The best chocolate mousse in the world

Usually I try to post recipes that are vegetable-centric, and healthy where possible. But we all need indulgences sometimes. On this occasion we were having people round to dinner and a dessert was required. In fact, a dairy-free dessert was required. But this dish is so rich and indulgent that it wouldn't strike you as free-from anything.

Chocolate mousse might sound complicated to make, but as long as you can separate eggs and have an electric whisk, it's not at all. The only slightly tricky part is mixing in the egg whites without knocking all the air out of them, but with patience and a gentle hand you should get there in the end. (It strikes me that this could equally be advice for bringing up children.)

For me dark chocolate and raspberries is one of the world's great combinations, so I added a hint of raspberry with the help of framboise liqueur, and served it with some fresh raspberries. British raspberries are in season at the moment, and are one of my favourite fruits. But you could leave this part out, or swap for a different liqueur (something orange or even hazelnut-flavoured would work well).

As for the title, I obviously haven't tested every chocolate mousse in the world. But I reckon this one is hard to beat.

Ingredients 

Serves 4

150g dark chocolate, at least 70pc cocoa solids
2 tbsp raspberry liqueur
5 medium eggs
1 small punnet raspberries (optional)

Method

Break the chocolate into pieces and place it in a bowl or small saucepan. Boil a kettle and part-fill a large saucepan with boiling water. Put the bowl/small pan inside the larger pan of boiling water. Recipes often tell you that the bowl mustn't touch the boiling water in case the chocolate scorches, but I've never yet had this happen.

Pour into four ramekins and chill for two hours, or until set. It's fine to make them the day before if you want. Just before serving, decorate with a raspberry, if using, and serve with some extra raspberries on the side.