Chocolate Orange Mousse, with Berries

Ingredients

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2T unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
¼ cup orange liquor
3 large egg whites, room temperature
pinch of salt
3T super fine sugar
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup raspberries, washed
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

1. Place the chocolate in a medium-size heat-proof bowl and set the bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. Turn the heat off. Stir until the chocolate is melted, remove from heat, stir in the liquor and the butter. Stir until the chocolate is completely mixed and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a bowl of your mixer, over medium speed beat the egg whites with salt until they form soft peaks, about 2 -3 minutes. While still beating, sprinkle in the sugar by the spoonful and continue beating until soft, shining peaks are formed, about another 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a clean bowl, whip the cream until it is fairly thick and holds a soft peak.

4. Using a large spatula, gently fold about 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mix until slightly incorporated. Fold in the remaining whites. Now fold in the whipped cream gently folding until all the cream is blended in.

5. Spoon or pipe the mousse into serving dishes and refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up.

6. When ready to serve, sprinkle a few raspberries on top of the mousse. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve with meringue kiss cookies on the side.

TIPS & TRICKS

• Use a good dark 60% cacao chocolate.
• You can use Grand Marnier, triple sec, or Cointreau for the orange liquor. I prefer the Cointreau; it adds a clean, light orange flavor.
• Egg whites separate best when they are cold. They beat up best when they are room temperature. They can sit on your counter for hours.
• Take care when separating the egg whites to insure that there is no egg yolk in the whites. Egg yolks have fat, and fat will cause the whites to not whip up. Make sure your mixing bowl is really clean.
• Chocolate mousse can be made two days in advance. Just cover the dishes with plastic wrap. Remove the mousse from the fridge 30 minutes before serving to remove a little of the chill.

This is a Companion recipe to
Meringue Kisses recipe.
Click photo below to go to recipe.

Meringue Kisses

Ingredients

4 egg whites at room temperature
¼ tsp. Cream of Tartar
pinch of salt
1 cup superfine sugar
red food color

1. Preheat oven to 200° F.

2. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs whites with the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt at medium speed until they are foamy, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing time for it to dissolve into the whites. After all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to “high” and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and shiny, about 8-10 minutes (the whipped egg whites should stick straight up when the whisk is turned upside down).

5. Add a drop or two of food coloring. Mix until combined.

6. Scoop the egg whites into a piping bag. Pipe the meringue into kisses.

7. Place the sheet pans in the 200° F oven. Bake the meringues for an hour. Turn off the heat to the oven and let the meringues sit and cool inside the oven for about an hour. Cookies should come off easily from the paper.

8. Store in a cool, dry place until ready to use.

TIPS & TRICKS

• The meringue cookies can be colored with different colors and can be flavored with a teaspoon of vanilla or peppermint extract.
• If after 1 hour of baking and 1 hour of “cooling” the cookies still stick to the parchment. Turn the oven back on to 200 degrees. Once it reaches temperature turn the heat off and put the cookies back in the oven and allow them to sit another hour or until they are completely dry.
• The meringue cookies can be made up to two weeks in advance. Store them in an airtight container.

This is a Companion recipe to
Chocolate Orange Mousse, with Berries recipe.
Click photo below to go to recipe.

Orange & Pistachio Semifreddo

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla 

4 egg yolks, room temperature
4T granulated sugar

¼ cup Cointreau
1T orange zest
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon shelled pistachios, medium chop/dice

4 egg whites, room temperature
pinch of salt
¼ tsp. cream of tartar

¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water

1.    Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with a 12x20-inch piece of plastic wrap; the wrap should hang over the long edges by 4 inches, and it will not completely cover the short ends. Press the plastic into the corners. Set aside.

2.    Cream: Place the bowl and beaters of your mixer in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill. Then, beat the heavy whipping cream on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks, about 4-6 minutes. Gently fold in the vanilla. Place back in the refrigerator. 

3.    Zabaglione: Place a medium saucepan filled with about 2 inches of water on the stove and bring to a boil. In a heat resistant medium-size bowl, beat the egg yolks and 4 tablespoons of sugar with a whisk or hand mixer until combined.

4.    Place this bowl on top of the water-filled saucepan and turn the heat to medium (water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). Beat continuously until mixture is thick and pale yellow. The batter should make ribbons as it falls off the beater/whisk, about 5 minutes. (You may need to remove the bowl occasionally from the heat to prevent the eggs from scrambling.)

5.    Remove from heat and gently fold in the Cointreau, orange zest, and the ½ cup of pistachios. Set aside.

6.    Meringue: In a clean mixing bowl with the beater, slowly beat the egg whites until foamy, about a minute. Then add the salt and cream of tartar. Increase the speed slightly and beat until soft peaks are formed, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the mixer.

7.    In a small saucepan with a lid, over medium-high heat, add the granulated sugar and water.  Bring the mixture to a boil, swirling the pan until the sugar is dissolved. Do not stir!  Cover with the lid and boil to the thread stage*, about 5 minutes, to make sugar syrup.

8.    Turn the mixer back on to low and slowly add the sugar syrup. Once the syrup is incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is cool and shiny, stiff peaks are formed.

9.    Using a large spatula, gently fold in ¼ of the meringue into the zabaglione. When almost completely incorporated, add the remaining meringue. Continue folding the mixture until fully incorporated.

10.    Fold in the whipped cream.

11.    Place the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top with an off set spatula. Cover the top with the plastic wrap and place in freezer for 8 hours.

12.    To serve, unwrap the loaf and invert the loaf pan on to a platter. Pull down slightly on the plastic wrap as you lift the loaf pan. Remove the plastic wrap. If there are wrinkles, dip a knife or offset spatula into a little warm water and run over the surface to smooth them.

13.    Garnish with the tablespoon of pistachios. Cut into slices and serve immediately.

TIPS & TRICKS

•    *We are cooking the sugar and water together to make a sugar syrup. To test if your syrup has cooked enough, take a small amount of the syrup and drop it into a cup of cold-water. Little threads should appear. 
•    Carefully add the sugar to your egg whites, trying not to hit the beater as you add the hot syrup. 
•    You can test the temperature of the meringue by placing your hand on the bottom of the mixing bowl. When it is cool to the touch, the meringue is ready.
•    This is called an Italian meringue. It also makes a fantastic icing for cakes & cupcakes.
•    This semifreddo can be made several days in advance. Store in your freezer until ready to serve.