Chocolate and Rosemary Mousse
yle Books Lovely Jane Grigson, the legendary British country writer, gave me this recipe, and from memory I think she got it from Franco Taruschio at the Walnut Tree restaurant in South Wales. It sounds odd, but it is strangely addictive.
Taken from Grow, Cook, Nourish by Darina Allen published by K
Serves 8
225g (8oz)castor sugar
225ml (8floz) dry white wine
freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
600ml (1pint) double cream
1 long branch of fresh rosemary, plus extra sprigs, to garnish
175g (6oz)dark chocolate (we use Valrhona or Lindt – 52% cocoa solids is fine), chopped
pouring cream, to serve
Mix the sugar, wine and lemon juice in a stainless steel saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the cream, bring to the boil – the mixture will thicken somewhat. Add the rosemary and chocolate. Stir, return to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 20 minutes. It should be the consistency of thick cream. Leave to cool, tasting occasionally to see if the rosemary flavour is intense enough.
Pour through a sieve into eight ramekins or little shot glasses. Cool, cover and chill until needed.
We serve it with Jersey pouring cream and a sprig of flowering rosemary.
