Chocolate mousse millefeuille

For a real ‘hit’ of cocoa you can’t go far wrong with this one! The chocolate mousse is rich, creamy and almost on its way to being chocolate truffle-like. It was one of the nicest chocolate mousses I’ve made – a perfect balance of cocoa and richness but without being bitter.

I was less convinced by the millefeuille aspect of this dish, as you cook the puff pastry weighed down by a baking sheet so it can’t rise. I thought the whole point of millefeuille was that you got a thousand leaves! Next time I make this mousse I’d be tempted to put it on a cheesecake-style crushed biscuit base.

Here’s the cooked sheet of puff pastry:

The chocolate mousse contains uncooked egg so be aware of this and serve it to an appropriate audience only. The chocolate mousse also contains lots of whipped cream...which should please most people!

Ingredients

375g all butter ready-made puff pastry
250g chocolate 50% cocoa content (I couldn’t find any 50% so used half 70% and half 34% and this roughly came out at 50%)
6 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons black coffee or rum (I omitted this)
150ml whipping cream
30g icing sugar

To decorate: cocoa powder and any decorations of your choice

Method

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/fan oven 180˚C/400˚F/Gas mark 6.

Roll out the puff pastry so that you can cut two 30cm squares.

Place a square of puff pastry on a baking sheet (lined with baking paper) and sit another baking sheet on top of the pastry; this is to stop it puffing up too much when it cooks.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes until crisp and golden.

Repeat the process with the other sheet (if you have enough baking sheets you can cook both at the same time)

Leave to cool.

When the puff pastry squares are cool use a 20cm round loose bottomed cake tin or a pastry ring to cut out 2 discs.

Take the plate you intend to serve the dish off and place the pastry ring or the ring (not the base) of the cake tin in the centre of it. Sit one disc of pastry in the bottom.

Now make the chocolate mousse: break the chocolate into chunks and melt, either using the bain marie method (i.e. in a bowl over a pan of simmering water) or microwaving. I’ve really come around to microwaving chocolate as I feel I have more control over it.

Leave the melted chocolate to cool, then stir in the egg yolks.

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks then fold into the chocolate mixture.

Whisk the cream and icing sugar to stiff peaks and then fold this into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the mousse onto the pastry disc sitting at the bottom of your mould.

Top with the other pastry disc, trimming with scissors if it won’t fit easily.

Sieve a tablespoon of cocoa powder over the top, then cover and refrigerate until you wish to serve.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have made.

Eat.