Blood and Orange Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate, orange and blood. Three flavors that come together wonderfully in this recipe. It’s definitely a favorite.

Ingredients (for 6)

120g dark chocolate
45ml of pigs’ blood
6 egg whites
3 egg yolks
40g sugar + 10g
zest of one big orange
1 1/5 tbsp cream
pinch of salt

Method:

For the mousse :

Melt the chocolate with the butter, blood and milk in a bowl over a pan of hot water (bain marie). Whisk together until smooth and silky. Set aside to cool slightly.
Separate your eggs. Cream the sugar and egg yolks until they turn pale yellow, add the orange zests. Add these to the cooled chocolate.
Beat your egg whites to soft peaks, halfway through the process, add the rest of the sugar.
Fold the egg white carefully into the blood/chocolate mix. Divide into six glasses and set in the fridge for two hours before serving
Serve with candied orange peels, (cut into thin strips) on top.

For the candied orange zest :

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and add orange zest slices.
Boil 1 minute then place in the bowl of ice water until cooled. Drain.
In a large skillet over medium heat, bring 2 cups sugar, 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons orange juice just to a boil, and heat until sugar dissolves (stir occasionally).
Turn heat to medium-low and place orange slices in the sugar-water in a single layer.
Simmer (do not boil) the orange slices 45-60 minutes or until rinds are slightly translucent, turning every 15 minutes.
Place orange slices on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely, (1 hour or overnight).
If desired, sprinkle extra sugar over candied orange slices for added texture

Notes and Tips:

This mousse tends to get a little “runny” if it stays on the table too long. It’s better to enjoy it right away and not let it stand at room temperature too much.

The taste of the blood is very present in this recipe, especially if using fresh. It’s hard to describe but also excellent, the chocolate compliments the animal flavours wonderfully and the candied orange brings another dimension to the dish.

You can reduce the eggs in this recipe and increase the amount of blood, as they act very similarly. Just be aware that it may alter the finished product.