Chocolate mousse with orange syrup

Right, this is ridiculous. I've made yet another chocolate dessert, why, why, why. Why do all my desserts always turn out chocolate filled?

This dessert was brought on by a conversation about mousse with my boyfriend. He loves mousse, in fact his favourite childhood memory involves mousse from Pizza Hut. years later,Pizza Hut all you can eat bars have since vanished and so have their mousse. Anyway, it turned out he'd never had homemade mousse yet alone made it. So we set about making it, he insisted it be chocolate mousse like the stuff that came "out of the mousse machine".

Mousse is incredibly easy to make. There are only a few ingredients and even less steps. There's not a whole lot that can go wrong and I'm sure, even if it doesn't quite work out, it'd still taste delicious.

Chocolate mousse with orange syrup

(adapted from Delicious Magazine, March 2010)
Serves 4-6

Chocolate mousse

150g dark chocolate, 60%-70%
1 egg
30ml cognac
250ml (1 cup) single cream

Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Once melted, stir gently until smooth.

Place the eggs in a separate heat proof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Using a balloon whisk, whick until light for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gently whisk the chocolate mixture into the eggs and stir in the cognac. Remove from heat and set aside.

Using electric beaters, whip the cream to soft peaks. Gently fold into chocolate mixture. Pour Mousse into four 185 ml custard cups, cover, and chill for at least 1 hour.

Orange syrup

110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon corn flour
Juice of half an orange
1 1/2 oranges, segmented

Place the caster sugar and water in a small suacepan over a low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Increase heat ro medium and cook, without stirring for 2-3 minutes.

Dissolve the cornflour in the juice, stirring to form a smooth paste. Return sugar syrup to low heat and stir in the cornflour mixture, then stir in the orange segments To serve, pout over mousse.