This rich, intense mousse is not for fainthearted chocolate lovers. Although it is simple to make, the cooking time and serving temperature are critical to its success. If you can master them, it makes a really impressive dinner-party dessert. You do need to serve it with crème fraîche or an ice cream that will cut through the richness of the mousse. I have served the mousse with cherries and also with orange, but my favourite way is with a scoop of crème fraîche and a little butterscotch sauce. You will need eight 5cm/2 inch ring moulds, 2.5cm/1 inch high. I know these sound small but believe me, it is so rich you need only a small amount. If you do not have individual rings, it also works in a 20cm/8 inch flan ring, when it will take 8-10 minutes to cook. You will need to get it just to the right temperature to cut it though, which is not always an easy task.

serves 8

100g/31/2oz dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids), finely chopped
50g/13/4oz dark chocolate (72 per cent cocoa solids), finely chopped
100g/31/2oz unsalted butter
1 medium egg
30g/1oz caster sugar

To serve150ml/5fl oz crème fraîche
50ml/2fl oz double cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
15g/1/2oz icing sugar, plus a little extra for dusting Butterscotch Sauce (see page 130)

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Prepare the ring moulds by giving them a base of aluminium foil. Cut 8 squares or circles of foil 2.5cm/1inch bigger than your ring moulds. Sit each mould in the centre of a piece of foil and neatly bring the excess to the edges of the mould, scrunching it to form a ring that comes 5mm/¼ inch up the sides of the mould. This will ensure the mixture does not leak during baking. Put the moulds on a baking tray.

Put both chocolates and the butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the base of the bowl. Leave to melt, stirring occasionally. Keep warm.

Whisk the egg and caster sugar together until pale and thick and increased in volume (as it's only a small amount, you'll probably need to do this by hand). Pour the warm melted chocolate and butter into the whisked mixture and fold together gently, using a rubber spatula or a large metal spoon. Make sure the two are well combined, taking care not to overmix otherwise you might lose volume. Spoon the mixture into the prepared moulds and bake in the top of the oven for 8 minutes exactly. No more. Check the oven after 4 minutes and, if they are beginning to form a large, slightly risen ring of bubbles around the edge of the mould, lower the oven temperature very slightly and leave the oven door slightly ajar for the remaining 4 minutes of the cooking time. When they are done, the mousses will still look wobbly and soft; the surface should be smooth and may be covered in what looks like very small bubbles.

Cool the mousses completely, leaving them on the baking tray and in their rings. When they have cooled, place the baking tray in the fridge to allow them to set. They should be very firm and hard before you try to unmould them.

About 4 hours before you want to serve them, unmould the mousses. You can do this with a blowtorch, if you have one, holding it about 15cm/6 inches away from the mould to warm it and turning the mould as you do so. Be careful not to leave the blowtorch in one spot for any length of time or the mousse will melt and lose its shape. If you don't have a blowtorch, wrap a hot, damp cloth around each ring until it can be easily removed.

Place each mousse on a serving plate. It is very important you use the plates you intend to serve them on, as once they reach the correct serving temperature they will be too soft to move. Leave the mousses to sit on the plates at room temperature for up to 4 hours, until they become soft. They should still hold their shape but be very soft, almost scoopable, when you serve them.

Just before you are ready to serve, combine the crème fraîche, double cream, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk until they form firm peaks. Using 2 dessertspoons that have been warmed in a jug of hot water, scoop up some of the cream in one spoon, then shape it into an oval by scraping it from one spoon to the other. Place one scoop on top of each mousse. Drizzle a little butterscotch sauce over the top and dust with a little icing sugar.

Copyright © 2008 by Claire Clark. All rights reserved.