I suppose Chocolate Mousse was one of the very first desserts I ever made
It was a great favourite of my mothers (made with cream and Cadbury’s Dairy Milk-or when times were hard from a revolting brown, sweet, lard-like substance called “cooking chocolate”)
When I worked in Snaffles in the seventies it was also a standard on the menu, usually laced with orange or brandy, also made with cream but with Cadbury’s Bournville Chocolate- and much better for that.

In The Wife of Bath in Kent a speciality was one which had Macaroons embedded in the mixture.
This ultimately owed its origins to Elizabeth David’s ; St. Emilion au Chocolat (from French Country Cooking in 1951) and was the most sophisticated so far.
By this stage the cream had been left out and the chocolate was the French excellent Meniers.

In Waterford my house speciality dessert was another variation of the mousse this time with unsalted butter taking the place of cream and (even though it started with Cadbury’s varities) eventually made with Valrhona chocolate.
My Marquise of Three Chocolates was Dwyer’s signature dessert and the only thing which never left the menu.
But after making it non-stop for fifteen years I was delighted to see the back of it when we closed.

My evening meals here in France demand a different attitude to desserts.
I find that after their starter, main course and cheese people don’t have the stamina or space for “a pudding”.
Something small intense and sophisticated seemed in order.

This has led me to my Little Pot of Chocolate which (harking back to Elizabeth David’s St Emilion) I like to accompany with a Macaroon.
It is a winner.

The intense flavour of chocolate, the coffee cup portion and the accompanying crisp Macaroon have given me my favourite take on chocolate mousse so far but, nota bene, as I frequently am feeding Irish appetites, I always have a few extra coffee cups full in the fridge as insurance.

Here are the recipes:

Little Pots of Dark Chocolate.

(this amount will fill six or more little demi-tasse coffee cups and leave a little over for some seconds.)

175g(6oz) Good Dark Chocolate
140g (5oz.) Unsalted butter
4 large Eggs
140 g (5 oz.) Light Brown Sugar

Put the chocolate with the butter into a jug and put it into a microwave at mediun for 3 to 5 mts until completely melted.
(Or melt together in a bowl over barely simmering water.)

Separate the eggs and put them in separate bowls.
Beat the whites until stiff. Add half of sugar a tablespoon at a time and keep beating until they are stiff and shiney.

Put the rest of the sugar in with the yolks.
Beat the yolks with the sugar until they turn thick and creamy.
Stir the chocolate and butter mixture well together and then stir into the yolks.

Fold in the whites carefully into this mixture until all patches of white disappear ( but don’t over mix.)
Now very carefully spoon this mixture into six little coffee cups and put it in the fridge to set.
Serve it then on its saucer with a coffee spoon, with a macaroon on the side no cream necessary, it is rich enough on its own.

If you haven’t got a small coffee cup use a little glass or use a bowl to set it and then spoon out a little onto a plate using a spoon dipped in hot water.

Macaroons
(Will give you about 36 little biscuits)

200g (7 oz.) Ground Almonds
200g (7 oz.) Caster Sugar
2 Egg Whites
Some Pistachios or split Almonds to garnish.

Mix the sugar and almonds well together.
Add in the egg whites and mix to a stiff dough.
Set the oven to Gas 4, 175C, 350F.

Line two baking sheets with non-stick paper.
(I find if you sprinkle a little water on the baking sheet it helps to get the paper to lie down flat and then it is easier to work)
With dampened hands (or 2 teaspoons) make walnut sized balls of the dough and lay these out in rows (not too close) on the sheets.
Flatten these slightly with a damp fork.
Sprinkle over some sliced almonds or press a Pistachio, or a half Almond into each one.
Bake these at the set temperature for about 15 mts or until nicely browned.
Take off the paper gently (they will still be soft) and leave to cool and crispen on a wire rack.