Pastel White Chocolate Mousse Pots

These pastel white chocolate mousse pots were made to serve as a treat for Iftar during the last few days of Ramadan. I am so glad I made them, because they went down so well and were loved by everyone. 

I had initially planned on making chocolate mousse pots and set about making sure I had all the ingredients. But once the time came to make them I realised I had missing the one main ingredient I needed - chocolate! I nearly always have some form of cooking chocolate in my pantry and didn't think to check. All I had on hand was white chocolate but I really wanted to make the mousse so white chocolate it would have to be! I actually wasn't sure if the mousse would turn out the same way as if I were to used plain or milk chocolate, because of the butter to cocoa difference in ratio between the two. Still I didn't let this deter me. I also discovered I had little jars of pastel coloured chocolate curls, and so of course, a little light bulb went flashing on in my head telling me to make pastel coloured mousse!

The result? This mousse came out perfect. It was creamy, smooth, with little air bubbles and so delectable even the non-sweet toothed members of my family enjoyed it. Its fairly easy and simple to make, and if you want to make it less complicated or just want plain white chocolate mousse, you can definitely leave out the food colouring.

The pots I used were petite, and the right size for serving something sweet after a day of fasting without any food. It is a very sweet mousse, as white chocolate is definitely the sweetest of chocolates, though this did not make the mousse sickeningly sweet in any way at all. 

And wouldn't these be really pretty to serve at a dinner or birthday party (just as I like to think a lot of my desserts on Beela Bakes are!). I already know this is another dessert I'm going to be making time and time again, and looking at these photos I'm already drooling and dreaming up the next excuse I have to make them!

Pastel White Chocolate Mousse Pots
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Makes 8 small portions, or 4 normal

228g white chocolate, chopped
5 tblsp water
2 eggs, separated
1 tblsp caster sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup, plus 2 tblsp heavy/double cream
Pink and green food gels, for tinting
White or coloured chocolate curls to decorate

1. Combine the white chocolate and water in a medium bowl. Place the bowl over a small saucepan filled with about 1 inch of water, and simmer over low heat.
2. Stir the mixture continuously until it is melted and smooth, and remove the bowl off the heat.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, salt, and one and a half teaspoon of the sugar until it is smooth. Now pour the white chocolate mixture into the eggs and whisk well to combine. Let the mixture cool slightly for about five minutes. 
4. Using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites until foamy for about one minute. Add the remaining sugar into the egg whites and now whisk for about two minutes until soft peaks have formed.
5. With a spatula gently fold a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold in until the white streaks have disappeared. 
6. In the same mixing bowl used for the egg whites, add the heavy cream and whisk until it begins to thicken for about a minute. Fold the cream into the mousse mixture, until no white streaks remain. 
7. Separate two-thirds of the mixture equally into two smaller bowls, so that a third of the mixture still remains in the large bowl. Using a tooth-pick tint a very small amount of green gel food colouring, about two drops worth, into one of the bowls, and mix until a pale green colour is formed. Repeat with the pink food gel in another other bowl. You will now have three mousse mixtures - white, green and pink. 
8. Spoon the mixtures into individual serving cups and cover with plastic wrap/clingfilm. Leave to set in the fridge for at least two hours and upto twenty-four hours. 

N.B. Look for pasteurized eggs at your supermarket if you are concerned about using raw eggs here.