EARL GREY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

A little less than a year ago, I had written a post about my family's very own "Chocolate Mousse" recipe that I particularly love, because it's linked to my chilhood and to festivities such as birthdays, Chrismas and New Year...

Until now, I had always made it the way my grandmother did, without adding anything nor changing an ounce to her recipe. But, this time, on the occasion of our tea themed "Challenge Dinner Party" last September, I decided to give it an extra touch of flavor by infusing the water with Earl Grey tea and by adding vanilla extract (I also added an extra egg white for more fluffiness)!

This little digression from the original recipe gave very positive results and this gorgeously lush mousse turned out to be even more delightful! It had an entirely new dimension and was more complex.

The basic "Chocolate Mousse" is very rich tasting, has a pleasant roundness flavorwise and has a truffle-like texture that have an orgasmic effect on anybody who eats it. It is really a wonderful and highly sensuous dessert, believe me! With the extra tea aroma it is a wonder of subtlety and delicacy that it is totally rnchanting. The very first seconds you have it in your mouth, you will not clearly recognize it's light "Earl Grey" aroma, as it is not really perceptible straight away. Then, the strong and insisting flavor of chocolate will dissipate a little in order to give place to an ambrosial note of begamot (the taste will develop) that doesn't go without reminding us of "Orange Pekoe" tea...

Chocoholics worldwide, you are warned! This mousse can have perverse effects on your (mental & physical) health!!!

~ Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse ~
(Mousse Au Chocolat A L'Earl Grey)
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums/Recette par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums

Serves 4-6 people/pour 4 à 6 personnes.

Ingredients/ingrédients:
500g Bittersweet chocolate (55-60 % cocoa)/500g de Chocolat (55-60% de cacao)
1 Cup Water/1 Tasse d'Eau
3 Bags Earl grey tea/3 Sachets de thé Earl Grey *
6 Eggs (~53g) + 1 egg white, at room temperature/6 Oeufs (~53g) + 1 blanc d'oeuf à température ambiante *
4 Tbs Castor sugar/4 CS de Sucre crystallisé
1 Tsp Vanilla extract/1 CC d'Extrait de vanille *
300g Unsalted butter, at room temperature/300g de Beurre non salé à température ambiante
A pinch salt/Une pincée de sel

Method/Méthode:
1. Seperate the eggs and put the whites in a medium bowl/séparer les oeufs et mettre les blancs dans un bol.
2. Bring the water (1 cup) to a boil, remove from heat and add the tea bags/faire bouillir l'eau et ajouter les sachets de thé.
3. Let infuse for about 10 minutes. Then remove the tea bags and strain them/laisser infuser pendant 10 minutes, puis les retirer.
4. Melt the chocolate with the tea-infused water in big bowl, over a bain-marie/double boiler (see info)/faire fondre le chocolat avec l'infusion dans un grand bol au bain-marie.
5. Once the chocolate has melted and is well blended with the water, remove from the bain-marie/une fois que le chocolat a fondu et que vous avez obtenu une "crème épaisse", retirer le bol (hors du feu).
6. Add the butter, the egg yolks, the sugar, vanilla extract and stir continously for about 20 minutes/ajouter le beurre, les jaunes d'oeufs, le sucre, l'extrait de vanille et remuer continuellement pendant 20 minutes.
7. Beat the egg whites (see method) with a pinch of salt until solid peaks form/battre les blancs d'oeufs (avec la pincée de sel) en neige ferme.
8. Very gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until well blended/ajouter les blancs en neige au mélange chocolat-beurre-sucre et incorporer très délicatement jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit homogène.
9. Pour the chocolate mousse into a clean bowl/verser la mousse au chocolat dans un bol propre.
10. Place the bowl in the refrigerator, overnight/mettre au frigo pour la nuit.

Remarks/remarques:
You can very well divide the quantities/les quantités peuvent être divisées.
Melt the chocolate over low heat and continuously stir the mixture in order to obtain a liquid, yet thick and creamy mass/faire fondre le chocolat à feu doux (bain-marie) et toujours remuer afin d'obtenir une masse liquide, mais crémeuse et épaisse.
For a more exotic touch, you can also add 100g chopped candied ginger or candied orange peel to the mix or add the spices/flavors (coffee, coriander, curry, cinnamon, etc....) of your choice/pour un goût plus éxotique, ajouter 100g de gingembre confit haché ou des fruits confits hachés ainsi que les épices de votre choix (café, coriandre, curry, cannelle, etc...).
The "Chocolate Mousse" should stay in the fridge for about 10 hours before it is served/cette mousse au chocolat devrait rester au frigo au moins 10 heures avant d'être servie.

Serving suggestions/présentation:
Serve with a dollop whipped cream/servir avec de la crème chantilly.
I recommend you to eat this mousse when it just comes out of the fridge, but if you like it less "hard" and truffly in texture, then get it out about 1/2 hour before serving (the cold butter hardens the mousse)/je vous recommande de manger cette mousse dès sa sortie du frigo, mais si vous la préférez plus mousseuse, alors laissez-là à température ambiante pendant 30 minutes...
Keep in the refrigerator for no longer than 2-3 days/conserver au frigo jusqu'à 3 jours.

* Ingredients (Earl Grey tea, vanilla extract and 1 extra egg white) which are not in the original recipe. They are optional/ingrédients qui ne figuraient pas dans la recette originale (en option)...

Une recette que je tiens à partager avec Audrey "Plaisirs De La Vie" (France) afin de participer à son concours culinaire "Souvenirs d'Enfance".