Recipe from Lisa Biggerstaff, pastry chef, Dacapo’s on the Parkway, Houston.
Mousse
9 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 ounces butter, melted
1 pint whipping cream
3 medium eggs
1 1⁄2 teaspoons dark rum
1 tablespoon espresso or strong coffee
Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Melt butter in a pan. Set both aside and keep at room temperature. Whip cream and refrigerate. Using a mixer, whip eggs until light and creamy, about 20 minutes. Add melted chocolate and butter to egg mixture, whipping fast and hard until thoroughly blended. Stir in rum and espresso, then fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.
Iceberg
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 to 6 ounces hazelnuts, toasted
Melt chocolate in a double boiler. When soft, pour onto parchment paper and spread into a thin sheet using a spatula. Drop hazelnuts onto chocolate. When hardened, break into irregular pieces.
Raspberry and Mango Sauces
1 twelve-ounce package frozen unsweetened raspberries
3 ripe mangoes, peeled and seeded
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 plastic squeeze bottles edible gold dust (optional, available at some restaurant supply stores and Indian specialty food stores)
Thaw and purée raspberries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor. Strain out seeds and set aside. Purée mangoes and remaining sugar and set aside. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring until smooth. Put puréed raspberries in a saucepan and add half of cornstarch mixture. Boil gently, stirring, for 1 minute. Cool and transfer to plastic squeeze bottle. Repeat steps with mango mixture. Put individual scoops of mousse on a plate. Stick several pieces of broken chocolate iceberg in each one and paint pieces with edible gold dust. Decorate plates with raspberry and mango sauces. Serves 8.
