Black Cherry Chocolate Mousse – 2021 Red Carpet Menu for Oscar®!
It’s the 2021 Red Carpet Menu for Oscar®! For Judas and the Black Messiah, it’s Judas and the Black Mousse-iah!
Oh how I love a Spring Garden Party! This theme is in honor of the late April Academy Awards but I love it regardless! Our last “set it and forget it” dish is the most delicious of desserts – with a twist!
The first thing to learn from watching this movie is that history does indeed repeat itself and times change… but don’t. It’s a tragedy for so many reason. Fred Hampton, leader of the Chicago Black Panthers was just 21 years old when the FBI murdered him based on the inside info they got from placing a mole, William O’Neal, in the Black Panther ranks.
You can’t help but wonder what could have been accomplished for good had Fred Hampton lived. As it is, he initiated the Rainbow Coalition to forge a multi-racial coalition for good. He was instrumental in a free breakfast program. Amazing what scares law enforcement – that positive change of a different shade can be so intimidating.
The movie was really well done. Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield are outstanding. The cut-aways and flash forwards through the movie are good – but the real footage at the end… wow.
Creating this dessert based on the title was pretty easy. Chocolate mousse is wonderful. I added a layer of cookie crumbles as representation of the mole – crumby. The black cherries represent the blood that was wrongfully shed, and the topping of whipped cream is the dollop of power of the FBI over everything.
OK – that’s pretty deep. So let’s turn it around and talk about the dessert on it’s own. The chocolate mousse is rich yet light and so easy to make! The texture and rich chocolate flavor that the cookie crumbs add is a welcome surprise. The cherries beautifully complement the chocolate dream. And nothing is better than some fresh whipped cream to top it all off!
It might be a heavy movie but this dessert is light and airy! Time to spoon up, people!
Happy Oscars!
Annette
Black Cherry Chocolate Mousse
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Large Saucepot
- Medium bowl
- Large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherries, pitted
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
- 4 eggs, large, yolks
- pinch of salt
- 3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup chocolate cookies, crumbled
Instructions
- Quarter half the cherries and in a small bowl, mix with 2 tbsp sugar. Set aside.
- In a large saucepot. heat 3/4 cup of cream until just hot.
- Whisk egg yolks, remaining sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Slowly add the hot cream to the egg mixture, whisking continuously.
- Transfer the mixture back into the pot, add the chocolate, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth, about 5-7 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- In a large mixing bowl, whip 1-1/4 cups of cream until stiff peaks form. Gently mix in about a fourth of the cream to the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream, keeping it airy. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Whip remaining 2 cups of cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Remove mousse from the fridge and spoon a layer into a serving dish. Add a layer of cookie crumbs, then more mouse. Add a teaspoon of chopped cherries, a dollop of whipped cream, and a couple of whole cherries. Serve.
