The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with a green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious. He was quite warm now, and very comfortable.
~ C.S. Lewis - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Okay, so this dessert isn't exactly 'sell out your family to an evil witch'-worthy - but it's still delicious!!! (Like, maybe I'd sell out a neighbor or an old acquaintance for some?)
This is a bit of a time consuming recipe - purely to allow both the mousse and the turkish delight to set properly - so make sure you plan this one well in advance so that everything runs smoothly!!!
Turkish Delight Mousse
Serves: 5
Ingredients:
Chocolate Mousse:
300g Dark Chocolate (plus extra for grating over the finished mousse)
3 eggs (room temperature)
1 Tb Cocoa Powder
300 ml Thickened Cream
¼ cup Caster Sugar
Rosewater Jelly: (Note, to just top the Turkish Delight Mousse, you will need to quarter this recipe. I usually just make a little extra for fun!)
¼ cup Powdered Gelatine
2 cups Caster Sugar
¼ tsp Cream of Tartar
1-2 drops of pink food colouring
½ Rosewater
1⅓ cups Icing Sugar
⅔ cup Cornflour (plus a little extra if needed)
A couple of Turkish Delights to top!!!
Method:
Chocolate Mousse:
Melt the dark chocolate in a heat-safe bowl sitting over a pot of boiling water. (Or, if you're particularly eager to be eating some delicious mousse - in the microwave at 10 second intervals with stirring in between - I won't judge you!)
Beat together the eggs and the sugar until pale, thickened and almost doubled in size. Fold in the cocoa powder and the cooled chocolate.
Whip the thickened cream until thickened, fold into the mixture lightly.
Pour the chocolate mousse into your prepared glasses until just over half full - smooth the top with a spatula and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Rosewater Jelly
Sprinkle the powdered gelatine over 2½ cups of hot (not boiling) water and whisk well until it has all dissolved. Stir in the the caster sugar.
Microwave the mixture for 4 minutes (this is a rough average - keep an eye on the mixture so that it doesn't bubble up too much!). Stir well and then microwave for another 4 minutes - the mixture should be thick and syrupy.
Whisk in the cornflour and icing sugar and cream of tartar. Microwave for two to three minutes, stir in the colouring and then pour lightly over the top of the mousse - being careful not to disrupt the integrity of the mousse layer. Refrigerate until set.
Top with the grated chocolate and turkish delight pieces - and enjoy!
This recipe sets the Rosewater Jelly to the consistency of the Mousse - so that they combine well on your spoon! If you prefer a firmer jelly then you may want to adjust the amount for your own tastes!
Happy Chocolate Day (and remember - family is more important than dessert - most of the time anyway!)
Until next time - enjoy!