Mousse Filled Chocolate Hearts Recipes

WHITE-CHOCOLATE SPHERES FILLED WITH CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Place 2/3 of the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan with 1 to 2 inches of water to a simmer; turn off. Set bowl of chocolate over saucepan; melt. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until it reaches 118 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove bowl from saucepan; add remaining 1/3 chocolate to melted chocolate. Stir with a rubber spatula until melted chocolate cools to 84 degrees; remove unmelted pieces. Place bowl over pan; stir until thermometer reaches 88 degrees to 90 degrees.
• Using a very small pastry brush, brush a streak of red cocoa butter on each half of four 2-part 2 1/2-inch sphere-shaped molds. Repeat process with white cocoa butter. Using a larger pastry brush, brush entire mold with chocolate. Transfer mold to freezer until chocolate is firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully remove chocolate from molds, and place the bottom half of each mold onto a plate.
• Fill a disposable pastry bag with mousse; cut tip off bag. Pipe mousse into the bottom half of each chocolate mold. Add 2 quince balls to mold and top with a tuile.
• Working with one chocolate mold at a time, hold the top half of the mold, bottom side down, over a warm surface to soften slightly, about 10 seconds. Top bottom half of chocolate molds with top halves.
• Pipe two small dots of mousse on the top of each mold; attach a heart tuile to each. Heat poaching liquid from quince and drizzle over chocolate molds; serve immediately.

MOUSSE-FILLED CHOCOLATE HEARTS

Steps:

• For Hearts:
• Turn two 15x10-inch baking sheets bottom side up. Dab butter on corners. Cover each pan bottom with parchment paper; press paper into butter to anchor.
• Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water until melted. Spread white chocolate over 1 sheet of parchment. Stir semisweet chocolate in clean top of double boiler over simmering water until melted. Spread semisweet chocolate over second sheet of parchment. Chill both sheets until chocolates are dry but still slightly flexible when edge of parchment is lifted, about 3 minutes for dark chocolate and 5 minutes for white chocolate (do not let chocolate harden completely).
• Press heart-shaped cookie cutter about 3 inches long by 3 inches wide into chocolate, forming 12 hearts on each sheet (do not move or lifts hearts). Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• For Mousse:
• Combine both chocolates and butter in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly.
• Combine sugar, 2 tablespoons water and corn syrup in heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil until candy thermometer registers 238°F, tilting pan if necessary to submerge bulb of thermometer and brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush, about 4 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form.
• Gradually add boiling syrup to whites, beating until firm peaks form and meringue is completely cool, about 5 minutes. Gradually fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into cooled meringue.
• Beat cream and vanilla in small bowl until firm peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture. Chill until cold, about 1 hour. (Hearts and mousse can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; keep chilled.)
• Turn 1 sheet of hearts out onto work surface. Peel off parchment. Cut around hearts, if necessary, to free from sheet of chocolate. Place on baking sheet and chill; transfer trimmings to small saucepan and reserve. Repeat cutting out hearts from second sheet, reserving trimmings in another small saucepan.
• Arrange 12 hearts on baking sheet. Spread 1/4 cup of mousse over each, leaving 1/2-inch border. Top each with another chocolate heart. Refrigerate.
• Using fork, stir dark chocolate trimmings over very low heat just until melted. Using another fork, stir white chocolate trimmings over very low heat just until melted. Using another fork, stir white chocolate trimmings over very low heat just until melted. Dip tines of fork into dark chocolate; wave fork over hearts to form pattern. Repeat with white chocolate. Chill 1 hour to 8 hours. Serve cold.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH PUFF PASTRY HEARTS

Steps:

• Combine the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until just melted, about 6 minutes; remove from the heat and whisk until smooth and shiny.
• Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Combine 2 egg yolks, 6 tablespoons sugar, the cognac, vanilla and 2 tablespoons hot water in a separate heatproof bowl. Beat with a mixer until thick and pale yellow, about 7 minutes. Place the bowl over the pan of simmering water and continue beating until warm and tripled in volume, about 8 more minutes. Carefully rest the bowl in the ice water and beat until the mixture is cool and thick, about 2 more minutes. Gradually beat in the melted chocolate mixture until incorporated.
• Wash and dry the beaters. In a separate large bowl, beat 2 egg whites, the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and the salt until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Stir one-quarter of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the rest until incorporated. Transfer to four 8-ounce ramekins. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter or small knife, cut out 4 hearts (or circles) from the pastry. Brush with the beaten egg, transfer to the prepared baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 5 minutes. Bake until puffed and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely. Top each ramekin with whipped cream and a puff pastry heart.