[VIDEO] Instant Chocolate Mousse (with Greek yoghurt)

It’s been a very chaotic summer! Obviously trying to publicise my book has taken up a big chunk of it and I have been busy appearing at a number of food festivals. Add into the mix that we are trying to move house and a whole load of other work commitments and chaotic is indeed the operative word.

So it’s time to get back to some food! Sometimes I hit upon something accidentally. Something which works so brilliantly that I would love to be able to claim that I knew it was going to happen when I created it. Sadly, I cannot claim that my instant chocolate mousse was planned… but it certainly is instant. No need to refrigerate it – it really is ready to eat immediately.

I did some work for one of my favourite brands, Total Greek Yoghurt, over the summer to create some new ideas for lunchboxes. I decided to try to create a chocolate mousse which used Greek yoghurt to replace egg yolks. I figured it would lighten the mousse as the yolks tend to make the mousse rich. What I hadn’t counted on was the fact that the yoghurt somehow ensures that the mousse sets within minutes. I have no idea what the science is here but it really works. And not only does the mousse set quickly, it is also a wonderful texture – smooth and creamy, almost like chocolate fudge.

At the end of August, we held a big picnic at the foot of Tower Bridge, where I made all my creations, with the help of Archie! Proof again that this is a foolproof recipe. If it can work on a stage, with a cheeky and playful toddler almost sabotaging it, it can work anywhere.

Greek yoghurt chocolate mousse

Preparation time 10 minutes
This makes 4 smallish portions, perfect for a lunchbox (simply double the quantities to make 1 large bowl)

100g dark chocolate
2 egg whites
2 tbsp caster sugar
A big heaped tablespoon of Greek yoghurt (about 60-70g)

Melt the dark chocolate. The classic way is by putting it in a bowl and standing it in a saucepan over barely simmering water, without the bowl touching the water. For this recipe, you can just as easily melt it in a large bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes, or until it is fully melted.

Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks then whisk in the sugar.

Mix the Greek yoghurt into the melted chocolate.

Fold about one third of the whisked eggs into the chocolate, using a metal spoon in a figure of eight motion. Gently fold in the remaining whisked egg whites until they are nicely mixed in with the chocolate.

Carefully spoon the the mousse into four small pots.

The mousses will set almost instantly. They can be refrigerated for a couple of days too…