Chocolate Mousse

We’ve been experimenting with gut friendly, low-fodmap chocolate mousse recipes. Ugh! It’s all about getting the right combination of dark chocolate (80%+) and egg whites to achieve that light fluffy texture. Initially, we used egg whites, maple syrup and dark chocolate. The result is OK, but we simply can’t compete with the master mousse Raymond Blanc. If you use 85% chocolate and replace the caster sugar in his recipe with 1 tablespoon of golden syrup, you get an outstanding result. The trick is to work really fast when you add the egg whites to avoid the dark chocolate seizing (seizing causes lumps - eww!). And make sure you add some lactose free cream and you’ve got the perfect mousse!

And to be really fancy (!) - why not make your own chocolate cups for the ultimate presentation at your next dinner party.

Ingredients:

• 180g high quality dark, dark chocolate (minimum 80%+ cocao solids)

• 7 egg whites

• 1/4 teaspoon caster suger

Methods:

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Water + chocolate do not mix so no touching!

Whisk the egg whites and lemon juice in a large, clean and dry bowl until they form soft peaks.

Add the maple syrup slowly and continue to whisk until firm peaks form. Do not over whisk as the egg whites may separate and you’ll lose all the lovely air that you’ve been whisking into the eggs.

When the chocolate has melted, whisk some of the chocolate into the egg whites quickly until thick and well combined and then quickly continue with the rest of the chocolate. If you take too long, the cold temperature of the eggs combined with the hot chocolate means that the mixture can seize and go lumpy. Don’t over-mix. Just get the job done and don’t mix all of the air away.

Spoon the mousse into ceramic jars, martini glasses or hand-made chocolate pots. Chill until set.