There are times when a little restraint is called for. After all, too much of a good thing can get you into all kinds of trouble.
Happily, this is not one of those times. For too much of a very good thing – in this case, chocolate – is what this Sweet Adventures Death by Chocolate bloghop is all about.
Sweet Adventures is a group of Australian food bloggers – myself, 84th & 3rd, The Capers of the Kitchen Crusader, Delicieux, and Dining With a Stud - who host a monthly, dessert-themed blog hop.
Our inaugural event, The Great Australian Pavlova Blog Hop, attracted 34 entries in November 2011, while our second event, the Festive Favourites Blog Hop, attracted 38 entries last month. Click on the above links to drool over all the entries.
It was my turn to host this month and as I scanned our lengthy list of theme ideas I realised there was one glaring omission: Death by Chocolate.
Why Death by Chocolate? Well, if you’re going to indulge in chocolate you might as well go all out, right? There’s no point in the single square of chocolate, the lone chocolate truffle, the tiny chocolate brownie, the mini chocolate biscuit or the slender piece of chocolate cake. Worst still, are diet versions: I’d rather go without than eat some kind of ‘lite’ chocolate abomination.
So for my Death by Chocolate entry, I wanted complete chocolate decadence. I wanted creamy pillows of velvety chocolate-ness. I wanted a dessert that would have me swooning over its richness.
I trialled a multi-layered chocolate cake, which fell well short of expectations, before deciding to make a classic chocolate mousse instead.
I’ve always been a pushover for chocolate mousse made with top quality chocolate. I love its intense chocolate flavour, silky texture and the way it melts away into sublime nothingness in your mouth. It’s an incredibly sexy dessert and perfect for a romantic supper but you could also serve it in shot glasses for a cocktail party or hen’s night.
This chocolate mousse is made with standard pantry ingredients, and in under 20 minutes, but tastes like a dessert that you’d enjoy in a fine dining establishment (with the addition of a few ‘dirt’ crumbs and flowers sprinkled artistically around the plate, natch).
Is chocolate mousse a dessert to die for? No, it’s better than that: it’s a dessert to live for.
INGREDIENTS
350 grams top quality chocolate (I used a mixture of dark and white this time but would ordinarily use only dark)
175 grams unsalted butter
7 large, room-temperature, free-range eggs, separated
100 grams raw caster sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
METHOD
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler and then let it cool down off the stove.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy, like home-made mayonnaise. Stir in the vanilla and salt and then the cooled chocolate mixture.
Beat the egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Add one spoonful of egg whites to the chocolate mixture and briskly stir it in – this lightens it – before gently folding the rest of the egg whites in. Try not to bash all the air out of the egg whites.
Use a ladle to pour the mixture into glasses and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or until required.
Remove from the fridge 10 minutes before serving and decorate with raspberries – their beautiful red tones are the perfect visual contrast while their tartness cuts through the richness of the mousse.
Makes 10 glasses.
Don’t forget to scroll to the end of this post to check out all the delicious
Death by Chocolate entries
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Sweet Adventures Blog Hop: Death by Chocolate
If you blog about food we’d love you to join this hop. Simply follow the steps below and join the fun!
- Publish your Death by Chocolate post on your blog sometime between 16th January 2012 (9am Sydney time [AEST]) and 23rd January ( 11:59pm Sydney time [AEST]). Entries are linked in order of submission so try to get your entry in on or as close to the 16th as possible. Only new posts featuring chocolate are eligible.
- Click here for the Link Code. Copy the code and add it to the bottom of your Death by Chocolate post (you will need to do this in HTML view). Adding the code will create the thumbnail gallery of all the other entries and let visitors hop from other blogs to your blog and vice versa. If you are on wordpress.com (i.e. not self hosted) the list will not show on your blog so please create a text link back to this post instead.
- Grab the SABH Death by Chocolate badge and add it to your post. Just right click on the image, ‘save as’, upload to your site and add it to your Death by Chocolate post. Link the badge or a line of text to this page so that others can view the instructions on how to join.
- Click here to Enter the Hop. This is the really important bit! The badge and thumbnail list are on your post so make sure to enter the hop so that you appear in the list. For question 1: add the URL of your Death by Chocolate Post, not your homepage. For question 2: for caption/title add the name of your dessert. For question 3: for ‘your name’ please enter your blog name. For question 4: your entry is automatically submitted when you click ‘crop’.
- Your linked post WILL NOT appear straight away in the blog hop thumbnail list. To combat spam this is a moderated hop. Your post will be visible in the list after approval.
- Hop around to all the other entries in the blog hop, sharing the comment love.
- If you are on Twitter use the #SABH to tell the world about your Death by Chocolate post. Follow us @SweetAdvBlogHop for new hop announcements and general deliciousness.
If you aren’t sure how to do something please leave a comment or get in touch.
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Yum! I was thinking of chocolate mousse, but glad I didn’t do one
I think I’ve posted mine OK! Let me know if you haven’t seen it. Thanks for hosting!
Thanks Michelle – glad you could join this hop!
Mmmm I love chocolate mousse!! There is something always so decadent about it’s delicious silky texture. I love that you served them with raspberries, chocolate and raspberry go so well together.
Thanks Jennifer – I totally agree!
ohhh! This looks yummmm. I am a huge fan of chocolate mousse and it looks like it is a quick one to prepare. Thanks for the inspiration Christina and for hosting such a great event.
Thanks Kyrstie – you’re most welcome!
Chocolate and raspberries a great combination and I like that the recipe is quick to make. I like the individual servings as I know that I wont have to share my chocolate fix with anyone else! Glad to be part of the blog hop!
