Chocolate Mousse

This recipe has three elements- the mousse, crumble and fruit sauce. You can use each element separately and combine them with other recipes . Make it a quick simple dessert or a gourmet artistic finale to a meal. You can assemble this dessert in a cup or glass with the crumble at the bottom, pipe the mousse in and top with the fresh mango coulis. Alternatively, do a deconstructed version on a plate as shown in the second picture. You can replace the mangoes with fresh oranges, strawberries or raspberries. The crumble is the same as an unset cheesecake crust. Store the crumble in the fridge and serve with ice cream for an impulse weekday indulgence.

For a light and fluffy mousse, it is important that you use frozen non-dairy whipping cream that is available in specialty stores in India. You can also use unsweetened whipping cream, in which case please add 50 gms of icing sugar and adjust to taste.

The Salted Biscuit Crumble

250 gm digestive biscuits

100 gm salted butter

Crush the biscuits to a powder consistency in a food processor or blender

Melt the butter and combine with the biscuits to get a crumble texture.

The Chocolate Mousse

200 gms dark cooking chocolate

60 gm milk

280 gm sweetened whipping cream (liquid form)

Melt the chocolate with the milk over a dish of boiling water (double boiling method)

Leave aside to cool

Whip cream in a bowl with an electric beater

Combine the cream and chocolate till you have a uniform colour.

Presentation Ideas

1. Deconstructed Plating: Set in the fridge in the same bowl if you are doing a rough plated presentation later for your guests.

2. Dessert shot glasses: Transfer the mousse mix into a piping bag and pipe neatly into shot glasses for individual servings. This is good for a large party where each guest can pick up their own dessert. Add a layer of the crumble below the mousse

3. Mousse Cake: In a mousse ring or push bottom tin, add a thin layer of the biscuit crumble at the bottom and set in the fridge for half hour while you make the mousse. With a spatula, fill in the mousse on top and set in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

The Fresh Mango Coulis

1. 2 ripe mangoes, cut in cubes

2. Icing sugar as per tartness of the fruit

3. 2-3 tbsp water or as required

4. Blend the mangoes in a blender, adding sugar and water as required. You should have a thick sauce like consistency.

Final Presentation

1. Top your mousse cake or shot glasses with some mango coulis and a few cubes of fresh mangoes. Garnish with a mint leaf.

2. Alternatively, plate your dessert with the coulis, mousse and crumble in the various ways shown in the picture.