Chocolate mousse & the last of the mulberries

a lovely summer dessert

Picture this: it's been a sweltering day in Paris. As the sun sets, the heat finally breaks, casting a golden glow on the Eiffel Tower. Dressed in a red lace shirt, you lazily recline on a small bistro chair at a local café. In your mind's eye, you resemble Audrey Tautou in ‘Amélie.’ Still recovering from the intense heat, all you crave is cold champagne and creamy chocolate mousse. An excerpt from ‘La Vie en Rose’ drifts in the warm night air as a vintage soft-top sports car whizzes by. There’s no rush—you have nowhere to be.

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This is the moment where I tell you that I'm on vacation in Paris. But I’m not, I’m in San Diego, leaning on my kitchen island typing this newsletter whilst a butter block comes to room temperature in my apron pocket! Instead of sipping from a champagne flute, I’m gulping coffee from a deli container (if you know, you know) in between recipe trials, and emails. Oh, so many emails.

However, in approximately 30 mins, when I've finished baking brioche rolls (not an entirely awful task mind you), I will relax with a bowl of chocolate mousse and pretend I'm sitting in a French bistro, sporting a lovely red lace shirt, watching the sun set over the Eiffel Tower.

Yup, you guessed it—this week, I bring you the gift of chocolate, specifically a chocolate mousse recipe with macerated mulberries (which can easily be substituted with blackberries). Now, I can't promise this recipe will transport you to Paris, but I can assure you of unalloyed pleasure with virtually zero stress, depending on your constitution.

I’ve been shooting more on film lately. Isn’t the light dreamy?

Berries and chocolate

I've always been a fan of summer berries paired with chocolate, and when I discovered a mulberry tree right by our house, with fruit ripe and ready for picking, I knew exactly what recipe I wanted to create. There is something satisfying about the combination of sweet yet slightly sour berries and deeply rich dark chocolate. 

In addition, I've paired the chocolate mousse with a good glug of extra virgin olive oil and plenty of flaky salt. If this combination seems daunting, you can simply enjoy it with the macerated berries or Chantilly cream. But please, if you’ve never enjoyed chocolate mousse with extra virgin olive oil and flaky salt, don’t let this pleasure pass you by.

Pakistan mulberries from a local tree

The Recipe

The mousse 

Ingredients:

200ml milk

20g golden caster sugar (or light brown sugar)

2 tablespoons espresso coffee

2 tablespoons of malted milk powder (optional but wonderful)

300g 70% dark chocolate

200ml heavy cream 

A pinch of fleur de sel

3 egg whites (+ 1 tablespoon sugar) 

Method

1. Place the chocolate and fleur de sel (or your preferred salt) in a medium-large heatproof bowl. Set aside.

2. Combine the malted milk powder and hot espresso in a small bowl.

3. Heat the 200ml of milk together with sugar in a small saucepan over low-medium heat then add the espresso mixture. Stir occasionally whilst bringing the mixture to a very gentle simmer.

4. Pour the warm milk mixture over the chocolate and salt, cover the bowl with a towel and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes. Then, with an immersion blender, blend until smooth.

5. Place the cream in a large bowl and whisk until soft-medium peaks form. Gradually add the chocolate into the cream, folding slowly with a metal spoon until amalgamated.  

6. For the meringue: whisk the egg whites until they are foamy, then slowly add the sugar until medium peaks form. Using a metal spoon gently fold the meringue into the mousse until completely combined.

7. Refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours before serving and enjoy the mousse with macerated mulberries, olive oil and flaky salt.

Macerated Mulberries

100g sugar

100g mulberries (or any berry you prefer)

The juice of ¼ -½ a small lemon (whichever you prefer)

Method 

Cover the berries with the sugar and lemon and leave in the fridge for 1 hour - stir occasionally and serve.

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That’s it for this week, please let me know if you make this, I would love to see photos!

Oh, if you haven’t had chance to catch up, I’ve launched A Good Table Studio. We specialize in providing creative culinary services for individuals, brands, places and spaces. As a new small business owner, I’m so excited for all the adventures to come. You can follow along here on Instagram.

All my best,

Sarah x

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