Chocolate box with rich chocolate and amaretto mousse, served with raspberry and passion fruit teardrops

Ingredients

(serves four)

4oz bitter chocolate
1oz unsalted butter
9fl oz double cream
6 egg whites
1oz caster sugar
1tbs Amaretto

Method

Melt chocolate add soft butter slowly. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold gently into chocolate mixture. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form beat in caster sugar add Amaretto fold gently into chocolate mixture. Chill for an hour.

For the chocolate box
1lb dark tempered chocolate
4oz raspberries

Method

Melt chocolate slowly. Pour on to a sheet of silicon paper.

Spread thinly with a palette knife. When almost set cut 20 2in squares. Place in fridge.

For the sugar strands:
4oz sugar
1oz glucose
Water

Method

Make a caramel with sugar glucose and a little water. Leave one minute to cool.

Using a teaspoon and a lightly greased steel pull the caramel around and up the steel in a spiral effect.

When 3in long stop. Leave to cool then lift off. Repeat eight times.

For the coulis
½lb frozen raspberries
4oz caster sugar
¼tsp lemon juice
Passion fruit

Method

Reserve a few raspberries for decoration.

For the raspberry coulis purée the rest of the raspberries with caster sugar and lemon juice and pass through sieve.

For the passion fruit coulis halve the fruit and scoop outpulp.

To put together

Dip edges of four chocolate squares in chocolate and join together to make a box shape. Pipe in the mousse add a few raspberries. Place a "lid" on top first dipping in chocolate to make it stay in place then lean it against the raspberries.

Pipe two teardrop shapes either side and flood with coulis.

Dust lightly with icing sugar.