Page 629 - YC Cooking School

in weight. In some cases the number of leaves is specified but this can be misleading and
can cause over or under-use as not all gelatine leaves are the same size.

Before you can use gelatine, it needs to be hydrated in ice cold water. The gelatine will
absorb the water, resulting in a soft spongy mass which is then melted into hot liquids. For
powder gelatine, use a ratio of 1 part gelatine to 3 parts ice cold water. There is no ratio for
the leaves. They will absorb as much water as they need to and end up looking shrivelled

and plastic-like. For the leaves, the hydrating process should take 30 seconds to a minute.
You can then remove them from the water, squeeze slightly and add them directly to the
hot liquid.

Cool the chocolate and milk mixture

It’s important to allow the chocolate and milk mixture to cool before adding the whipped
cream. If it’s too hot, the cream which gives the mousse body, will deflate.

Use cold cream to get the texture just right
Cream plays a very important role in the making of a smooth-textured mousse. It should

always be whipped very gently to soft peaks consistency. To test if the cream has reached
this stage, lift up a little with the whisk. It should form a peak that flops over a little. At the
stiff peaks stage, the peak you create with the whisk will look a lot firmer. Over-whipping
cream to firm or stiff peaks leads to excessive agitation of the fat and a texture that looks
split, giving the finished mousse a grainy texture.

Use normal whipping cream, with a fat content of no higher than 40% and keep it in the
fridge prior to whipping. Cold cream whips up more quickly and gives you better aeration.

Mix in the cream a little at a time

Adding cold whipped cream to chocolate mousse bases can shock the chocolate into
solidifying. To prevent this from happening, it’s important to temper the mixture. To do this,
add cold cream to the chocolate in stages. Add a third first, then fold in the remaining two
thirds. Folding keeps the mixture light and fluffy. To fold correctly, use a spoon to take the
mixture from the bottom and sides of the bowl and lift it to the top, turning the bowl as you
go.

5 tips for a top notch caramel filling

A caramel filling is amazingly versatile. Once cooled, you can add it to the centre of moulded
chocolates, use it as a filling for a chocolate mousse or add it to custards and creams to give

them a delicious caramel flavour. Here are a few tips for great caramel results.

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