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Spiced Chocolate Mousses

Mar 25 by Anita 32 Comments

Chocmousse4

Hello from New York City! It’s been a whirlwind the last two weeks – sorry about all the e-mails and comments I haven’t responded to! I’ll be back in San Francisco by the end of the week and I promise to redress the situation immediately! I can’t wait to share news of how the book is going, as well as my experiences in the dessert paradise that is NYC – pastrygirl may have finally hit her sugar limit! It’s been one sweet adventure after another here!

Meanwhile, I have a short post I started writing before I left and that I finally have a few spare moments to finish off, to tide you over until I return. This is twist on a traditional chocolate mousse from Donna Hay magazine, and encapsulates how I feel about desserts in New York: everything is taken just a little further, given a little unexpected fillip or turned wholly upside down – one moment you’re eating the best date cake you’ve ever tasted, the next you’re confronting white chocolate, potato crumbles, and beer ice cream on your plate. It’s been Alice in Wonderland crossed with Cinderella with a dose of Sex and the City thrown in for good measure.

Chocmousse1

Back to the mousses, I’ve always been a proponent of mousse as ideal medium for playing with flavors – a winning strategy of creative tastes in comfort food trappings.  The chocolate mousses here are spiced with cinnamon, star anise, and brown sugar, layered to produce a subtle, mysterious flavor hinting but not wholly revealing its origins. The cinnamon and brown sugar ground it in familiarity, while the star anise adds the perfect je ne sais quoi. I can think of many other spices or flavorings to experiment with in this recipe, although I would suggest keeping it to additions that will incorporate smoothly into the egg whites. If you use the star anise, be sure it’s ground finely – you don’t want chunks of anise to ruin the velvety smoothness of the mousse!

The mousse is also dreamily light and smooth, not heavy at all, due to the whipped cream and egg whites, so it is perfect spring dessert. Garnished with some sparkling sugar-encrusted fruit, this is a simple creation to make on a moment’s whim, so you don’t miss a second of the brand-new spring sunshine.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week I’m looking forward to coming home and baking in my own kitchen again!

Chocmousse2


Spiced Chocolate Mousses

from Donna Hay Magazine

makes about (8) 2 1/2- oz ramekins

4 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground star anise

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

7 oz (200 g) chopped dark chocolate

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

4 1/4 oz raspberries

1 beaten egg white

white sanding or sparkling sugar for decoration

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites to soft peaks.

Add sugar, star anise, and cinnamon to the egg whites and whisk to stiff peaks.

Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat.

Add 1/4 cup of the cream and the egg yolks and whisk to combine.

In a clean mixer bowl, whisk the remaining cream to soft peaks.

Add in the melted chocolate mixture and fold gently with a rubber spatula to combine.

Add in the egg white mixture and fold gently to combine, trying not to deflate the mixture.

Scoop into eight 1/2 cup glasses and refrigerate at least 2 -3 hours till set.

Brush raspberries with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Arrange on mousses before serving.

Tagged with: Donna Hay + Spiced chocolate mousses

Bite This!

Filed Under: Chocolate, Recipes

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Comments

  1. 1

    veron says

    Mar 25 at 9:28 am

    Oooh…I have those same cups…they are so cute… so perfect for mousse!!

    Reply
  2. 2

    Holly says

    Mar 25 at 9:46 am

    These look absolutely lovely! Nice work. I love mousse and have been trying to play with more flavors lately, but I’ve only done caramel and chocolate.

    Reply
  3. 3

    kat says

    Mar 25 at 9:55 am

    enjoy NYC! I’ll check back on you from Japan 🙂

    Reply
  4. 4

    Deborah says

    Mar 25 at 11:21 am

    This mousse sounds delicious!

    I can’t wait to hear about your time in NYC – I’m going in May and would love to hear some recommendations!

    Reply
  5. 5

    Meeta says

    Mar 25 at 11:37 am

    Good to hear from you! I love the look and sound of the mousse – cinnamon and star anise a fantastic combination! Look forward to hearing more about the book!

    Reply
  6. 6

    Meeta says

    Mar 25 at 11:39 am

    Good to hear from you! I love the look and sound of the mousse – cinnamon and star anise a fantastic combination! Look forward to hearing more about the book!

