Avocado might not be the secret ingredient you’re hoping for when thinking of a velvety, rich chocolate mousse. But since avocados are high in fat and, once ripened, also velvety smooth, they are indeed the perfect addition to a rich dessert. And don’t worry, you won’t actually taste the avocado. Win win.
The spun sugar is, of course, somewhat of a gimmicky garnish to re-create at home. It takes time, it’s messy and hot caramel can be dangerous to handle. All these things considered, if you’re ever looking to give a dessert that extra garnish for a special occasion, I recommend you to give spun sugar a go.
Storage
You can store the chocolate mousse for 2-3 days in the fridge. Keep the crushed hazelnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks. Use the spun sugar within a few hours as it will begin to lose shape.
serves 4
Ingredients
Avocado Chocolate Mousse
-
20g blanched hazelnuts (optional)
-
70g dark chocolate
-
2 (over)ripe avocados (200g)
-
2 tbsp maple syrup
-
1 tsp vanilla extract
-
40g raw cacao powder
Spun Sugar (Optional)
-
30 ml water (2 tbsp)
-
A few drops of lemon juice
Method
If making the hazelnut garnish, pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Once ready, roast the hazelnuts for 15 minutes until golden, then let them cool down and blitz in a spice grinder or blender until broken down.
For the chocolate mousse, melt the chocolate over a Bain Marie (inside a heat-proof bowl placed over a pan of barely simmering water, without the water touching the bowl). Then carefully lift off the bowl (mind the steam, it’s hot) and set it aside to let the chocolate cool for 5 minutes, otherwise, it’ll make the mousse grainy.
Peel and de-stone the avocados. In a food pressor, blend together the avocados, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cacao powder and a pinch of salt. Then drizzle in the melted chocolate and blend again until completely smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl or container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
In the meantime, make the spun sugar, if using. Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small sauce pan (the acidity in the lemon stops the caramel from crystallising). Then cook the mixture over low heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Raise the temperature to medium high and boil it until it forms thick bubbles and the sugar begins to turn into a gold brown. Give the pan a gentle twirl to colour it evenly, then turn off the heat and let it cool down slightly. To check if the caramel has cooled enough for the spun sugar, dunk a fork into the caramel and lift it up. It should form a thin thread rather than simply dropping back into the pan. Once this happens, the sugar is ready.
Place a deep bowl in front of you. Dunk the fork into the caramel and move it rapidly from one edge of the bowl to the other to allow the threads of sugar to spin across the bowl. This is similar to how cotton candy is made. When you’ve used up all of the caramel, use your hands to gently shape the sugar threads into a delicate form and serve it on top of your avocado chocolate mousse.
Tip: to remove any hardened caramel in the pan, simply fill it with water and bring it to the boil for the caramel to dissolve.
To serve the chocolate mousse, heat a tablespoon in a jug of hot water. Then scrape the dried but warm spoon over the chocolate mousse to form a quenelle. Serve on a plate with a sprinkle of the crushed hazelnuts and top with the spun sugar.
Storage: You can store the chocolate mousse for 2-3 days in the fridge. Keep the crushed hazelnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks. Use the spun sugar within a few hours as it will begin to lose shape.
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Avocado Chocolate Mousse With Spun Sugar
Ingredients
Avocado Chocolate Mousse
- 20 g blanched hazelnuts (optional)
- 70 g dark chocolate
- 2 overripe avocados (200g)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 40 g raw cacao powder
Spun Sugar (Optional)
- 70 g golden granulated sugar
- 30 ml water (2 tbsp)
- A few drops of lemon juice
Instructions
- If making the hazelnut garnish, pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Once ready, roast the hazelnuts for 15 minutes until golden, then let them cool down and blitz in a spice grinder or blender until broken down.
- For the chocolate mousse, melt the chocolate over a Bain Marie (inside a heat-proof bowl placed over a pan of barely simmering water, without the water touching the bowl). Then carefully lift off the bowl (mind the steam, it’s hot) and set it aside to let the chocolate cool for 5 minutes, otherwise it’ll make the mousse grainy.
- Peel and de-stone the avocados. In a food pressor, blend together the avocados, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cacao powder and a pinch of salt. Then drizzle in the melted chocolate and blend again until completely smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl or container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- In the meantime, make the spun sugar, if using. Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small sauce pan (the acidity in the lemon stops the caramel from crystallising). Then cook the mixture over low heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Raise the temperature to medium high and boil it until it forms thick bubbles and the sugar begins to turn into a gold brown. Give the pan a gentle twirl to colour it evenly, then turn off the heat and let it cool down slightly. To check if the caramel has cooled enough for the spun sugar, dunk a fork into the caramel and lift it up. It should form a thin thread rather than simply dropping back into the pan. Once this happens, the sugar is ready.
- Place a deep bowl in front of you. Dunk the fork into the caramel and move it rapidly from one edge of the bowl to the other to allow the threads of sugar to spin across the bowl. This is similar to how cotton candy is made. When you’ve used up all of the caramel, use your hands to gently shape the sugar threads into a delicate form and serve it on top of your avocado chocolate mousse.
- Tip: to remove any hardened caramel in the pan, simply fill it with water and bring it to the boil for the caramel to dissolve.
- To serve the chocolate mousse, heat a tablespoon in a jug of hot water. Then scrape the dried but warm spoon over the chocolate mousse to form a quenelle. Serve on a plate with a sprinkle of the crushed hazelnuts and top with the spun sugar.
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