Chocolate and orange mousse with olive oil and salt

The Spanish fell in love with chocolate and spread it around the world. And this smooth operator of a mousse sits almighty on a bed of chocolate soil - this is big spoon territory. The Chefs' Line

• serves

  4

• prep

  40 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 10 g sea salt flakes
• 10 g extra virgin olive oil

Chocolate mousse

• 6 egg yolks
• 80 g caster sugar
• 300 ml whole milk
• 1 orange, zested
• 460 ml double cream
• 46 gelatine leaves, gold strength
• 80 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
• 20 g cocoa powder

Chocolate soil

• 125 g caster sugar
• 125 g (1¼ cups) almond meal
• 75 g (½ cup) plain flour
• 50 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
• Pinch sea salt flakes
• 60 g unsalted butter, chopped
• 100 g freeze-dried blackberries
• 100 g freeze-dried raspberries, plus extra, to serve

Chocolate reduction tuile

• 4 ml neutral flavoured oil
• 3 g cocoa powder
• 10 g gluten-free plain flour
• 150 ml cold water
• 150 ml cold sparkling water

Chilling time: overnight

Instructions

For the mousse, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until thick and pale. Place the milk, orange zest and 300 ml double cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Whisking continuously, slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture and combine well. Return to the pan and stir over low heat until the mixture thickens a little.

Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes or until soft. Remove the soaked gelatine from the water, squeeze out the excess water and stir into the hot cream mixture along with the chocolate and cocoa. Remove from the heat and stir until melted and smooth. Strain into a bowl and place over a larger bowl of iced water and stand, whisking regularly until cooled to room temperature. Lightly beat the remaining 160 ml cream until soft peaks form, then gently fold into the mousse. Refrigerate overnight or until set.

For the chocolate soil, preheat the oven to 150°C. In a food processor, place all the ingredients except the freeze-dried berries. Pulse until the mixture looks mealy. Spread over a lined baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool, then transfer to a food processor and pulse with the freeze-dried berries. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

For the tuile, line a baking tray with baking paper and preheat a non-stick frying pan over low heat. Place the oil, cocoa and flour in a bowl. Add the cold waters and stir to combine well. It’s best to keep the mixture cold so keep half in the refrigerator while you cook the rest. Pour enough batter into the pan to lightly coat the base, tilting to cover evenly. Cook, without moving until all the water has evaporated and the tuile is dry. Gently remove the tuile and place on the lined tray. Repeat with the remaining mixture, stirring the batter before using.

To serve, scatter the chocolate soil over the serving plates and top with a spoonful of mousse. Place a tuile on top and coarsely crush the extra freeze-dried berries around the mousse. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and drizzle with a little olive oil.

This recipe is from Series 2 of The Chefs' Line airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS. Episodes will be available after broadcast via SBS On Demand. Join the conversation #TheChefsLine on Instagram @sbsfood, Facebook @SBSFood  and Twitter @SBS_Food. Check out sbs.com.au/thechefsline for episode guides, cuisine lowdowns, recipes and more! 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.