February 14, 2010

chocolate mousse on puff pastry w/ raspberries


Are you guilty, like me, of eating puff pastry plain? Taking strips of puff pastry rolling them in sugar and cinnamon or making them savory by sprinkling them with cheese baking till a perfect crisp and then devouring? I have all intentions of making something grand with my puff pastry (and it's not cheap to buy either), but then there are some days where I just want to make it simply for the sake of eating it for that "buttery crunch".
This time I made something fun out of my puff pastry. Taking a perfect chocolate mousse, adding it to a baked crispy puff pastry, then drizzling it with some chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries. Heavenly. Puff pastry and chocolate will always be a match made in heaven.
This is fairly easy to make too, the only downside is that it does not keep. Pretty much has to be eaten right away--no problem right? We all know puff pastry does not keep it's crunch after about four or so hours, maybe longer. But can I just say the crispy puff pastry teamed up with the chocolate mousse, the fresh raspberries and a int of chocolate ganache is just heavenly. I mean I know I always say this, but really all those flavors in one bite...oh baby! So good. See the photo below, two bites.


chocolate mousse on puff pastry w/ ganache strips & raspberries
print recipe

Chocolate mousse (from epicurious.com):
2 cups chilled heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

Note: you might want to do the ganache first as it needs a bit of time to cool.
Heat 3/4 cup cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan until hot. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a metal bowl until combined well, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 160°F on thermometer. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or in a glass bowl in a microwave at 50 percent power 3 to 5 minutes), stirring frequently. Whisk custard into chocolate until smooth, then cool.

Beat remaining 1 1/4 cups cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk one fourth of cream into chocolate custard to lighten, then fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly.
I then chilled my mousse in a glass bowl, covering the mousse with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Puff pastry
Unroll the puff pastry and shape into whatever size you like. I did a long rectangle. Bake according to package directions. Let cool a bit, and then fill with ready chocolate mousse.

Chocolate Ganache strips
If you want to decorate the pastry with chocolate ganache strips then:

6 ounces 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
½ stick unsalted butter, cold ok; chopped into 1/2 cubes

Melt the chopped chocolate with the heavy cream in a double-boiler. Make sure to stir occasionally until fully melted. Once melted, take off the heat and add in the butter bits. Make sure to whisk this up good. The better you whisk the glossier and smoother the ganache. I waited about an hour and a half for it to cool then poured it into a plastic bag to pipe onto chocolate pastry.
Just before the Ganache strips set up, decorate with raspberries. Let set up about 15 minutes and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, or not, up to you.

55 COMMENTS:

Bridgett said...

Absolutely beautiful, Dawn. I always thought chocolate mousse was perfect on its own, but you kicked it up here. I love this!

Erica said...

This is so pretty! The raspberries make it perfect for Vday too! Hope you're enjoying a slice today! And happy happy Valentine's day!!

Sinful Southern Sweets said...

LOL! I admit it, I eat it plain too!! But this looks great!!

Jenn said...

I am guilty of doing the same thing with puff pastry. They're just so good!!! Though, I wouldn't mind have some chocolate mousse and raspberries on them either. hehehe...

Happy Valentine's Day

Kerstin said...

Looks so easy and decadent! Happy Valentine's Day!

Diane {createdbydiane.blogspot.com} said...

Looks delicious! Happy Valentine's Day

Esi said...

Oh my gawd, I was just thinking I need puff pastry. I love that stuff. This sounds phenomenal, hope you're having a great weekend!

noble pig said...

Oh what a sweet treat for a sweet day!! Beautiful!

Laurie said...

What a perfect dessert for Valentine's Day! Your sweetie will be loving you.

Scary Mommy said...

Does your husband know how lucky he is???

doggybloggy said...

dawn this kicks ass and I dont care who hears me say it! What a great idea!

Michelle said...

Happy V-Day Dawn! Okay, I've come up with an idea. I think you should rename your blog to "Death by Food". LOL I just about die everytime I see what you cook or bake up...I want to jump into the screen so bad!

xoxo

Cute Quincy pic coming up. :)

Monica H said...

I don't even think that would last 4 hours. ha!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Duo Dishes said...

This is a first. Cool, creamy mouse in buttery, flakey pastry. The smooth-crunchy play is nice.

Lisa said...

OH MY!

Diana's Cocina said...

One word Dawn ~ delectable!

Jennie said...

Oh Lordy! This is awesome Dawn! You rock!

Katrina said...

That looks heavenly and delicious and I love the words ganache strips (have never heard that before).

nazarina said...

