CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY & BRANDY MOUSSE: free of fat/egg yolks, skinnier, no-bake, make ahead, indulgence

Dieters' Delight dairy & yolk-free chocolate mousse...but healthy doesn't mean insipid!

updated 7/23

Light but intensely chocolatey mousse with raspberries in brandy;
 sweet pastry biscuits and berry cream are optional

In a lifetime of great food, the most memorable is a sensational dark chocolate mousse with raspberries crushed in brandy.  OK, part of what made it so mind-blowing was the private dining room of the Royal Opera House with a platonic companion, one of the 'great and good'.  But the mousse sparked a life-long love affair with high-end chocolate.

This Fathers' Day recipe is especially for Granddads.  It's a healthier version of that glorious concoction, though no less delicious and silky.  It's dairy-free, has no egg yolks and only a small amount of added sugar.

That doesn't mean it's healthy -- there's too much chocolate for that -- but it's so rich, portion control is easy.  And you don't leave the table feeling you need to waddle away.  

Most people find the mousse fabulous completely unadorned.   But for special occasions, accompany with a bowl of sweetened whipping cream rippled with berries plus rows of Sweet Pastry Biscuits ( Slightly Healthier Sweet Pastry ). 

The mousse is easily put together and can be made a day in advance.

Cost: around £8.00ish (7/23) PLUS costs of biscuits & cream
Feeds: a group

Ingred:
   
    150gm/5.2oz 70% dark chocolate (67 likes M&S for this)
     
     6 egg whites (keep 4 yolks for pastry biscuits; the remainder will freeze)
     pinch of salt
     1/4 tsp lemon juice

     1 tsp vanilla extract

     35g caster sugar
      
     150-200gms raspberries

     min 1 tsp sugar, to taste

     2-4 tablespoons good brandy (orange juice for kids)

Garnishes: Whipping cream or plant or dairy yoghurt, Sweet Pastry Biscuits (link above)

    

Method:

1. Place berries in a medium bowl; take a fork and squash some of the berries - say 1/2-2/3? - leaving the rest whole, or if very big, halved. 
2. Sprinkle with sugar and pour over brandy; leave for several hours or overnight. 
3. Break up chocolate into small pieces.  Melt in a LARGE bowl over but not touching simmering water; stir.  Take off heat
4. In another large bowl, beat egg whites, salt & lemon juice with  hand or stand electric beaters until the whites form soft peaks - maybe 3-4 mins?  Add vanilla, then - a tablespoon at a time - sugar, beating after each addition until the whites form stiff peaks (ie they hold their shape and won't fall out if the bowl is upturned)
5. When the melted chocolate is cooler but still flowing, add one third of the whites to the chocolate; gently hand whisk until blended.
6. A third at a time, add the rest of the egg whites to the chocolate, folding each time (use a whisk to cut through the centre of the mix to the bottom and up the sides, turning the bowl continually clockwise as you go) without deflating the whites 
7. When there are only few white streaks left, pour half of the mousse into one large or several small dishes. (Try demitasse coffee cups).  Cover with a generous half of the crushed berries & juice; gently pour over the rest of the mousse
8. Drain the rest of the berries, leaving aside a few for the cream.  Dot remaining berries over the top of the mousse. Cover and refrigerate till needed. 
9. Whisk cream into soft peaks OR add yoghurt into a pretty bowl.  Add remaining berries and a little juice; gently stir, leaving streaks and ripples of colour

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The recipe is adapted from Hotel Chocolat , a British chocolatier and cocoa grower.  Considered one of the top UK chocolate producers, Hotel Chocolat has its own plantation on St Lucia. 

  This recipe has been adapted by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission