My mom always celebrated every holiday with a special little treat for us kids. For Halloween it was the usual assorted candies, for Thanksgiving it was her caramel apples and, for Christmas, it was her fudge. When Valentine’s Day came around, she always made chocolate pudding from scratch and layered it in a parfait glass with crumbled Walker’s shortbread cookies or Sara Lee poundcake wedges and topped it with whipped cream. This was always my favorite.
A couple of Saturdays ago when I was watching my usual cooking shows, I came across this recipe for Salted Butter Caramel-Chocolate Mousse on Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street and it looked so delicious that I made it the next day. And yes, it was yummy. It reminded me a little bit of Mom’s chocolate pudding but was a lot fluffier and more intense in flavor.
This mousse is perfect just as it is and needs no further adornment, just enjoy it and serve it up to your special Valentine!
Salted Butter Caramel-Chocolate Mousse
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tbsp. salted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chopped
4 large eggs, separated
Generous 1/2 tsp. fleur de sel
Spread the sugar evenly over bottom of saute pan over medium heat. As sugar begins to melt, use a silicone spatula to push the liquefied sugar toward the center. Continue to cook, swirling pan until sugar is melted, and turns a deep amber color.
Remove from heat and immediately add the butter and stir until melted. Be careful of heat. Gently whisk in the cream until all hardened bits are dissolved. Once smooth, add in the chocolate and transfer mixture to a large bowl until cooled to room temperature, then add the egg yolks one at a time.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold into chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain.
Pour into individual serving bowls or martini glasses and chill for at least eight hours. Serve with a sprinkle of fleur de sel (French sea salt) and enjoy.
Jean Hecker is a full-time travel agent at Magic Carpet Travels and a part-time foodie. She has a BA in Home Economics Education from Rowan University and enjoys exploring all facets of the food and restaurant industry.
