Triple Chocolate Mousse

I've posted this before, long time back but heck, it's Christmas! What's Christmas without some sweet temptations?

I made this for my little get-together a week before Christmas and I think someone's going to blame me for his/her weight gain :P

This recipe was taken off Anna Olsen's "Sugar" programme and it went onto my "die-die-must-try-to-make" list immediately. Here's the ingredient list:

Dark Chocolate layer:
6oz (~ 170g. I'd give it a bit more) Dark Chocolate (I have used Cadbury Old Gold 70% cocoa and Carrefour housebrand 74% cocoa and both are good)
1/2 teaspoon gelatin powder
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cup whipping cream

White Chocolate layer:
5oz (~ 141g) White Chocolate
1/4 teaspoon gelatin powder
1/4 milk
1/2 cup whipping cream

Milk Chocolate layer:
6oz (~ 170g) Milk Chocolate
1/4 teaspoon gelatin powder
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping cream

How to:
The method for all layers are the same. You should only prepare each layer as and when you need it.

1. Stir the gelatin into the milk and let it sit for a while.
2. Melt chocolate in a bain marie (or over a pot of simmering water), stirring constantly.
3. Heat the milk till it just starts to bubble and whisk it into the melted chocolate.
4. Let the chocolate + milk mixture cool to room temperature.
5. Whisk the whipping cream into a soft peak.
6. Gently fold whipped cream into cooled chocolate mixture.
7. Pour into mould and even out. Chill till set before putting on next layer.

Chilling times:
Milk Chocolate: at least 4 hours
Dark & White Chocolate: at least 1 hour

My notes:

The quantity here for the white and milk chocolate is half of the quantity Anna Olsen's original recipe. I'm not much of a sweets person so I've decided to use less of the milk and white.

Depending on how you are serving the mousse, you can change the sequence of the layers as you wish but I find the dark/white/milk sequence tastes best (especially when you have your spoon right to the bottom and spoon out all 3 layers into your mouth at the same time... heavenly...). Just make sure that each layer is well set before you pour on the next layer (otherwise the layers may mix up together).

For ease of serving, I used individual cups but you can also make it in a big tray. Just make sure you line the tray with a plastic wrap first. To serve, put a large serving plate over the mousse, tip the whole thing over and peel off the plastic. Slice the mousse with a hot, dry knife and use a cake server to lift off.

Garnishing:
Anna Olsen used a Dacquoise Crunch (a meringue spread thin and slow-baked, then broken up into pieces). I didn't do this because of time constraint. I just might try it next week :)

Have fun!