Chocolate Mousse with Orange Shortbread

Chocolate mousse is a classic French dessert, but I can add a touch of Italian flair by infusing a bit of orange flavor into the shortbread to accompany this sumptuous sweet. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients for Chocolate Mousse:

• 200 g of high-quality dark chocolate
• 3 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
• 50 g of sugar
• 250 ml of fresh cream

Ingredients for Orange Shortbread:

• 200 g of type 00 flour
• 100 g of cold butter, cubed
• 80 g of icing sugar
• 1 large egg
• Grated zest of 1 untreated orange
• A pinch of salt

Preparation of the Mousse:

1. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt it in a double boiler or in the microwave, being careful not to burn it.
2. In the meantime, whip the yolks with half of the sugar until they become light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form with the other half of the sugar.
4. Also whip the fresh cream, without adding sugar.
5. Mix the melted chocolate with the whipped yolks, stirring gently.
6. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate and yolk mixture, mixing from the bottom up so as not to deflate the mix.
7. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites, being careful not to deflate everything.
8. Pour the mousse into small glasses and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Preparation of the Shortbread:

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl, put the flour and cold butter. Work with the tips of your fingers or with the paddle attachment until you obtain a sandy mixture.
2. Add the icing sugar, grated orange zest, and a pinch of salt.
3. Add the egg and knead everything until a homogeneous dough is formed.
4. Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface to a thickness of about 5 mm.
6. Cut out cookies with shapes of your choice and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Let the shortbread cool before serving.

Curiosity

Originally, chocolate mousse did not include whipped cream, but consisted only of chocolate and eggs. The addition of cream is a relatively recent variation but has now become very popular to give the dessert an even softer and more velvety consistency.

Serve the chocolate mousse accompanied by the orange shortbread for a mix between the intensity of the chocolate and the aromatic quality of the citrus. Bon appétit!