Surrey Homes | SH109 | February 2024 | Education Supplement inside

Chocolate & rum
mousse with lemon &
rose shortbread hearts
This is a very rich, creamy chocolate
mousse and utterly delicious, but you
only need a small portion. I have served
in tiny vintage coffee cups that belonged
to my grandmother, alongside a crisp
shortbread. She always used to make us
the most perfect shortbread when we
arrived to visit. I love the addition of the
rose and lemon, but they are delightfully
simply with vanilla too. These can all
be made the day before if you wish.
For the mousse:
Makes 6 mini cups (but can
be doubled easily)
• 150g dark chocolate (at least
70% cocoa), plus a little to
grate over for decoration
• 2 large eggs separated – caution,
this recipe does contain raw eggs
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp of rum (do omit, or
Grand Marnier works well)
• 250ml approx. of fresh cream
1. Melt the chocolate over a pan
of barely simmering water.
2. Beat the eggs whites until
stiff, then add the sugar a
tablespoon at a time.
3. When the chocolate has melted
and cooled slightly, beat in the egg
yolks. Then stir this mix into the egg
whites, carefully. It will feel very stiff.
4. Add the cream, a bit at a time, to
create a smooth mix – approx 250ml,
it may be more, and stir in the rum.
5. Put into your desired serving dish.
Whip the remaining cream and top it.
Grate over a little chocolate if you wish.
6. Chill until ready to serve.
For the rose & lemon shortbread hearts:
These little hearts are so delicate, light
and crisp. The hint of rose and lemon
makes them a little bit different. I use a
third semolina flour for extra crispness,
but you could use just plain or rice
flour. When I roll my dough mix it does
seem to crack, but I just squidge back
together. And if you don’t have a heart
cutter, any shape will still taste delicious.
• 100g unsalted butter, at
room temperature
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 lemon, zest
• 2 tsp rose water (it can vary in
intensity, so add just a little at a time)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g plain flour
• 50g semolina
• caster sugar, to decorate
1. Using an electric mixer, beat together
the butter, sugar, lemon zest, rose water
and vanilla in a large bowl for about
5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
2. Scrape the bowl down and add the
flour and semolina and a pinch of salt,
mixing together briefly until it starts
to come together as a dough. Bring
together into a ball using your hands.
3. Put the dough on a flour board. Flour
the rolling pin, flatten the dough with
your hands, then roll out to 1-2cm thick.
4. Line a baking tray with non-stick
parchment. Using a heart cutter, cut out
the shortbread and put on the baking
sheet. Re-roll any dough left over and
cut some more hearts. If you can, chill
for about 30 minutes before cutting.
5. Preheat the oven to 170˚C, gas mark
3. Cook in the oven for about 10 mins
until golden at the edges. If you want,
take out at 8 minutes, sprinkle with some
caster sugar and put back in the oven.
6. Put on a cooling rack, and allow to
crisp before storing in an airtight tin.
Charlotte is a caterer in Kent and
is available for lunches, dinners,
parties and buffets. She also
teaches cookery workshops
and private lessons. For
more information, email
charlotte@butterworth.co.uk
or follow her on
Instagram & Facebook
@theneedy.greedy