Make no ‘mousse-take’, Paul A Young’s Mille Feuille Salt and Pepper Chocolate Mousse is a melt-in-the-mouth feast for every sense
“There is no pastry used in this Mille Feuille; in its place are paper-thin sheets of dark chocolate speckled with fragrant black pepper for warmth and an aromatic aftertaste.
The chocolate layers crackle when serving and melt in your mouth slowly, while sea salted chocolate mousse instantly delivers a rich and deep chocolate flavour. If you make these as individual mousses, then you can layer up many more sheets of chocolate between the mousses.”
Top Tip
Whisking the egg whites on a medium speed and not on a high speed will give you a more voluminous egg white.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 200g Guittard 64% L’Etoile Du Nord
• 60g unsalted butter
• 1tsp sea salt flakes (my preference is Cornish Sea Salt)
• 110g unrefined caster sugar
• 6 medium free-range eggs (separated)
For the chocolate layers
• 150g Guittard 72% Coucher Du Soleil
• 3g Black pepper corns, well crushed
For the topping
• 75g Guittard 64% semi-sweet chocolate baking bar
• Tsp Sea Salt crystals
Method
1 Melt two-thirds of the chocolate in a metal mixing bowl over a pan of very hot water. Do not allow the water to boil.
2 Once fully melted, remove the bowl from the pan and mix in the remaining one-third of the chocolate. Mix until fully melted.
3 Grind the pepper corns in a pestle and mortar to a fine powder and mix into the chocolate.
4 Cut 3 sheets of baking paper approximately. 12” in length.
5 Divide the chocolate evenly between the four sheets and spread it thinly to cover the sheets.
6 Allow the chocolate to set, then stack on a tray and place in the fridge until needed.
For the mousse
1 Melt the butter, chocolate and well-crushed sea salt in a bowl over a pan of hot water.
2 Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
3 Separate the eggs and whip the whites in a stand mixer on medium speed until white and stiff. Gradually add the sugar, whisking until thick and glossy.
4 Mix one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it.
5 Fold the remaining egg whites in two additions into the chocolate mix, taking care not to overmix.
6 Now layer up the mousse and chocolate sheets, starting with the mousse in a serving bowl. Aim to get four layers of both mousse and chocolate sheets.
7 Start with mousse and finish with a layer of mousse.
8 To finish, grate 150g of chocolate and spoon onto the top of the mousse and scatter sea salt crystals over.
9 Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving at the table.
Recipe courtesy of Paul.A Young, Chocolatier and Guittard Chocolate’s UK Ambassador
