Egg-straordinary: Light Mousse au Chocolat with Baileys Crème Caramel

  

Easter is just not the same without chocolate! I went to the stores today and my shopping cart has never before brimmed over with so many chocolate treats in all shapes and sizes.   

Chocolate bunnies and eggs filled with nougat and marzipan, stand upright like soldiers waiting for their marching orders. As I get home they get their orders, into colorful little straw baskets filled with hay and flowers they go. I can’t wait to hide them come Easter Sunday.

We’ll be spending the day a little bit away from Weimar on Easter Sunday. As it’s Tom’s birthday I’ve arranged for us to spend a glorious day at a castle not far from here. An elegant park with impressive surroundings will be the setting for the day and somewhere there I’ll be hiding the cute little eggs and chocolate treats. 

Chocolate makes me happy and fills me with pure comfort and I love making little surprises for my two men, who thankfully share my chocolate addiction. So when they come home on Saturday I will have a little surprise waiting for them. Chocolate of course!

Before I get into the dessert idea let me share the eggs Soeren and I decorated this year. We had lots of fun coloring and decorating these eggs. It’s always special when both of us get to relax and spend time with each other, we talk, giggle and basically fool around. Nice break from being a mummy!

I decided to make the mousse on the lighter side, skipping the cream entirely. Instead I use eggs, the whites to make it fluffy and airy and the yolks to give it it’s creamy texture. It’s light and featherlight. Grown-ups get a shot of some delicious Bailey’s Crème Caramel for an extra punch, while kids get a few extra chocolate grated on top.

I washed the egg shells thoroughly and used them for little containers as a cute serving idea. Use good dark chocolate for this because it’s the only kind that will satisfy you and your guests ;o). You can also use some of the delicious flavored chocolate available like Lindt’s Orange Intense or the irresistible Fleur De Sel. I’ve used both and they add an exquisite flavor to the mousse. In this case leave the shot of Bailey’s out.

My Easter treat for you! Indulge and enjoy!

Mousse Au Chocolat with Bailey’s Crème Caramel

Printable version of recipe here

Makes 12 small portions

Ingredients

100g good dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1-2 tablespoons Bailye’s Crème Caramel 
4 eggs, separated
Pinch of salt
80g sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Optional: flaked almonds

Method

1. Melt the chocolate over a water bath, where a metal bowl is placed over a pot of simmering water. Set aside.
   
   
2. In a clean mixing bowl whisk the egg whites with salt until frothy soft peaks have formed. Slowly sprinkle 40g sugar whisking the whites making sure they do not get too stiff.
   
   
3. Place another bowl over a water bath and using clean beaters whisk egg yolks with the remaining sugar until thick, pale and very creamy. The volume should have doubled at the end.
   
   
4. Gently fold in the melted chocolate, Bailey’s Crème Caramel and the cocoa powder using a spatula into the egg yolk mixture.
   
   
5. Finally, carefully fold in the egg whites, making sure not to deflate them and keeping it as fluffy as you can. 
   
   
6. Pour the mousse into a metal bowl and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. Alternatively you can divide the mousse into individual dessert glasses.
   
   
7. If you are planning on serving these in the egg shells, you can either fill the mousse into a piping bag or spoon into the prepared egg containers. Sprinkle with some flaked almonds.

As this is an egg-white based mousse, the egg whites need to be beaten into a froth (soft peaks). The air bubbles trapped in the froth provides the mousse with its distinctive light and airy taste. Care should be taken not to beat the egg whites to the point that they become stiff. Stiff egg whites will be difficult to mix evenly into the rest of the ingredients.

The egg whites need to be "folded" into the other ingredients rather than stirred. Stirring the mousse will burst many of the precious air bubbles, which will result in a flat mousse. The basic folding technique consists of sliding the spatula or wooden spoon along the bottom of the mixing bowl and then lifting it up the side, keeping the spoon horizontal. This motion helps to mix the ingredients without losing the air bubbles trapped in the beaten egg.

The mousse needs to be put in the fridge to cool for a minimum of 2-3 hours prior to serving. Cover the dessert glasses with wax paper or plastic wrap so that they don not absorb any aromas from other items in your refrigerator.

As this mousse contains raw egg it should be eaten the same day as it is prepared.

 

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Verdict

 

I’ll be making more of this tomorrow because guess what I taste tested so much that most of it is all gone. I mean you read my last tip huh? It has to be consumed on the same day – so I have to listen to my own advice. I loved the flavor highlight the liqueur gave the mousse – the sexy caramel flavor caressed the bold aromas of chocolate to bring out a wonderful character of this mousse. It’s not dense because the egg whites make it light and delicate. A perfect Easter treat!

Wishing everyone a lovely Easter break. Hope the Easter bunny is generous to each one of you and indulge in all the sweet and savory treats. See you next week!

You might like these creamy chocolate dessert ideas from WFLH:

Chocolate and Raspberry Crème Caramel	Dobos Torte with a Quark Chocolate Mousse	Coconut White Chocolate Mousse with Strawberries on Coconut Joconde

 

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