Mousse au chocolat recipe

I remember a chocolate mousse I had on a skiing holiday a few years ago that was amazing because it was light, which is exactly what I feel a mousse should be. Luckily for us in this book, a light mousse texture tends to mean it will also be light on the calories. This recipe has a great balance of chocolatiness and air. Serves 6 134 calories per serving 100g dark chocolate (85% cocoa solids), broken into squares, plus a little extra for garnish 4 egg whites 50g sugar pinch salt Heat the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water, until the chocolate has completely melted. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl until stiff peak stage. Using a spatula, beat one-third of the egg-white mixture into the cool chocolate mixture. You don't have to be delicate here: it's just a case of introducing the egg whites to the chocolate roughly. Next, delicately fold the second third of the egg white into the bubbly chocolate mixture until it is well incorporated and is getting yet more bubbly and light. Finally, when all the white air pockets have gone, fold the remaining egg white delicately into the chocolate mixture until the mixture is a uniform texture and colour. Carefully pour or ladle the mixture into six pretty glasses and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Using a potato peeler, shave a little dark chocolate over the mousses for decoration before serving. Cooking tip Nothing in the world is easier than adding a little flavouring to the mixture at the stage when you're folding the last of the egg white into the chocolate. I like peppermint extract (¼ tsp is enough), or Grand Marnier (1 tsp is good) for a little bit of boozy orange flavouring. I would then use a garnish of mint leaves or grated orange zest. Skinny secret Using 85% chocolate means that you're stretching the chocolate flavour without adding to the quantity of chocolate used. The full chocolate hit in this mousse means that you don't need to add cream, butter or egg yolks, all of which pack on extra calories. • This recipe is taken from The Skinny French Kitchen by Harry Eastwood (Bantam, £20). Buy a copy for £16 from the Guardian bookshop