Recipe: how to make star chef Joris Bijdendijk’s famous chocolate mousse

If you’re planning to cook up a spectacular Christmas menu and take dinner to star level, this dessert by chef Joris Bijdendijk is perfect. 

Joris’s chocolate mousse has by now become a true classic, which you can pair perfectly with Aberfeldy’s 12- and 16-year-old single malt Scotch whisky. Joris: ‘At Christmas, we’re allowed to go all out! With this recipe, I’m revealing a few top secrets from my kitchen, with the delicious aromas you taste in Aberfeldy taking center stage.’

Feel free to put on some good music while cooking. Jazz musician Benjamin Herman has created a playlist that works perfectly while cooking: Aberfeldy’s Whisky Way Of Life – Cookin’ for Joris Bijdendijk.

How to make Joris Bijdendijk’s chocolate mousse

• The chocolate mousse: Whip the cream until it reaches the consistency of yogurt. Melt the glucose in a pan together with the water. Once dissolved, add the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Fold the cream into the chocolate using a rubber spatula, adding one third first and stirring until incorporated. Then add the rest. Leave to set in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
• The vanilla sauce: Pour the cream into a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. Halve the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds; mix them into the egg mixture. When the cream boils, pour it into the egg mixture in a thin stream while stirring well. Pour back into the pan and add the scraped vanilla pod as well. Do not bring the mixture to the boil now; keep stirring until it has thickened sufficiently.
• Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken further as it cools. I used a simple trick to check whether it was ready: Dip a spatula into the sauce, hold it horizontally and draw a line across the spatula with your finger. If the sauce doesn’t run back into the line you made, it’s ready. Just remove the vanilla pod from the sauce.
• The chocolate crumble: Mix everything in the food processor. Bake at 160 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir it with a fork every 10 minutes to break up the large pieces. Finish the dessert with edible gold leaf if you can find it.
• Whisky lover? Enjoy a glass of Aberfeldy 16-year-old Single Malt Scotch whisky neat with this dish.

And do you want to go all out at the end of the year? The Aberfeldy Goldbar edition is available only during the festive season. This is Aberfeldy 12 years single malt Scotch whisky presented in a luxurious golden case. This special edition makes the perfect holiday gift. You can find it for €43,99 at Gall&Gall.

Read also:

• You’ve got to be kidding: there’s a shortage of white chocolate
• Look no further: these are the BEST chocolate letters ever
• 5 things to keep in mind when baking with chocolate