Dark Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel Sauce

In our house, desserts usually come in the form of fresh fruit, perhaps with cheese and sometimes nothing at all as we’re usually full from the main meal.  Having said that, there are exceptions I will always save room for and this recipe is one of them! 

Serves 6
adapted from H&H magazine

Dark Chocolate Mousse:
5 oz. dark (60% to 70%) chocolate, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup strongly brewed coffee
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipping (35%) cream

Salted Caramel Sauce (from Simply Recipes):
1 cup of sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Whipped Cream Topping:
1 cup whipping (35%) cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

To make the chocolate mousse, melt chocolate and butter in a bowl set over simmering water. Set aside. In a second bowl, whisk egg yolks and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and coffee to a boil; let boil for 2 minutes. Carefully start whisking egg yolks and slowly add in the hot coffee mixture and salt. Whip cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

For the caramel sauce, make sure you have everything ready to go – the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don’t work fast, the sugar will burn. The caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably (this is why you need a large saucepan). Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the saucepan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. 

Whip the cream together with the sugar. Add vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. To assemble the dessert, drop a spoonful of mousse in 6 dishes and layer with whipped cream, caramel sauce, mousse, whipped cream, caramel sauce. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, drizzle on salted caramel sauce and add a pinch of fleur-de-sel.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Decadent and delicious!  I love the combination of salt and caramel.  However, if you don’t fancy the salt, you can omit it from the recipe.  If you have any caramel sauce leftover, store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Warm before serving.

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