There is nothing more tasty than puff and chocolate mousse. I always have room for it. I love the way you presented it!
Happy V/day!

grace said...

i absolutely abuse the ease and convenience of puff pastry, often dedicating whole boxes to cinnamon-sugar puffs like you've described. there's nothing wrong with that. nothing.
nothing wrong with this tart, either. nicely done. :)

Sophie said...

A gorgeous & fabulous dessert, Dawn!!
Waw!! You always seems to amaze me!!

That's why I just gave you an AWARD!!! yeah!!!


Come over @ my latest post & pick it up, please!!!

Leslie said...

Girl..I eat puff pastry raw! Yes I am a freak!

Barbara said...

That's really a super idea! Working with puff pastry is so easy and I love chocolate mousse...I bet this just melts in your mouth!
I'm using puff pastry for a lot more things than I used to...savory as well as sweet. Wish I had read this BEFORE the 14th! Saving it for next year. Or maybe I'll have to make it sooner!

cakescraps said...

Yum. I am a lover of puff pastry too! One way you could make it 'keep' longer would be to just cut the pastry into rounds or squares and bake them. Then, keep them in an airtight container and put the mousse on when ready to serve/eat. Not ideal, but it would work.

I will have a savory puff pastry recipe on my blog on Wednesday...check it out!

JennDZ - The Leftover Queen said...

That looks like the perfect V-day treat!!! Hope you had a good one!

5 Star Foodie said...

Yes, we love puff pastry by itself or with anything at our house! And with the chocolate mousse & raspberries - that sounds absolutely heavenly!

Kim said...

That is a terrific combination!

Tangled Noodle said...

Woo-hoo! I've got a sheet of puff pastry in the freezer, a love of chocolate mousse and the desire to put them together. What a great, gorgeous dessert!

Hope you are feeling much better!

Shannon said...

definitely good enough to eat plain ;) but this looks like another good option!

Doña Masita said...

This is awesome, it really looks nice and I'm guessing it tastes the same. Chocolate and raspberries, what a great idea!

Congratulations dear Dawn,

Doña Masita
www.donamasita.com

Maria said...

You always wow me! Love this one!

Stephanie said...

Mmmm sounds good... my FAVORITE thing to do is just eat the puff pastry rolled in cinnamon sugar. But this mousse and raspberries pairing... makes me think I need to try this out before I eat it all plain!

Manggy said...

I am pretty sure there'd be no problem finishing this pronto :) Chocolate and raspberries is one of those golden combinations :)

Nina Timm said...

Oh gosh this looks so incredibly good.Wow!!!

ABowlOfMush said...

I want to eat that up right now! Wow!

Pam said...

Bookmarked! I HAVE to make this for my chocolate loving husband and kids...it's beautiful Dawn.

Eliana said...

This looks absolutely heavenly. I swear - puff pastry is the best invention ever!

The Wife said...

Oh wow! It doesn't get much better than chocolate and raspberries. It looks beautiful.

kat said...

That is a dessert I'd seriously make & eat all by myself!

hannah | honey & jam said...

Absolutely beautiful! I love the idea of mousse on puff pastry!

pigpigscorner said...

I loooove puff pastry! Buttery goodness!

Georgia said...

Wow! Now that is just divine. I wonder though... how do you pack that up? That is... if there are any leftovers, haha!

Ingrid said...

Nope, but obviously I'm missing out! :( Your pastry looks rich and sinful.
~ingrid

terrid614 said...

i love dough of any sorts and LOVE chocolate! what a combination! thanks for the recipe!!!

♥peachkins♥ said...

this just looks heavenly..

Steph said...

That does look so heavenly! I'm so glad I'm not such a huge fan of puff pastry, I really don't need to add to my list of food addicitons!

Velva said...

Absolutely stunning! A chocolate lovers dream.

btw, I love to eat plain puff pastry rolled in anything sweet.

Katherine Aucoin said...

My goodness, you certainly did make something very grand with your puff pastry. Also, I wish you would not have given me the idea of cutting it into strips...

Don't mind me, i'll be over in the corner eating puff pastry...but not feeling guilty!

The Cookbook Apprentice said...

Get out of here! This is gorgeous and I want it now!

Lori said...

Boy there sure is a lot of amazing food at your place. It all looks so good!

Live.Love.Eat said...

came on over from Scary Mommy. This looks incredible and right up my alley!!!!!

Chef Chuck said...

The crust, the chocolate, what more do we need!! Nice photo~~

Kristy Sayer said...

I'm also one that eats puff pastry plain :P
And sometimes I had nutella.

So this looks absolutely delicious in my opinion :D

And your photos are great!

Victor said...

I'm glad of finding out your blog.

I never done chocolate mousse on puff pastry. Now I'm craving for it.

Paula said...

wow, it looks awesome and sooo delicious!