When there is an abundance of sea salt available, why not use it in a recipe or two? If you have a sweet tooth but like a touch of salt, give this caramel mousse a try.
Ingredients:
For the filling
25g cornflour
2tbsp cocoa powder
50g caster sugar
250ml milk
25g butter
200ml double cream
For the caramel
125g caster sugar
1tbsp water
100ml double cream
2g sea salt
For the base
175g flour
75g butter
50g caster sugar
For the topping
25g chocolate chips
A pinch of sea salt
You can adapt the recipe to make it gluten free by swapping out the flour for a suitable alternative, you could also use dairy free alternatives if you wanted to make it vegan. If you do, let us know how you get on!
Dorset is a real haven when it comes to dairy, so you can pick up milk, cream and butter locally made from these producers and sea salt from here. You could grab the chocolate to decorate from one of the region’s chocolatiers and pick up everything else you need from a farmshop or deli.
Method:
Preheat your oven to start off to 190 degrees or Gas Mark 5 and then get started on the mousse’s filling.
Pour a little of the milk into a pan and dissolve the cornflour, sugar and cocoa powder. Pour the remaining milk into the pan and heat gently, stirring in the cornflour mixture until it thickens. Add the butter stirring until it is completely mixed in, decant and leave to chill.
While that is chilling, get starting on the caramel. Begin by putting sugar into a new plan with water and place on a high heat, swirling the pan until it melts. Continue to cook the sugar until it starts to colour evenly.
Add cream in a steady stream and stir until you have a golden and smooth caramel sauce, sprinkle in salt and leave to cool.
Next the base.
Place the flour, sugar and butter into a bowl and rub together to make a loose dough, lay out on a tray and place in the oven until crisp. Leave to cool and then crush.
Place the biscuit base into the bottom of the serving bowls or glasses and press with the back of a spoon until even. Put these aside.
Finally, whisk the main mousse element.
Pour the cream into a bowl and whip until it forms soft peaks, add a third of the chilled cocoa filling and stir, adding the remaining cream in two sections, stirring well between each one.
Continue to whisk the mousse until thick and creamy, using a piping bag, divide the mousse between each of the serving bowls making sure to smooth the top.
In a fresh piping bag, spoon in the cooled caramel and pipe over the top of the mousse until you have an even layer. You can swirl the glass while piping to ensure the caramel covers the mousse evenly. Decorate with chocolate chips and a sprinkling of sea salt.
