White Chocolate Mousse

This fabulous recipe is both simple and delicious, and a welcome taste of summer!  The one photographed below is from Stour Festival, where it was introduced for the first time last year.  It promptly disappeared!   If you make the mousse base using gluten-free digestive biscuits, it is also gluten-free.   The only tricky part of this recipe is having the ingredients at roughly similar temperatures - I've found that the chocolate doesn't mix well into the cream/crème fraiche mix if the latter are too cold.   Also, don't let the chocolate get too hot when you are melting it, as it goes granular.

White Chocolate Mousse

8oz/225g crushed digestive or Hobnob biscuits

4oz/100g plain dark chocolate

8oz/225g punnet of strawberries, hulled and sliced thinly

12oz/350g white chocolate

1 pint double cream

2 x 8 fl.oz/225ml tubs of crème fraiche

Use a 9” spring clip tin, and line the base with non-stick parchment.    Melt the dark chocolate, either in the microwave, or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water – don’t let the water touch the chocolate.   Mix in the crushed biscuits and spread it evenly in the tin.  Put the base into the fridge while you assemble the mousse. 

Whip the double cream until it is starting to thicken, but still soft, then stir in the crème fraiche.   Melt the white chocolate as above, stirring until only just melted.    Fold the chocolate into the whipped cream/crème fraiche, and then stir gently until it is smooth. 

Get the chocolate base out of the fridge, and place the strawberries all around the edge.  Pour/scoop the mousse into the tin, using it to prop up the strawberries at first, before smoothing the top.   Put it back into the fridge until it has set firm.  

To serve, remove the spring clip and carefully ease the mousse off the paper and metal base (I have a cake lifter which does this job amazingly well!).  Decorate the mousse – I usually use mint leaves and flowers.