Dark Chocolate Salted Olive Oil Mousse with Orange Whip
Want a refresher on how to make this?
Makes 8-12 portions
INGREDIENTS
12 ounces dark chocolate (I like 70%), roughly chopped (do not use chips)
10 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
2-3 teaspoons flakey sea salt
zest from 1/2 orange
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
more good olive oil and lots of flakey sea salt to finish
grated dark chocolate (optional) to finish
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare your melted chocolate
Place a shallow pot over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Place all the chocolate into a metal or glass bowl, then melt it, stirring frequently, over the simmering water. Once the chocolate has just barely melted, remove from the heat and allow it to come to just above room temp.
Make your whipped cream for the mousse
In a medium bowl, whip 1 ½ cups of the whipping cream (the remainder will be used later for the topping) until it has reached soft peaks. It should resemble the texture of yogurt. Place it into the fridge for later.
Cook the egg yolk mixture
Mix the egg yolks, ¾ cup of the granulated sugar, and the scrapings from the vanilla bean into a medium glass or metal bowl. Whisk well to combine, then place over the same double boiler used to melt the chocolate. Cook this mixture, whisking vigorously and frequently, until it has about doubled in size, turned a pale yellow color, and there is no more visible granulated sugar. Set it aside and let it cool slightly.
Prepare your serving vessels
At this point, I like to have whatever vessel I plan to serve my mousse in ready to go. It could be small mason jars, teacups, or a large opulent bowl—the choice is yours, just have it handy!
Whip the egg whites
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on high speed while slowly sprinkling in the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Whisk the eggs until they have just reached stiff peaks, then turn the machine off and prepare to mix the mousse!
Mix the mousse
The order of mixing will be: chocolate into egg yolk, then egg white into the chocolate mixture, and finally whipped cream to finish—so prepare yourself accordingly.
Make sure the egg yolks and chocolate are just at or slightly above room temp, then combine them. You can use a whisk and stir vigorously—no need to worry about deflation quite yet.
Once totally combined, add in about one-third of the whipped egg whites and fold them in, gently working with a rubber spatula starting in the middle of the bowl and scraping along the edge to fold it back in on itself. This first batch of egg whites may deflate a bit and is often called “the sacrifice,” as it helps lighten up the whole mousse. Once there are barely any streaks of white left, add the next third and repeat your folding motion until almost completely combined. Take your time here to be gentle and work carefully to keep as much air as possible in the whites.
Add in your final third and fold until almost all the white streaks are gone yet again.
Finally, add in the olive oil, flaky sea salt, and the whipped cream from the fridge. Working with your spatula, very carefully combine this mixture using that same folding technique to gently bring everything together.
As soon as there are no noticeable streaks, your mousse is ready to be poured into the vessels of your choosing.
Refrigerate the mousse for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, before serving.
Finish the dish
To finish, add the remaining whipping cream to a large bowl along with the orange zest and orange liqueur. Whip to stiff peaks. You can add a touch of sugar if you like, but I find it a nice contrast to the sweet mousse without it.
Dollop the whipped orange cream over the mousse just before serving, then hit it with a glug of olive oil, an additional smattering of flaky sea salt, and grated dark chocolate if using.
(Sorry for all the dishes!)
