Mousse au chocolat

Method

1. Chop the chocolate finely and put it in a heatproof bowl with the butter. Pour 3–4 cm of water into a 16 cm pot, bring it to a gentle simmer on low heat and set the bowl on top (it must not touch the water). Stir now and then for 5 min until melted and completely smooth, then lift the bowl off and let it cool until just lukewarm to the touch (about 40 °C). Too hot and it will cook the yolks; too cool and it will set.

   Add in this stepDark chocolate (60–70% cocoa) 100 gUnsalted butter 15 g

   low heat

2. Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a clean, grease-free bowl; even a trace of yolk stops them from whipping. Stir the yolks into the chocolate one at a time with a spatula, mixing until glossy after each.

   Add in this stepEggs (very fresh, ideally pasteurised) 2

3. Add the salt to the whites and whisk with an electric mixer until foamy, then add the sugar in 2 or 3 additions and whisk for 3 min more, until glossy with peaks whose tips just bend over. Don't whip them stiff and dry, or they won't fold in smoothly.

   Add in this stepSalt 1 pinchCaster sugar 15 g

4. Stir a third of the meringue firmly into the chocolate to loosen it. Add the rest in two additions, folding gently with a spatula: scoop from the bottom of the bowl and turn it over the top. Stop as soon as almost no white streaks remain; the longer you mix, the more air you lose.

5. Divide the mousse into 2 × 150 ml glasses or ramekins, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 h. It is ready when it holds its shape on a spoon. Serve straight from the fridge.