White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Chambord sauce

Oh yes, it's as good as it looks and sounds! The only secret, is that it's SUPER easy to make! Seriously, this is the easiest dessert I've ever found for family get-togethers, or when you just want to spoil yourself with a restaurant style confection. The hardest part is pushing the raspberry sauce through a strainer, and I suppose I could've settled for less than every drop of liquid on this step. I'm a little weird, what can I say? LOL

Just another quickie note - normally I'd pour the just-mixed mousse to set up in whatever fancy container I was planning on serving it in (usually individual servings.) This time I let it set up in a different container (ie a bowl,) and tried to make it look smooth after adding it to my glass. As you can see, it doesn't look smooth on the surface, but if you make it right, this is the smoothest, lightest dessert ever!

Since berries are out of season here in Chicago, I'd also recommend serving more hardy fruit with the chocolate mousse, like sliced oranges in a sugar sauce (or Grand Marnier!)

For the mousse, you'll need:

1 2/3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
8 oz fine white chocolate (Lindt is best!)

For quicker results, chill large bowl & beaters in freezer for 30 minutes prior to start. Melt chocolate and 2/3 cup cream in double boiler or microwave. (For microwave, start with 1 minute on high, and add 30 seconds as necessary. Chopping the chocolate will help it melt quicker, as well.) Don't worry about a few tiny lumps, the heat from the rest of the chocolate will smooth everything out. Set aside for 30 minutes. This step is crucial, you may want to rush it, but be patient!

After a half an hour, take bowl & beaters out of freezer & whip remaining 1 cup cream til stiff peaks form. My original recipe calls for beating to soft peaks, but I think the whole thing sets up a little better when you beat just a little more than soft. If you've chilled the metal parts, it should take 3-4 minutes, if you haven't it can take more than 5. When you've achieved slightly stiff peaks, you can add the whipped cream to the cooled chocolate mixture, in 2 additions. The first will seem lumpy, but fold the cream as gently as possible, and the second addition should even things out a bit. Try not to over-mix these two, it'll be a much lighter mousse if it's done properly. Cover & chill, at least 2 hours. Serves 4-6

This recipe will also work with other chocolates, if you're not a fan of white. I've used both milk & dark chocolates with very good results!

For the sauce, you'll need:

2 cups fresh raspberries, washed
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup Chambord (raspberry flavored liquor)
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Puree all ingredients in food processor or blender. Pour through strainer, and discard seeds. Cover & keep in refrigerator. Makes 2 cups

On another, and on a much more horrible note, our heater broke sometime between last night and this morning. Yes, I live in Chicago... and yes it's the middle of winter. Oy. Cross your fingers it's not too long/expensive to fix! It's frickin' freezing at my house today!