Gordon Ramsay’s chocolate mousse is rich, light and set in glasses, made with dark chocolate, butter, egg yolks, sugar and double cream. The Ultimate Cookery Course version adds chilli-infused butter and mango on top, but the base works on its own. Serves 4, plus 2 hours chilling.
This recipe appears in the Ultimate Cookery Course. Ramsay also demonstrates it on YouTube, calling it “the most amazing light exciting chocolate mousse that can be put together in literally minutes.” The technique has three stages: melt the chocolate, make a sabayon, whip the cream.
The cream is the step people get wrong. Ramsay says “whipping the cream to a three-quarter stage, if we overwhip it it will split.” He whisks in a figure of eight, spinning the bowl as he goes. It should sit inside the whisk and just start to fall out.
Gordon Ramsay Chocolate Mousse
Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Intermediate4
servings20
minutes450
kcal20
minutesFrom the Ultimate Cookery Course: dark chocolate melted with butter, folded through a sabayon and softly whipped cream. The chilli and mango are optional. Sets in the fridge in 2 hours.
Ingredients
150g (5 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
50g (2 oz) unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
60g (2 oz) caster sugar
2 tbsp cold water
175ml (6 fl oz) double cream
- Optional chilli and mango (UCC version):
2-3 mild red chillies, deseeded and chopped
1 small ripe mango, sliced
Directions
- Infuse the butter (optional): If adding chilli, melt the butter in a small pan with the chopped chillies over low heat. Leave to infuse for 30 minutes, then strain and discard the chilli. Skip this step for a classic mousse and just melt the butter.
- Melt the chocolate: Break the chocolate into small pieces in a large heatproof bowl. Add the butter and set over a pan of gently simmering water. Heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove and cool to room temperature.
- Make the sabayon: Put the egg yolks, sugar and cold water in a large bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk with a hand-held electric whisk for 5-10 minutes until you have a pale, thick foam that holds a trail when the beaters are lifted.
- Whip the cream: In a separate bowl, softly whip the cream with a balloon whisk to a three-quarter stage. It should sit inside the whisk and just start to fall out. Do not overwhip or it will split.
- Fold together: When the chocolate, sabayon and cream are all at the same temperature, gently fold the sabayon into the chocolate with a large metal spoon. Then fold in the whipped cream using a figure-of-eight motion. Work quickly and gently.
- Set and serve: Divide between 4 small glasses and chill for at least 2 hours. Top with sliced mango if using the UCC version.
FAQs
Why infuse the butter with chilli?
Ramsay’s UCC twist: melt butter with chopped mild red chillies over low heat, infuse 30 minutes, strain. The chilli heat sits in the background behind the chocolate. Skip it and use plain melted butter for a classic mousse.
Ramsay writes: “Chocolate and chilli is one of those combinations made in heaven, and the mango just takes it to another dimension.”
Can you make this in 4 minutes?
On The F Word, Ramsay makes a simplified version in under 4 minutes. He melts the chocolate, boils the cream and pours it straight over, whisks over ice to set faster, adds amaretto to perfume it, and folds in crushed amaretti biscuits for crunch.
No sabayon step. It’s looser than the UCC version but sets enough to serve in glasses straight away.
What about the Crunchie bar version?
On the Cookalong, Ramsay tops the mousse with crushed Crunchie bar for a honeycomb crunch. Make the recipe as written, chill for 2 hours, then scatter crushed Crunchie over each glass before serving.
Why must everything be the same temperature?
Ramsay says to fold the sabayon into the chocolate, then fold in the cream, but only “when the melted chocolate and egg yolk mixtures are at the same temperature as the whipped cream.”
If the chocolate is too warm it melts the cream. If the cream is too cold it seizes the chocolate into lumps. Let everything cool to room temperature before folding.
How long does it keep?
The mousse holds in the fridge for up to 2 days covered. The texture improves overnight as the chocolate firms up. Add the mango topping just before serving so it stays fresh. For a lighter, no-egg version, the avocado chocolate mousse from Ultimate Fit Food uses just four ingredients at 147 calories per serving. The white chocolate mousse from Ultimate Home Cooking goes the other direction: raspberries, lime and mint for a summer dessert.
