Easy peasy double chocolate, hazelnut & raspberry layer mousse

Recently I took my sons shopping. Now I’m not a great clothes shopper. I don’t enjoy it as a pastime. I want to, but I get bored and start dreaming of little coffee shops where you get free melty biscuits with your hot chocolate. I just can’t keep my mind on the shopping-job.

My lovely sons accompanied me to the changing room. Eldest son was looking pensive, which is not unusual for him. He squinted a bit and announced, ‘you look lovely Mummy’ which of course made me swoon and bask in motherly love. He then slightly ruined his compliment. He took it further with, ‘you look like an animal’ and then when quizzed as to which one: ‘a cow.’

I wasn’t wearing black and white. I wasn’t wearing anything furry. He was just trying to add more when really he should have stopped at the first compliment. Unfortunately in his world looking like an animal is something to aspire to. Looking like a cow is, well, almost God like.

The moral of all this – know when to quit. Often less is indeed more. Like with this pudding. Sometimes you really can just leave it at a mousse for pudding. Don’t try and do anything else with it. Just serve it with some coffee and wait for the non cow related compliments.

This serves four but it all depends on the size of your glasses/cups. As always with raw eggs don’t give to kiddies, pregnant people or Great Aunt Hilda.

Ingredients:

• 200g good quality white chocolate cut into small pieces
• 1 sheet leaf gelatine
• 300mls double cream
• 2 egg whites
• 170 raspberries, setting aside 4 for the top of the mousses.
• A smear of Nutella for each mousse

Okay, this really is easy but you do need to make it about an hour before you need it. So maybe make as you’re cooking your main course. Or make at breakfast and leave in the fridge for later. You won’t regret it. Apologies about the washing up though. This does use a fair few bowls.

Bowl one: Put the gelatine into a bowl of cold water and leave to soften. Make sure it’s entirely covered.

Bowl two: Break the white chocolate into pieces and put in a glass bowl. Melt in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir, then if it’s not entirely melted pop back in the microwave in 10 second bursts. When it’s all melty and smooth, set aside to cool slightly.

Bowl three: Whisk the egg whites using a handheld electric mixer/freestanding mixer/a hand whisk. Once you have firm peaks set aside.

Bowl four: Okay, not a bowl but instead a saucepan. Take a small saucepan and pop 6 tbsp of the double cream into it, you’re looking to make sure you cover the bottom of the pan. Warm gently until hot but not boiling, then take off the heat. Squeeze the water from the gelatine and then stir it into the cream until completely smooth. Set aside in fridge to cool.

Bowl five: Place the rest of the double cream into a bowl and whisk until stiff. Fold the white chocolate into the whisked cream with a metal spoon. (If the white choc has started to re-set then give it a little 10 second blast in the microwave.) Then give this mixture a little whisk again to make sure it’s combined. Then add the gelatine/cream mixture. Whisk again. Then fold in the egg whites gently, again with a metal spoon so as not to knock air out of it. Make sure it’s all incorporated though. You don’t want streaks of egg white visible.  The mixture will look kind of bubbly and a little like slightly curdled cake mixture. This is right. Cover the bowl and place in fridge to set.

Bowl six: Take your raspberries, wash if you’re so inclined, and pop into a bowl. Inspect for beauty and then remove the 4 best looking ones. These are for decorating the top. Then squash the less pretty raspberries using a fork. You want them mushed up so they’re releasing juice. Set aside.

Assembly time. Take some small coffee cups/tea cups/glasses (I like a glass so you can see the layers but that’s just me), take a tablespoon of Nutella, pop on a plate and then dip your finger into it. Smear some of the Nutella on the bottom of the glass/coffee cup. I have made this mousse with more Nutella (see pic) but it does somewhat overpower the white chocolate.

Then take a tablespoon of squashed raspberries and place over the Nutella. Squash down just a little so that there aren’t any pockets of tasteless air. Then gently spoon the white chocolate mousse over the top and smooth down. Leave in the fridge and when they’re ready to be unleashed to your family/guests simply adorn the top with the fresh raspberries set aside earlier.

P.S. If you happen to have any Frangelico liqueur knocking about, (and frankly, why would you considering it’s a beast to get hold of in the Shires) I’d recommend either having a little tipple with the mousse or adding a tbsp to the mousse as you’re folding it all in. It’s lovely and boozy and tastes of hazelnuts which makes you feel less of a lush when drinking straight alcohol.

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