Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse with Pear and Fig Chutney
The surprising zip of fruit chutney counters the richness of mousse au chocolat and adds a whole other dimension to this unconventional dessert. I don’t know if it’s a combination the French would approve of, but when I made it as a pastry chef on a cruise line, a few thousand people gave their consent. Each plate that came back to the kitchen was scraped clean. Unlike traditional chocolate mousse that uses uncooked eggs, this one has a cooked custard base. So, there’s no reason for anyone with concerns about consuming raw eggs to jump ship rather than dive into this dessert full-steam ahead.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
Chutney
Mousse
Preparation
Step 1
To make the chutney, combine the pears, figs, water, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon peel, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the saucepan, then drop in the pod. Bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes.
Step 2
Remove from the heat and stir in the whiskey or Cognac. Remove the vanilla pod and lemon peel. (The vanilla pod can be rinsed, dried, and used for another purpose; see page 14.) Let cool to room temperature.
Step 3
To make the mousse, put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set a mesh strainer across the top.
Step 4
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and granulated sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Gradually whisk in about one-quarter of the warm milk, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent the yolks from cooking. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the chocolate. Whisk gently until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, then stir in the rum or Cognac. Let cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled.
Step 5
In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment or in a bowl by hand, whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold about one-third of the chilled chocolate mixture into the whipped cream, then add this mixture to the remaining chocolate and fold just until there are no streaks of cream. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
Step 6
Serve the mousse in individual glasses or dishes with big spoonfuls of the chutney on top.
Storage
Step 7
The chutney will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. The mousse will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
tip
Step 8
You can transfer the mousse to a wide, shallow container before chilling, which will help it firm up faster.
