Black Forest Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, separated
• 300 ml double cream
• 40 g caster sugar
• 200 g dark chocolate, 70%, broken into pieces
• 2 tbsp kirsch, or cherry brandy
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 x 400g tin pitted black cherries, drained, juice reserved
• 50 g dark chocolate, shaved or grated, to serve

Method

1. Melt the 200g dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until glossy and smooth. Lift off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes — it should feel just warm to the touch, not hot, or it will scramble the yolks the moment they go in.
2. Beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar and a pinch of fine salt for 2–3 minutes until pale, thick, and ribboning off the whisk. The salt is non-negotiable here — it sharpens the cocoa and stops the mousse tasting flat. Stir into the cooled chocolate along with the kirsch; the mixture will tighten and turn deep, satiny brown.
3. In a spotlessly clean bowl — any trace of fat and they won't whip — whisk the egg whites to stiff, glossy peaks that hold their shape when you lift the whisk. In another bowl, whip 200ml of the double cream to soft, billowy peaks. Stop while it still flops gently from the whisk; over-whipped cream folds in as lumps, not clouds.
4. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until almost combined. Add the egg whites in two additions, folding with a large metal spoon in slow, sweeping strokes from the bottom up. Taste the mousse before it goes into the glasses — it should be deep and just-sweet with the salt singing behind the chocolate. Adjust now, not at the table.
5. Divide between 6 glasses or coupes, smoothing the tops, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally 4, until set with a soft wobble at the centre.
6. For the compote, whisk the reserved cherry juice with the cornflour in a small pan until smooth — no lumps, or you'll get floury streaks. Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium hob, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes until thickened and glossy enough to coat the back of a spoon. Off the heat, stir in the drained cherries and leave to cool completely; it should be syrupy and deep ruby.
7. Just before serving, whip the remaining 100ml double cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks.
8. Crown each mousse with a generous spoonful of the cooled cherry compote, a billowing dollop of cream, a shower of dark chocolate shavings, and — if you like — a fresh cherry with its stem perched on top.