This mousse has a rich, truffly texture and my husband describes it as tasting ‘shop bought, but in a good way’, which from him is praise indeed. The almond extract gives in a sophisticated amaretto flavour, but without the alcohol.
Serves 4
½ tin pear halves
½ tin chestnut puree (unsweetened)
3tbsp soya milk
1tbsp icing sugar
1/2tsp natural almond extract
175g dairy-free dark chocolate plus extra for grating/making hearts
Place the pears, chestnut puree, soya milk, icing sugar and almond essence in the food processor and blend until completely mixed and smooth. Next, gently heat the chocolate in a heavy-bottomed pan until it has almost melted. Take off the heat and stir with a spoon until the melting is complete. Add to the food processor and blend again. Pour into some form of attractive glass, grate some of the extra chocolate on the top and then refrigerate. I made the little hearts by melting a little more chocolate and spooning into a heart shape on a piece of baking parchment, then allowing to harden.