    Reply
  7. 7

    dreamsicle says

    Mar 25 at 12:05 pm

    i like spices in eating chocolate, so a mousse incorporating these ingredients just seems heavenly.

    hope everything in NYC is going well. i bet i would be sugared out if i was there too! can’t wait for u to be back to share ur adventures with us. take care. 😉

    Reply
  8. 8

    Mansi says

    Mar 25 at 12:08 pm

    that looks divine! I just can’t imagine how much more you’ll entice us with your book Anita!:)

    Reply
  9. 9

    peabody says

    Mar 25 at 12:18 pm

    Enjoy NYC! Your mousse looks so very luscious!

    Reply
  10. 10

    michelle @ the smackdown says

    Mar 25 at 12:30 pm

    yum! i’ve made spicy mousse with cayenne and cinnamon, but i’ve never used this combo of spices. consider this bookmarked!

    Reply
  11. 11

    Maria says

    Mar 25 at 2:24 pm

    I am glad you are having a great time in NYC! Sounds like you are getting the sweet treatment:) I can’t wait to hear more about th book. So fun!

    Reply
  12. 12

    Katie says

    Mar 25 at 11:57 pm

    Mmmm spiced chocolate mousse – sounds delicious

    Reply
  13. 13

    Christine says

    Mar 26 at 7:30 am

    Those cups are so cute! I’d love to get my hands on some. Can you tell me where to get them?

    Reply
  14. 14

    cheryl says

    Mar 26 at 9:04 am

    Just beautiful little mousses. I hope you are having fun in NYC.

    Reply
  15. 15

    Katie says

    Mar 26 at 11:02 am

    Spiced Chocolate mousse, yum. I love Mexican chocolate so this sounds delicious.

    Reply
  16. 16

    Tartelette says

    Mar 26 at 1:22 pm

    The cups are adorable and the mousse sounds to die for! Looks like we were on the same page with mousse this week. How come I am not surprised?!!

    Reply
  17. 17

    [email protected] says

    Mar 26 at 2:03 pm

    Sounds divine, nothing like some lightly spiced mousse

    Reply
  18. 18

    Kiriel says

    Mar 26 at 2:55 pm

    Gorgeous little pots!

    Reply
  19. 19

    Emily says

    Mar 26 at 3:56 pm

    Love this! Can’t wait to try. And where in the world did you find those darling little ramekins? My dear friend is getting married and these would be a perfect wedding gift. Thanks!

    Reply
  20. 20

    monica says

    Mar 26 at 8:11 pm

    i’m so glad you had such a fantastic time in nyc and that i was able to enjoy the sugar high with you!! have a safe, restful trip home and i can’t wait to read about the adventures i missed out on 🙂

    Reply
  21. 21

    Cindy says

    Mar 27 at 3:24 am

    What a cute container!

    Reply
  22. 22

    Ginny says

    Mar 27 at 5:07 am

    Congrats on the book and enjoy NY! The Mousse looks amazing! great photos!

    Reply
  23. 23

    Patricia Scarpin says

    Mar 27 at 8:00 am

    I will have to make these next time I have people over for dinner, Anita!

    Reply
  24. 24

    katy says

    Mar 27 at 1:31 pm

    those look gorgeous! i posted about a chocolate-mousse-gone-wrong today but yours look like they’re just perfect!

    Reply
  25. 25

    Sara says

    Mar 27 at 3:41 pm

    Wow, that sounds great! I love chocolate mousse, I’ll have to try this.

    Reply
  26. 26

    magpie says

    Mar 29 at 10:01 pm

    this looks like pure yum 🙂

    Reply
  27. 27

    Aran says

    Mar 30 at 4:00 am

    Another beautiful post. I have the same flower ramequins. Aren’t they lovely? Another gorgeous photo!

    Reply
  28. 28

    Rebecca says

    Mar 31 at 9:22 pm

    This looks amazing! Can I second the request for the source of the ramekins? The effect is lovely.

    Reply
  29. 29

    Rebecca says

    Apr 1 at 6:07 am

    Ah, never mind, I ended up finding them at Crate & Barrel as “Blossom Cups.” Thanks!

    Reply
  30. 30

    Sydney85 says

    Apr 10 at 8:31 pm

    please let me know where I can find the mini ramekins for the mousse.

    thanks so much

    Reply
  31. 31

    Sandra Almeida says

    Apr 16 at 5:09 pm

    Love the photos, and the chocolate mousses looks amazing! i’ll try this on my own. Congratulations.

    Reply
  32. 32

    Sarah Bartow says

    Jul 16 at 4:44 am

    Made this last night for some friends and it was awesome! Decided I should buy ground star anise instead of mortar and pestle it haha. Next time I’ll put some dried and ground orange peel.

    Reply

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about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl

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