Popcorn never fails to add a playful, Willy Wonka-like note to a dish. But it’s more than just a bit of fun here, as it adds a welcome crunch with the slightest hint of salt to the sweet chocolate mousse and caramel sauce. This is a great assemble-it-yourself recipe for children.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Mousse
- 4½oz (125 g) milk chocolate
- 3 fl oz (75 ml) double or regular cream
- 2 eggs, separated
For the Toffee Popcorn
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 oz (25 g) popcorn kernels
- ¾ oz (20 g) butter
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ oz (20 g) brown sugar
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
For the Caramel Sauce
- 8 oz (225 g) caster or granulated sugar
- 4 oz (110 g) butter
- 6 fl oz (175 ml) double or regular cream
How to Make It
- Finely chop the chocolate. In a saucepan, bring the cream up to the boil, turn off the heat, add the chocolate to the cream and stir it around until the chocolate melts. Allow to cool slightly, then whisk in the egg yolks.
- In a separate clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites until just stiff, then stir a quarter of the egg white into the cream mixture. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the rest of the egg whites.
- Spoon into little bowls, glasses or cups or one serving bowl and leave in the fridge for 2–3 hours to set.
- Next make the toffee popcorn. Place the oil in a saucepan with a lid on a medium–low heat. Add the popcorn kernels and swirl the pan to coat the popcorn in the oil. Put the lid on, then turn the heat down to low and listen for the popping! As soon as the popping stops, turn off the heat and tip into a bowl.
- Melt the butter in a separate saucepan with the pinch of salt, add the brown sugar and golden syrup and stir over a high heat for 1–2 minutes. Pour the toffee over the popcorn, and toss to mix in the toffee sauce. Allow to cool.
- As it cools, the toffee surrounding the popcorn will harden – break it up with your hands so that it doesn’t set into one great big lump.
- To make the caramel sauce, dissolve the sugar in 75 ml (3 fl oz) water in a pan over a medium heat. Stir in the butter, raise the heat a little and bubble, stirring occasionally, until it turns a light toffee colour. This may take about 15–20 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in half the cream. When the bubbles die down, stir in the rest of the cream.
- The sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and reheated when necessary.
- To serve, drizzle the caramel sauce over the chocolate mousse, then scatter with the toffee popcorn.