Ha ha – I don’t like to share my dessert either, Moya! I especially hate it when people ask for “just a taste” and then eat half your dessert!
Delicious. Love chocolate mousse. Thanks so much for hosting!
You’re very welcome, dear Lizzy!
I’m a chocolate mousse lover too but I’ve never actually made it at home. Looks delicious!
Thanks Claire!
I love raspberries with chocolate as well – as you say it is a visual contrast and makes you feel slightly better about the chocolate! Here’s to death by chocolate.
I don’t know if it makes me feel better about the chocolate but it certainly tastes good!
Yum, I love chocolate and I LOVE chocolate mousse! I can see that I am going to want to make all of the entries this month. And I can’t believe it’s 9:49 and you’ve had 7 entries already. I best get my skates on and finish mine!
Thanks Nic. Chocolate mousse is just a bit too good, isn’t it? Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
what a way to go ‘Death by chocolate’
I’ve been eating chocolate mousse for breakfast – is that wrong?
I love chocolate mousse! Thanks for hosting this fun blog hop!
Glad you could join us, Laura!
I always add salt to my chocolate mousse it makes such a difference. Thanks for hosting the challenge
Most welcome, Julie. Glad you could join us!
Who can resist a choc mousse?
Thanks for hosting this hop. So much chocolate!
Not me that’s for sure!
This sounds so rich – and so simple! Love the raspberries, they really add that extra special touch
It is very rich but very simple. That makes it a winner for me!
Your mousse looks amazing!!!! I’ve added some brownies!!! Thanks for the invite
Thanks Liz – I do love a good brownie!
Thank you for hosting this month’s SABH Christina! Loving the chocolate madness going around! Chocolate mousse is such a classic!
Thanks for joining us! It is fantastic seeing all the different spins on Death by Chocolate, isn’t it?
This looks amazing!
Thanks Jennifer!
Congrats on all your entrants and wow on all the decadent chocolate recipes. Intriguing!
Thanks Oh Fearless Cooking Club Leader. When are you going to join us?
Hi Christina! I just hopped over from Lizzy @ That Skinny Chick Can Bake, and I am glad that I discover another OZ writer. I am missing OZ though.. I love anything to do with chocolate and chocolate mousse is no exception too. I certainly can’t wait to participate in the Death By Choco bloghop. Gives me an excuse to bake with chocolate.. Have a great week. Cheers~
Thanks Joanna! Our monthly Sweet Adventures blog hops are a great way to meet some Aussie foodbloggers. Looking forward to seeing your Death by Chocolate entry!
Christina your mousses look delicious! I love your photography and the straightforward recipe. I have a stack of chocolate left over from this month so I might just try this recipe before the week is out! Thanks for hosting this month
Hi Katie. It is really, really simple. And yet really, really rich. A win-win in my book!
Oh I haven’t made chocolate mousse for a while now, but I would reaaalllly love some asap!!
I’ll swop you some mousse for a slice of your fudge cake
Chocolate mousse is one of my all time favorite desserts. Your pictures are beautiful and I love the blog hop idea. Now I just think of a good chocolate dessert to share….
Thanks so much, Julie. Blog hops are a great way to share recipes and meet other passionate food bloggers. Looking forward to seeing your Death by Chocolate entry!
Oh my goodness, Christina, I’m so glad no one has to judge a winner – these recipes, these photos, these cooks! just wonderful. Enjoying every mouth-watering entry of this blog-hop.
Glad to hear it, Paola! It’s a real celebration of chocolate, isn’t it?
Wow, these look gorgeous Christina! I’ve sort of fallen off the chocolate mousse rail, as I suppose when you go out, they don’t use the best ingredients, so it’s never as luscious as it should be. But at home….mmm…what a treat with some excellent chocolate! Will have to try this out
Thanks Ashley – the great thing about making mousse at home is that you can use your favourite, top quality chocolate. Never settle for second rate chocolate!
What an incredible dessert! It might cause death by chocolate but what a way to go!
Thanks Spencer, and yes, I totally agree!
I love Chocolate Mousse, I’m inspired! As soon as I restock the chocolate supply I’m whipping some up!
Glad you liked it, Linda Maree!
Your Chocolate Mousse looks fantastic. I’ve just blogged my Easy Chocolate Brownies but I don’t know if the linky thing worked for the blog-hop part so here is the link for my post: http://rainbowbakery.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/sweet-adventures-death-by-chocolate-easy-chocolate-brownies/
Thanks Georgia – your link is up and running now! xx
All linked up – thought I had already done it but must have missed a step. Hope you enjoy our contributions.
Thanks K-bob – love them!!
This is such an inspired theme
Just added my triple chocolate chip cookies – I can’t see a thumbnail but assume it’s being moderated. Looking forward to reading all the other entries – it’s making me so hungry!
Glad to hear it, Kate! Your triple choc cookies are divine!
Ps I love this sentiment – a dessert to live for is much better than one to die for!
Looks very great. Love the pictures by the way. Can’t stop starring at it. Very mouthwatering! Thanks for sharing this. Love to try this out. It really did captivate me after looking at the pictures. The instructions are very clear. Hope to read more!
“Is chocolate mousse a dessert to die for? No, it’s better than that: it’s a dessert to live for.”
I love that thought!:-) Love chocolate mousse,actually,I love all things chocolate,hehe.
Could not take part in the Blog Hop unfortunately,but hopefully the next time!I see the lovely collection of so many delicious,sinful recipes.I am sure you had fun!:-)
It might cause death by chocolate but what a way to go