Ravneet Gill’s recipe for a decadent Christmas chocolate and caramel mousse

A good chocolate mousse is a must in any pudding repertoire, and I guarantee that, once you’ve made this one, you’ll be going back for more. Over the festive season, I think it’s fun to be lavish and go all out to impress, so grab that trifle bowl in the back of your cupboard or pick up a secondhand glass pudding bowl at a local charity shop – there always seems to be one lurking at the back.

Decadent chocolate and caramel mousse

Comforting and elegant, this is the perfect pud for a celebration. You’ll need some toothpicks for the caramelised hazelnuts. I used a 22cm-diameter x 12cm-deep serving bowl.

Prep 25 min
Cook 25 min
Chill Overnight
Serves 10

For the caramel sauce
150g caster sugar
75g unsalted butter, softened
250ml double cream
Flaky salt

For the creme anglaise
2 gelatine leaves
110ml double cream
200ml whole milk
40g caster sugar
4 large egg yolks
300g dark chocolate (I use one that’s 70% cocoa solids)
400ml double cream, lightly whipped

To finish
25g roast hazelnuts
50g caster sugar
1 x 100g bar white chocolate, frozen

First, make the caramel sauce. Heat the sugar gently in a medium saucepan until it melts and turns a deep amber colour, then whisk in the butter and cream, and bring to a boil. Take off the heat, add a pinch of salt and set aside.

Now start the creme anglaise. Soak the gelatine in ice-cold water until softened, squeeze out the excess water and set aside.

In a small pan, heat the cream, milk, half the caster sugar and a pinch of salt until steaming. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar. Pour the steaming milk into the egg yolk bowl, mix well, then tip back into the pan and stir over a medium heat until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pour into a heatproof bowl, stir in the gelatine and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave or over a bain-marie. Pour the creme anglaise into the melted chocolate and whisk gently until combined. Once the mix has cooled enough to touch, it should have a pourable consistency. Fold in the lightly whipped cream, making sure there are no lumps.

Drizzle a third of the caramel sauce into the base of a serving bowl and swirl it around so it coats the sides. Pour the mousse on top and chill overnight to set.

For the hazelnuts, skewer each one with a toothpick and lay some newspaper on the floor below a work surface. Melt the caster sugar in a saucepan until it has a light amber colour, then dip in the hazelnuts one by one. Tape the end of each stick on to the side of the work surface, so the caramel-coated nut hangs over the edge and any excess caramel drips on to the paper on the floor. Once the caramel has set, pull the coated nuts off the toothpicks.

When ready to serve, gently reheat the remaining caramel, pour over the top of the set mousse, shave on the frozen white chocolate, then strew with the caramelised hazelnuts and serve.

Fiona Beckett’s drinks match

Under £10
Aldi Riverina 8-Year-Old Muscat £9.99 (375ml) Aldi, 18%. This Australian sticky has lashings of treacle-toffee flavours that echo those of Rav’s wickedly indulgent dessert.

Over £10
Penfolds Father Grand Tawny 10-Year-Old £22.99 Fraziers, £24.99 (or £19.99 on “mix six”) Majestic, 18.5%. Australia’s answer to tawny port: rich, spicy and warming.