Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse

Polly put the kettle on, we’ll all have tea (and chocolate). There is a scene in “Lost in Austen” when Jane offers Miss Amanda Price a breakfast of tea, marmalade, and chocolate to go with their toast. Such a dainty start to their day. But what about tea in chocolate, like the strong bergamot of Earl Grey blended with dark chocolate to add that extra layer of adventure to the already perfect food that chocolate is. While reading theclothesmakethegirl I discovered a nice Paleo acceptable treat- Chocolate Mousse where the chocolate is whisked with water instead of cream. Huh? The recipe then pointed me to the original source Food 52 who adapted it from Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor. Oh, that it explains it all then, a science thing-a-do.  All that said, I am happy to have found it. Being Paleo I find it is hard to have a treat without going over the top, but I have made this many times already and placed the mousse in 1 ounce portions cups, which freeze very well, and pull one out every once in a while for a guiltless indulgence.  Nice.

It dawned on me to flavor the water with tea. I am sure any flavor would be nice especially Market Spice, I am thinking Christmastime, but my all-time favorite Earl Grey won the honors. What tea would you try?

Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse- adapted from Food 52
Ingredients:
8 ounces dark chocolate- I had  Ghirardelli  60% Dark on hand
3/4 cup boiling hot water
1 Earl Grey tea bag

Instructions:
Using a serrated knife chop up all your chocolate in small even pieces and place in a medium sized bowl. Steep the tea bag in hot water until desired strength, remove tea bag and pour the hot tea over the chocolate (do not let the water cool!), whisk until all the chocolate is melted and smooth. Place the bowl of chocolate in a larger bowl of ice and begin whisking until the chocolate turns thick like pudding- do not go too far or it will clump- Food 52 explains in step 3 how to fix this. I took it until it was the consistency of a soft pudding that peaked lightly from the whisk. The original recipe says this serves 4 but I will go with 8 as it is very rich. I divided mine into 14 tiny portion cups for a treat. Freezes well.

Note- This is a great recipe to play with and next time I will make my tea a bit stronger. The Earl Grey is so smooth with the chocolate and is such a nice surprise.

The real deal and sadly not Paleo, but oh so good- Chocolate Pots de Crème
Another guiltless Paleo Dessert- Coconut Crème Anglaise