White Chocolate Mousse With Cherry Sauce And Dark Chocolate Hearts

Serves: 6
Level of Difficulty: Medium

This dessert was served at the annual Amber House Sweetheart Gourmet Weekend in 2007. You can use purchased heart shaped chocolates for garnish or skip the chocolate hearts altogether to simplify preparation.

Mousse Ingredients:
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup milk
2 t. cornstarch
6 T. sugar
6 ounces white chocolate baking bar, grated
1 t. vanilla
3 cups whipping cream

To Prepare the White Chocolate Mousse:
Chill a mixing bowl. Combine egg yolks, milk, 2 t. cornstarch and 6 T. sugar in heavy saucepan. Cook stirring over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Continue to cook stirring about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the grated chocolate and vanilla until chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Beat whipping cream on low speed in the chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold the cool vanilla baking bar mixture into the whipped cream. Spoon the mixture into a 4 quart (or two 2 quart) Pyrex dishes. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours until set.

Cherry Sauce Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
4 T. cornstarch
1 cup water
4 cups frozen, pitted tart red cherries
2 T. orange liqueur

To Prepare the Cherry Sauce:
Combine 1 cup sugar and 4 T. cornstarch in saucepan. Whisk in water. Add cherries and cook, stirring over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Continue to cook, stirring about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange liqueur. Cool slightly. (You will have leftover sauce – it’s great on pancakes or spooned over pound cake.)

To serve spoon mousse onto dessert plates or stemmed glasses. Drizzle with warm cherry sauce. Garnish with chocolate hearts if using and serve.

Dark Chocolate Hearts:

Coarsely chop about 4 ounces of good-quality semi-sweet chocolate. Put the chocolate on top of prepared double boiler (be sure water in bottom pan does not touch). Place pan over low heat. Temper chocolate by stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until completely smooth – this takes 15 minutes or so. Be sure the water does not boil while you are doing this.

Pour the melted chocolate onto a shallow baking sheet lined with parchment and spread evenly to 1/8 – 1/16” thickness. Allow the chocolate to stand until it is almost dry – but not hardened.

Firmly press small heart shaped cookie cutter into the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to harden completely. Carefully slide the hearts off the paper using a small flat spatula or knife.


Mary Schlueter is the chef/innkeeper of Amber House Bed & Breakfast. Amber House is located in the village of Rocheport, Missouri, recently name one of the "Ten Coolest Small Towns in America" by Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine.

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