2/14/10

chocolate mousse on puff pastry w/ raspberries

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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".
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This time I made something fun out of the 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.
And should you not want to make chocolate mousse from scratch?
Use pudding!  So easy.
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chocolate mousse on puff pastry w/ ganache & 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

Cook Notes:
you might want to do the ganache first as it needs a bit of time to cool.
Don't have time to make the mousse? Use instant pudding in a pinch.

for the custard: 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
2 TB unsalted butter, room temp

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, optional.

54 comments:

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

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  2. 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!!

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

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  4. 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

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

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  6. Looks delicious! Happy Valentine's Day

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  7. 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!

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

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

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  10. Does your husband know how lucky he is???

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

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  12. 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. :)

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

    Happy Valentine's Day!

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

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  15. Oh Lordy! This is awesome Dawn! You rock!

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

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  17. 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!

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  18. 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. :)

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

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  20. 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!

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  21. 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!

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

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

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  24. That is a terrific combination!

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  25. 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!

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

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  27. 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

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  28. You always wow me! Love this one!

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  29. 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!

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

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

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  32. I want to eat that up right now! Wow!

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

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

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

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

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

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  38. I loooove puff pastry! Buttery goodness!

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

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

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

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  42. 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!

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  43. Absolutely stunning! A chocolate lovers dream.

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

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  44. 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!

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

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

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

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

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  49. 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!

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  50. I'm glad of finding out your blog.

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

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  51. wow, it looks awesome and sooo delicious!

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