Dark Chocolate Mousse with Burnt Meringue
with extra virgin olive oil, on a salty sourdough crumb
Dark chocolate mousse with salty, buttery sourdough crumbs, extra virgin olive oil, finished with torched Italian meringue. Inspired by the ‘Chocolate, Bread & Olive Oil’ dessert at Bar Alta in Kingly Court.
Serves 4
Tips & Tricks:
Both the chocolate mousse and Italian meringue can be made the day before and kept refrigerated in piping bags.
The sourdough crumb can also be made ahead. Once completely cool, store it in an airtight container at room temperature.
Use a good-quality extra virgin olive oil with enough fruitiness and pepperiness to stand up to the dark chocolate.
Ingredients.
Chocolate Mousse:
100ml / scant ½ cup whole milk
100g / 3½ oz 70% chocolate
1 large egg yolk
2 large egg whites
30g / 2½ tbsp caster sugar
Sourdough Crumb:
8 tbsp sourdough breadcrumbs
Approx. ½ tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp butter
Italian meringue:
1 large egg white, around 35g
85g caster sugar
25g water
¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
To serve:
Good-quality extra virgin olive oil
Equipment.
Thermometer for sugar
Stand or handheld whisk
Piping bags (optional)
Frying pan
Small saucepan
Method.
Make the dark chocolate mousse. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until just boiling. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and whisk until completely melted and smooth. Add the egg yolk and whisk continuously for 2–3 minutes, until fully incorporated and glossy. Pour the chocolate mixture into a mixing bowl and leave to cool for 10 minutes, whisking briefly every 2–3 minutes as it cools. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until they reach semi-firm peaks. Add the caster sugar and continue whisking on high speed for 2–3 minutes, until the meringue is glossy and holds firm peaks. Add around one-third of the meringue to the chocolate mixture and fold through using a balloon whisk to loosen the mixture. Add the remaining meringue and fold through gently with a spatula until the mousse is homogeneous, taking care not to knock out too much air. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, before serving.
2. Make the Italian meringue. Place the egg white in the bowl of a stand mixer or a clean mixing bowl. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk the egg white to soft peaks. Continue heating the sugar syrup until it reaches 118°C. With the whisk running, slowly pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl into the egg white in a thin, steady stream. Add the vanilla bean paste and continue whisking until the meringue is thick and glossy. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until needed.
3. Make the salty sourdough crumb. Add the sourdough breadcrumbs and salt to a frying pan over medium heat. Toast, stirring regularly, until they begin to turn golden. Add the butter and continue stirring and toasting whilst the butter melts and browns slightly. The crumbs will clump slightly and begin to resemble coarse biscuit crumbs or granola. Once deeply golden and crisp, remove from the heat and immediately transfer to a plate or shallow dish to cool completely.
4. Assemble. Place around 2 tbsp sourdough crumb in the base of each shallow bowl. Pipe a small mound of chocolate mousse over the crumbs. Use the back of a teaspoon to make a small hollow in the top of the mousse, then drizzle in the olive oil. Pipe a similarly sized mound of Italian meringue on top. Using a blowtorch, caramelise the meringue until deeply golden and blistered, allowing it to blacken slightly in places. Serve immediately.
