Dark Chocolate & Cardamom Mousse

Having made 80 of these mousses (what is the plural of mousse?) for our Cellar Door opening and another 60 for the Twighlight Tasting a few weeks ago, I don't really care if I never see another mousse again!

(Update 10th April 2011 - we made 150 mousses last night for the 2011 Twilight Markets - could have made 150 more!)

However, they are delicious and have been very popular, so here is the recipe as promised.

200g very good quality dark chocolate
(at least 60% cocoa solids)
200 ml  whipped cream
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
4-5 egg whites whipped into very stiff peaks
50g castor sugar

It is best to work quickly, so have your melted chocolate, whipped cream and sugar and whipped egg whites all ready.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over boiling water - don't let the bowl touch the water and make sure no water makes its way into the chocolate (water or liquid will make the melted chocolate sieze at this stage). A less romantic but fool-proof way to melt the chocolate is to use the microwave on low. Sprinkle the cardamom into the melted chocolate. Whip the cream and sugar together and mix into the melted chocolate, working quickly. Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks, mix a few large spoonfuls well into the chocolate mixture to lighten, then carefully, gently fold the rest in to the mix, trying to retain as much "lightness" to the mousse as possible. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving. As you can see in the photo, I present them in little espresso cups - very cute!

This dessert was developed specifically to match our sweet Sangiovese Dolce Nero ("Sweet Black"). Dolce Nero is a unique wine in Australia (we believe something similar is made in Italy) being a red dessert wine which is not fortified. The Dolce Nero is very popular in the Cellar Door - it tastes of ...um...prunes and stewed plums with a touch of licorice allsorts. It is an AMAZING dessert wine to serve with chocolate, poached fruit, hard cheeses or gorgonzola.

Another 2011 update....we have almost sold out of the 2007 Dolce Nero - just a few cases available from the cellar door (only two per customer) and the remainder available only at a few select restaurants. We will try to bottle the remainder of the 2007 vintage, currently in oak, as soon as possible!