Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with Cardamom Cream

May 2, 2014 by Laura Haugen 65 Comments

It’s been a while since I posted a chocolate recipe, and I decided that task needed my utmost attention. A pesky broken oven this week couldn’t thwart me. This chocolate mousse has a touch of coffee, and cardamom infuses the whipped cream. For a little crunch, I wanted to make some sort of brownie cookie crumble, but without an oven I kept it simple with a store-bought dark chocolate cookie, an indulgence of processed food I usually try to avoid. (Everything in moderation… including moderation, right, Julia?)  For the more ambitious and oven-outfitted, feel free to experiment with a homemade crumble. While this parfait is lightened a bit with some Greek yogurt — giving it a slightly tangy, chocolate cheesecake-like flavor — it is still abundantly rich and decadent, and a mini serving of it in a small tea glass goes a long way!

Happy Fiesta Friday and Happy Weekend!

Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with Cardamom Cream

• Servings: Makes 12 mini parfaits
• Time: 30 mins prep time, 3 hours chill time
• Difficulty: easy
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Adapted from this lovely recipe from Tori at The Shiksa in the Kitchen blog. Note: I made 6 mini parfaits in little tea glasses, then 2 quite large servings in goblets that probably would have filled 6 more little tea glasses. I recommend the mini portions, as these are super rich!

• 200 g. / 7 oz. dark chocolate for cooking (70 % cacao or more), chopped into slivers
• 4 Tbs. whole milk
• 2 Tbs. strong brewed coffee or espresso
• 6 Tbs. sugar
• pinch of salt
• 200 g./ 7 oz. of ricotta
• 150 g./ 5 oz. of Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• one sleeve dark chocolate cookies (about 24 cookies)
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• sugar to taste
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom
• chocolate shavings for garnish
• Optional: more Greek yogurt & ricotta and/or powdered sugar to adjust to desired sweetness & thickness

Directions:

1. In a double boiler (set a nonreactive metal bowl snugly over a pot of boiling water that doesn’t reach the bottom of the bowl) on the stovetop, combine chocolate, milk, coffee, and sugar and let melt while you stir gently. When the mixture is smooth and glossy, remove the bowl from the heat and let cool slightly.
2. Combine ricotta, yogurt, and vanilla in a large bowl. When chocolate is warm (not hot), drizzle it into the bowl and stir until well combined. Taste for sweetness and add  more yogurt/ricotta if too sweet, or a bit of powdered sugar if not sweet enough.
3. Place cookies in a sealable bag and pound with a mallet and/or rolling pin into crumbles.
4. Whip the cream (I use an immersion blender, but a whisk & muscle strength work) until foamy, add sugar to taste and cardamom and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Fold a dollop of this whipped cream into the chocolate mousse and mix until no streaks appear and chocolatey brown color is consistent throughout.
5. Fill small glasses with cookie crumbs, then mousse, then more cookie crumbs. Cover the whipped cream and store in the fridge. Chill the mousse glasses for at least 3 hours or overnight.
6. When ready to serve, spoon the whipped cream over the top of the mousse/crumble and garnish with chocolate shavings. These will keep fine in the fridge for a couple days if the creamy topping is left off until serving time.

Note: You can also add an extra layer of whipped cream in the mousse section — I tried this way too, but the ones without this layer came out neater-looking, in my opinion, and were simpler to do.