Decadent Chocolate Mousse

I have a deep mistrust of anyone who claims they do not love chocolate....can they even be human? How can anyone deny themselves or claim they dislike what must be one of man's greatest discoveries....thank you by the way to those industrious Aztec's whose accidental slip up 3000 years ago while trying to make beer, led to the discovery of chocolate.....a true gift from the gods and I'm not just talking about Quetzalcoatl!

For anyone who is an avid lover of chocolate, such as I am, we all know that too much of it is bad for ones waistline, especially if you indulge in all those highly processed, sugar saturated, kiddie bars that have everything in them besides real chocolate! But good quality chocolate, and by that I mean chocolate that has at least 70% cocoa mass, is actually good for you....a couple of squares cheers you up no end....yes it is as good as S**! it's good for the heart too.....and your soul!

If you have gone down the keto route or you are just watching your sugar intake and think that desserts have gone out the window, then this decadent chocolate mousse will be right up your street. It is rich, creamy and light, yet oh so chocolaty, and with a little kick from a naughty dash of alcohol, it's great to serve at a dinner party, as a post Sunday lunch or as a simple mid week treat.....yes you can indulge....no guilt involved!

You will need......makes 6 - 8                       

300 g good quality chocolate min 70% cocoa solids
2 really fresh medium size eggs....at room temperature
1 additional egg white
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
400 mls full fat whipping cream......no imitation cream please!
50 mls Baileys or other cream liqueur
some extra cream to whip for decoration
dark cocoa powder
extra dark chocolate for decoration

How to:

• Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in heatproof bowl
• add 100 mls of the whipping cream and the butter
• place the bowl over a pan of hot but not boiling water, allow the chocolate to melt gently and dissolve into the cream and butter....give it a stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula every so often
• pour the remaining whipping cream into a deep bowl, add the cream liqueur and whip until the cream holds its shape, place in the refrigerator
• separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.......place tall he whites in a deep, very clean bowl and set aside
• once the chocolate has melted and is quite warm, stir in the two egg yolks, and beat well until shiny and smooth....the heat from the chocolate will cook the egg yolks but keep stirring, we don't want scrambled chocolate eggs!
• remove the chocolate from the heat and allow to cool to hand temperature 
  
• add a pinch of salt to the egg whites then whip the whites using a mixer until soft peaks have formed
• take the cream out of the fridge and gently fold in the chocolate mixture until no cream is visible
• follow by folding in the whipped egg white, keep turning the mixture until all the egg white has vanished....you will be left with a light, frothy mixture
• pour your mixture straight into your glasses or dishes....this can be a messy task so maybe you would like to transfer the mixture to a jug first.
• chill the mousse in the fridge for at least a couple of hours or even overnight
• decorate with whipped cream, a dusting of cocoa powder and some broken shards of chocolate.....then dig in and enjoy!

Try with other liqueurs such as Grand Marnier for an orange flavour, Amaretto, Tia Maria or even a dash of vodka! For a different decoration, meal some chocolate and fold in a few chopped almonds, smear this mixture onto some greaseproof paper and allow to set, then break into shards and top each mousse.