Halloween Chocolate Mousse with Meringue Ghosts
·Meringue ghosts
Whisk the egg whites with granulated and icing sugar on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Spoon half of the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain round nozzle. Pipe ghost shapes onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake and keep an eye on them
Bake in an oven preheated to 100°C for about 9–10 minutes. The meringues mustn't start browning, so watch them closely during the second half of baking.
Melt the chocolate
Break the chocolate into a metal bowl and set it over a pan of water, then bring the water to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly so the water simmers gently without touching the bottom of the bowl. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate has melted.
Paint on the eyes
Take the ghosts out of the oven and, using the tip of a toothpick or skewer dipped in the melted chocolate, dot on their eyes.
Let them cool
Leave the ghosts to dry completely. The amount of egg white given will make more ghosts than you need to decorate the mousse, so use the extras for other Halloween decorating. You can make them in different sizes – for topping the mousse, the tiniest ones, about 1.5 cm tall, work best.
Making the mousse
Whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until light and foamy. Whip the cream until stiff. Carefully fold the whisked yolks and sugar into the melted chocolate.
Season and finish
Fold in the whipped cream and the leftover meringue mixture from the ghosts. Season with coarsely crushed pepper and cocoa. Mix gently but thoroughly.
Chill and serve
Spoon the mousse into a piping bag fitted with a decorative nozzle and pipe it into serving glasses or bowls. Chill thoroughly in the fridge, dust lightly with cocoa and decorate with the meringue ghosts before serving.
