instructions

For the Bourbon Cherry Compote

• In a medium sized saucepan, add the cherries, bourbon, ¼ cup of sugar, honey and zest
• Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved
• Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquids reduce and the mixture begins to thicken
• Shut the heat off and let the compote cool

For the Mousse

• These next few steps will be simultaneous
• To melt the chocolate, we are going to use a bain-marie. If you don’t have one, use a medium sized saucepan with about 2 inches of water and a bowl covering it but not touching the water
• Add the chocolate and melt over a medium heat
• While the chocolate is melting, prep the cream mixture
• In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks, gradually adding in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, with an electric mixer on high speed until it finely combines and the color becomes yellowish
• In a separate saucepan, heat 1 cup of the heavy cream until hot. Once heated, gradually add half the cream into the egg mixture, stirring constantly, then transfer the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream, slowly stirring over a low heat. Do not let it boil
• When the chocolate has mostly melted, add the Nutella, or hazelnut-chocolate mixture, into the melted chocolate and stir
• Once the cream has begun to thicken and coat the back of a wooden spoon, slowly pour the melted chocolate into the cream mixture and stir until incorporated
• Shut the heat off and let the mixture cool by covering it and placing it in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally until cooled
• While the chocolate is cooling, prep the whipped cream

For the Whipped Cream

• Beat the remaining 1 ½ cups of heavy cream in a chilled bowl, or, in an electric stand mixer bowl, on high speed, gradually adding in the sugar
• Beat until it stiffs and thickens into whipped cream
• Once cooled, remove the chocolate mixture from the fridge
• Add one big scoop of whipped cream into the mixture and fold until incorporated
• Repeat last step until about a quarter cup of whipped cream is left which you will use for garnish on top of the mousse. Transfer the mousse into serving bowls
• Serve and enjoy!