COOKING: White Chocolate and Passionfruit Mousse (served in Chocolate Eggs)

I needed a nice, naughty and chocolatey dessert for Easter Sunday with the family. When I saw this recipe I fondly thought of my home grown passionfruit pulp frozen in batches in my freezer. I was sold.

The end result. Served in a 90 gram egg, held within a tea-cup. Cute huh?

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 8)

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh passionfruit pulp
• 200g white chocolate
• 300ml thickened cream
• 1 Tablespoon icing sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 8 x 90g chocolate easter eggs
• small eggs for decoration

METHOD: Have a look at step 7 - you may want to do this FIRST as I did. Then you are super ready.

1. Melt the white chocolate and set aside.

2. Use an electric beater to beat the egg yolks and caster sugar until pale and creamy. 

3. Fold in passionfruit pulp and cooled white chocolate. If the chocolate is too warm the mix may seize.

4. Beat the thickened cream until soft peaks form, then beat in the icing sugar - only beat for a further 1/2 minute on low speed - do not overwhip.

5. Wash the beaters well, dry them, and beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until firm peaks form.

6. Fold the cream and egg whites carefully into the passionfruit mixture. Go slow - if you take out too much of the whipped air at this stage, the mousse will not be light and fluffy.

7. Unwrap the tops of the chocolate eggs and take a small sharp knife - cut the very top off. Then use your fingers to break small pieces off the sides till 1/3 of the egg is gone. Chose cups or mugs which hold the eggs firmly and set them within.

8. Fill the eggs with the mousse and chill for 3-4 hours or overnight until set.

9. Decorate with chocolate shards, sprinkles or little eggs and serve.

Original recipe was sourced from Michelle Southan, Fresh Living Magazine, 28th March 2005, page 36. I changed it a bit.

I melted the white chocolate in my trusty pyrex jug in the microwave - took about 1 min 45 seconds on HIGH.

Getting ready to whip the egg yolks and sugar to creamy stage.

Getting ready to fold in the cooled chocolate and passionfruit pulp.

Folded successfully - no seizing!!!! YAY!

Whipped the cream, then added the icing sugar and whipping a little more.

Dropped the cream into the passionfruit mix...... a little fold....

Then finished the folding process with the egg whites. Be patient, be slow.

Lovely fluffy mixture was then filled into the eggs - divide between the eggs.

Because I needed to transport these to my Dads' place the next morning - I found it handy to re-fold the wrapper over the top of the eggs, prior to putting them in a sealed container for chilling.

RESULT:   Really, really good. I score them a 9.5 / 10.

But I am a white chocolate freak!!!