White Chocolate Mousse with a Raspberry & Mint Coulis

For the mousse:

100g white chocolate

200ml double cream

For the shortbread base: (I always use ounces in baking)

1oz (28g) caster sugar

2oz (56g) room temperature unsalted butter

4oz (113g) plain flour

For the coulis:

150g raspberries

2 sprigs of mint

1 dessert spoon of caster sugar

Optional spun sugar decoration: Click here for my demonstration video

preparation 10 mins • you cook for 17 mins • total time 1 hr 12 mins

Serves 2 with a little leftover!

Watch a 30 second preview of my cook-along video below

If you cannot view the video below, click here to download QuickTime from Apple's website.

If you love chocolate, then this dessert has everything you could want. Rich, creamy, chocolatey mousse with a hidden shortbread base, surrounded by a sharp raspberry & mint coulis to freshen everything up. I dare you not to love this! This is a three part recipe. In part one we make & bake the shortbread, and cook the raspberries. In part two we melt the chocolate and make the mousse. In part three we serve!

Medium saucepan with an inch of barely boiling water

Large glass bowl for the chocolate to melt in

Small saucepan for the raspberries

Sieve

2 x 7cm cooking rings

Baking tray for the shortbread

Lined baking tray, or reuse the one above

Spoon to stir

Food processor to make the shortbread

Small blender to blend the coulis, or reuse the one above

Before you start, preheat your oven to 200c. Have the flour, butter & sugar ready & next to your food processor. Have the mint and raspberries out together with your small saucepan and unlined baking tray. Now click here!

Before you start, take the shortbread out of the oven and have everything else out and ready. Now click here!

Before you start, take the mousse out of the freeezer. Have your coulis standing by and click here!

Preheat your oven to 200c. Weigh out the flour, butter and sugar for the shortbread and add the lot to your food processor. Blend until the mix turns into a fine crumb and then empty out onto a lightly floured work surface. Bring the crumby mix together with your hands, pressing firmly to join it together. Flatten the lump with your hands and then transfer to the baking tray. There's no need to roll the mix out - just flatten and shape it on the baking tray into a rough 1cm thick slab. The only thing to remember here is that you need to be able to cut out two circles with your cooking ring, so make sure that the dough is large enough for that. Don't worry if the edges are crumbly, just ensure you have enough to make your two circles.

Pop the baking tray in the oven for 15 minutes until the shortbread has just started to go golden around the outside. Whilst it is in the oven, pop the raspberries and sprigs of mint into your small saucepan along with a splash of water and a dessert spoon of sugar. Pop the pan on a medium heat and allow it to bubble away for 5 minutes, after which time you can simply turn the heat off and leave in the pan to cool.

If you're reusing your food processor then now is a good time to give it a little wash. Once your shortbread has started to turn golden around the edges, remove from the oven and cut two circles with your cooking rings. Leave the shortbread in the rings to cool on the tray, and set aside.

Place your medium saucepan on the hob on a very low heat with about an inch of barely simmering water. Break the chocolate into chunks and put them into the glass bowl. Place the bowl on top of the saucepan of water and allow the chocolate to melt very gently for about 5 minutes.

Whilst the chocolate is melting, remove the sprigs of mint from the raspberries and empty the pan into your food processor. Blend until liquidised, then put a sieve on top of the original saucepan and pour the raspberry coulis through the sieve into the pan to remove the pips. You can set the coulis aside.

Separate an egg and put the white into a large mixing bowl, discarding the yolk. Add the double cream and whisk until the mix has doubled in volume and is creamy.

By now the chocolate should have 90% melted, so remove the glass bowl from the heat and stir with a spatula to finish off the melting. Add a large spoonful of the cream and egg mix into the chocolate and stir. Next pour half of the chocolate mix back into the cream and fold together. Finally, pour the rest of the chocolate mix in and fold again. Carefully place the cooking rings (with the shortbread still in the bottom) onto a lined baking tray. Spoon or carefully pour the chocolate mousse mixture into the rings and then pop the tray into your freezer for 30 mins to set.

To serve, use a fish slice to carefully place a cooking ring into the middle of your plate. Cup your hands around the ring and the your warmth should allow the ring to slide off. If the ring isn't moving, run your hands under warm water and repeat. Carefully slide the ring off the mousse and then spoon some coulis around the outside, using your artistic flair and you're done!

I hope that you enjoy it.

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