French Chocolate Mousse with Cocoa Nib Brittle
Dessert · Flans, Puddings · François de Mélogue · Provencal Recipes · TasteThis recipe is definitely for chocolate lovers! An adaptation of Jean-Andre Charial’s chocolate mousse (mousseux au chocolate, craquant au grue de cacao, crème glacée au caramel) for home cooks. This is a slightly simplified version of Charial’s chocolate mousse that does not lose any of its deliciousness in the translation. Almost no other dessert could be more French than this mousse.
Chocolate Mousse with Cocoa Nib Brittle
This recipe involves two steps: make the brittle in advance, and the chocolate mousse takes very little time.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Brittle:
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed or tangerine juice
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 2 oz cocoa nibs available in most stores
For the Chocolate Mousse:
- 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (35%)
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
- 5 egg whites
- 1/4 cup sugar
To Finish:
- 1 quart (1.1 Litre) caramel ice cream
Instructions
For the Brittle:
- Mix flour, sugar, orange juice and melted butter in your food processor.
- Add the cocoa nibs and let sit in your refrigerator for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Put six spoonfuls of brittle batter on a silpat (see note) covered sheet pan.
- Bake ten minutes or until lightly brown.
- Let cool while making mousse.
For the Chocolate Mousse:
- Mix powdered gelatin with two tablespoons of water and let sit for ten minutes.
- Put a small amount of water in a pot to boil then remove from heat.
- Set bowl of gelatin over till it melts and turns to a clear liquid.
- Boil cream and mix with gelatin.
- Pour over chocolate chips and stir until well mixed. The chocolate should be slightly warm to room temperature.
- Beat egg whites in a stand mixer till light and frothy.
- Add sugar and continue beating for 30 seconds on high speed.
- Gently fold into chocolate and pour into serving vessels. I used clear glasses.
To Finish:
- Garnish mousse with cocoa nib brittle and a spoonful of caramel ice cream.
Notes
Silpat is a silicone baking sheet. They are brilliant for baking and easy to clean. Click here to buy one.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
More Chocolate Desserts
Kumquat Bitter Orange Tartlets in a Chocolate Crust
A combination of sweet, sour and chocolate that is irresistible in a dessert. I prefer making tartlets to one larger tart. Regardless, this dessert is a great way to finish a meal. As a bonus, you can keep the bitter orange curd in a jar in the fridge for up to a month.
Check out this recipe
Chocolate-Lavender Truffles
A tasteful dessert that comes from Okanagan Lavender & Herb Farm. A high-quality product that tastes amazing and is easy to make!
Check out this recipe
Lemon & Lavender Honey Madeleines dipped in Chocolate
The perfect treat to share! This recipe makes 30 large madeleines or 48 small madeleines.
Check out this recipe
Chocolate and Pear Tarts
These tarts are easy to make and a delicious finish to a fall menu. Make sure to leave enough time to prepare and rest the dough.
Check out this recipeLegal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous Post
Warm Salad Nicoise a Recipe from ProvenceRelated Provence Articles
French Desserts Make Plum Clafoutis
September 9, 2020
During a Provence Gourmet cooking class, we made a plum clafoutis a classic French dessert from the region. The traditional recipe for clafoutis, a flan-type dessert is made with cherries.…
Easy Tart Provencal Pears and Chocolate
November 8, 2017
This is a really easy recipe for a scrummy chocolate tart and the addition of the pears offsets the richness of the dark chocolate. Better still, the whole dessert can be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge.…
Sweet Tartes Recipes for 5 Tarts from Provence
April 26, 2024
It is hard to beat French patisseries (pastry shops) for viennoiseries (croissants, pain au chocolate, and brioche) and their selection of tartes. Throughout France, pastry chefs make a culinary art with exquisite fruit tarts and classics like mille-feuille made with puff pastry and crème pâtissière. Below, we highlight five tarts from Provence and a selection …
Joël Durand The Best Chocolate Maker in Provence
November 9, 2021
A Precocious Talent “As a young boy in Brittany,” says Joël Durand, “I had three dreams—to be a chef, a pastry-maker, or a race car driver.” A smile crosses his face. “My parents made it clear that driving race cars was not in the cards, so I started cooking when I was six.” Durand quit …
No Comment