The Teaspoon: White Chocolate Mousse with Caramel Sauce

By Diana

Most chocolate mousses I know of are made with dark chocolate and, of course, dark chocolate is healthier, it´s recommended by doctors and it is the only one you are suppose to eat if you are on a diet, and we all know how boring is that! This is why we would like to invite you to leave the guilt on the side -just for today- and try out a dessert that will transport you to the land of indulgence and caloric pleasure! We also thought white chocolate was not enough for this sugared extravaganza and decided to add a caramel sauce on top! To balance our recipe a little bit –and delay our potential diabetes- we complemented it with a few almond slices and lime peel. If you didn´t have a very good week this recipe will definitely cheer you up!

Ingredients

Yield: 4 servings

125 g white chocolate, in chunks

25 g (3 tablespoons) caster sugar

3 eggs, separated

30 g unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Lime peel (for topping)

25 g almonds

1 tablespoon freshly grated lime peel

For the caramel sauce (I used Nigella´s recipe with a slightly change in the proportions. If you want to access the original click the link: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/salted-caramel-sauce

40 g Unsalted butter, in cubes

25 g Light brown sugar

25 g Caster sugar

25 g Golden syrup

65 ml double cream

1 teaspoon salt in flakes

Preparation method

For caramel sauce: the sauce can be made in advance because it lasts for days in the fridge and it will be as good as freshly made.

In a pan melt together the butter, sugars and golden syrup at slow heat. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the double cream and the teaspoon of salt and stir again with the spoon for 1 more minute. Turn off the heat. Allow it to cool down slightly and pour it in a jar. Once at room temperature, cover the jar and keep it in the fridge. The sauce will harden a little bit but is enough just to stir it with a spoon again before using it.

For the mousse:

Bring a little water to boil in a pan and let it simmer. Place the chocolate chunks and the butter in a pan or heat-proof bowl large enough to sit suspended on the pan with the simmering water without touching the water. The chocolate and butter will melt just with the steam. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Once melted and well combined, set aside and allow it to cool down.

In a small bowl beat the sugar and egg yolks with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until the mixture thickens and starts turning to paled yellow. Add this mixture to the chocolate and butter and combine well with a wooden spoon. Reserve.

In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed for 5 minutes or until soft peaks form.

Gently fold the reserved mixture into the beaten egg whites and combine well. Transfer to glasses or small ramekins and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Although I prefer to leave it overnight in the fridge!

When ready to serve, add a tablespoon of the caramel sauce on top of the mousses and finish with sliced almonds and lemon peel to taste.