Dark chocolate mousse with plum compôte

• By Claire Borg

For 8 people, you will need:

12 large yellow plums - about 500g (washed), three tablespoonfuls of sugar, 150g of dark chocolate, six eggs (separated), 250ml of double cream, 50ml of milk, one tablespoonful of sugar, a pinch of fine salt, a shot of coffee liqueur, 200ml of cream for decoration (whipped up).

Whisk the double cream until soft peaks form. Set this aside. Whisk the egg-whites, sugar and salt until soft peaks form, and set this aside too. Over very low heat, melt the chocolate together with the milk and coffee liqueur, in a small saucepan, whilst constantly stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and add the yolks one at a time whilst whisking with a hand whisk. Add half of the whisked egg-whites to the chocolate mixture, and mix thoroughly. Fold in the remaining half. Gently fold in the cream. Place this in a clean bowl and refrigerate it until it sets, which should take two to three hours. Peel and deseed the plums. Chop them coarsely, and place them in a saucepan with a bit of sugar, stirring until it dissolves. Cook this over medium heat until the fruit thickens and the excess liquid evaporates, which should take about 20 to 30 minutes. Set the pan aside until it cools. To serve, place alternating spoonfuls of mousse, fruit compôte and whipped cream in layers.