Tim Spector’s Chocolate Olive Oil Mousse

From Tim Spector’s Food For Life Cookbook

Extra virgin olive oil and dark chocolate make for a deliciously rich and bitter combination, and a polyphenol packed mousse. If you can, use a good-quality fruity olive oil to take this to the next level. We’ve used aquafaba from a tin of chickpeas instead of egg whites; next time you use some in a recipe, keep the liquid and store it in the freezer for desserts like this.

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 100g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1–2 pinches of salt
• 140ml aquafaba (liquid from a tin of chickpeas at room temperature)
• 70g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 150g cherries (fresh or frozen), stoned

Top-up:
Crème fraîche
Chopped hazelnuts

Method
1. Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and slowly melt the chocolate (make sure the bowl does not touch the water). When ready, remove from the heat and add the olive oil, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine.

2. Put the aquafaba in the clean, grease-free bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk for about 5 minutes, or until it forms stiff peaks.

3. Stir a spoon of the aquafaba into the chocolate mixture and then add the chocolate mixture to the whisked aquafaba. Use a metal spoon to gently fold the mixture together – don’t beat it or you will lose the airy texture.

4. Spoon into four small glasses and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Top with cherries, an extra drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.