Chocolate mousse with strawberries and honeycomb

Sean Gravina makes a dark chocolate mousse, served with strawberries and homemade honeycomb

Chocolate mousse with strawberries and honeycomb

Ingredients

• 325g dark chocolate
• 500ml cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 50g sugar
• ½ vanilla bean, split and scrapped
• 3 egg whites
• honeycomb, crumbled

Method

1. Finely chop the chocolate and melt it over a simmering sauce pan and keep warm.
2. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
3. Make a sabayon by combining the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla bean. Cook over a bain maire, whisking continuously until the egg yolks become thick and glossy, then remove sabayon from the heat.
4. Pour all the melted chocolate into the warm sabayon and, with a large hand whisk, beat as fast as you can to incorporate all the chocolate into the sabayon.
5. The chocolate will begin to seize; at that point you will need to add 1 large kitchen spoon of whipped cream. Continue to whisk. The cream will begin to soften the mixture.
6. Add another large spoonful of cream and vigorously for a further for a further 1 minute. The chocolate, egg and cream mixture will now be more workable and relatively stable.
7. You should have half the whipped cream left.
8. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
9. Place the whisked egg whites and the remaining cream on top of the chocolate mixture and gently fold through until well incorporated. Place the chocolate mousse in the refrigerator for a minimum of 7 hours.
10. Before serving top with strawberries and crumbled honeycomb.

Homemade honeycomb

Ingredients

• 335g sugar
• 125ml honey
• 80ml water
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine the sugar, honey, water and golden syrup in a medium saucepan.
3. Place over a low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
4. Cook without stirring for 5 – 7 mins until the syrup reaches crack stage (154°C on a sugar thermometer).
5. Remove from the heat and allow the bubbles to subside.
6. Add the bicarb and quickly stir with a wooden spoon until combined (the mixture will bubble and foam).
7. Pour onto the prepared baking tray and allow to cool completely.
8. Break into bite sized pieces and store in an air tight container. 

This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on 12 December, 2014.  

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