• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Forager | Chef
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Interviews
  • Partnerships
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Interviews
  • Partnerships
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Interviews
    • Partnerships
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Sweets

    Raspberry Chocolate Mousse with Creme Fraiche

    Published: Jan 23, 2016 Modified: Jan 4, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    When you have a special occasion to celebrate, there's just about nothing better than a solid chocolate mousse recipe. Here I give it a twist with wild black raspberries that pair so well with chocolate.

    scoops of chocolate mousse on a plate

    The basic mousse was a staple on my desert menu in both of my restaurants, especially during the summer when cold desserts sell like hot cakes. We would change the flavor pairings occasionally, but this raspberry-infused version was always a great seller.

    This is a traditional mousse, meaning you'll need a couple mixing bowls. If you're looking for 3-ingredient chocolate mousse made with cocoa powder, this is not it.

    How to make it

    In the classic French style, this mousse has eggs, cream, and chocolate. I love the use of whipped eggs in mousse for the rich texture they provide.

    First you infuse some cream with raspberries and puree in a blender and strain. After the cream is chilled it's whipped to soft peaks. The raspberries turn the cream a beautiful pink color.

    Next you whip eggs over a double boiler. If you haven't done it before, this is a good technique to know. French Sabayon sauce is similar, as is Italian Zabaglione. So if you can make this mousse without cooking the eggs, you can make either of those classic desserts too.

    Serving

    Serving the mousse in a martini glass is fancy, but not very practical. At the restaurant I would have my cooks hold the mousse in a cooler. When an order would come in, they'd use a scoop dipped in warm water to portion it into dishes.

    Piping the mixture into individual pudding cups or ramekins using a pastry bag works just fine too. Using ramekins will make it easier to serve after dinner.

    Ingredient Notes

    Here's a quick breakdown of some of the optional ingredients I use here.

    Black Cap Raspberries

    This is a chocolate raspberry mousse, Instead of common red raspberries, Iuse blackcap raspberries, also known as black raspberries. They're one of my favorite wild fruits I harvest each year. The berries have a deep flavor and color, and will make just about anything taste like summer.

    If you don't have blackcap raspberries, you can use other berries, such as blackberries. The best part is the berries can be fresh or frozen.

    Black cap raspberries or rubus occidentalis on a plate
    Wild black cap raspberries.

    Using preserves vs fresh berries

    Yes, you can use berry preserves instead of fresh or frozen berries, and it can be very good. You'll want to mix the fruit preserves with the cream as directed for fresh fruit. Warm the cream and preserves, then strain and proceed as directed.

    If you use fruit preserves you'll want to omit the sugar, or add a little extra powdered sugar to taste during the final mixing of the mousse.

    Crème Fraiche

    I prefer using creme fraiche to whipped cream here as it has a deeper flavor, and a tart taste similar to buttermilk. If you want to use regular whipped cream you can.

    To make your own crème fraiche, combine 2 cups of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of buttermilk, put it in a glass mason jar with a lid on, and allow to rest overnight in a warm place. An oven on the proof setting works good.

    You can also make sous vide creme fraiche like chefs do, and that is my favorite method.

    To sous vide creme fraiche, combine 2 tablespoons of buttermilk for every two cups of heavy cream. Put the mixture into mason jars and cook at 95 F for 12 hours. I guarantee it's the best crème fraiche you'll ever have.

    Sweet and Sour Berry Syrup

    One of my secret sauces is my Sweet and Sour Wild Cherry, Berry or Grape Syrup, also known as a gastrique. It's a shelf-stable preserve you can make with just about any ripe fruit. It's essentially a syrup, but it includes vinegar to help offset the sugar.

    pink berry sauce dripping from a spoon
    Sweet and sour raspberry sauce.

    Even if you don't make the mousse below, you should definitely print off the gastrique recipe to try sometime.

    chocolate raspberry mousse
    Smoked Chocolate Mousse with Creme Fraiche and Wild Cherry Sauce
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Raspberry Chocolate Mousse with Creme Fraiche

    Serves 4-8, yielding about 4 cups of very rich mousse, but not overly sweet mousse.
    Prep Time25 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Setting Time4 hrs
    Total Time4 hrs 55 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: Chocolate Mousse, Chokecherry, Smoked Chocolate
    Servings: 6 Servings
    Calories: 467kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo
    Cost: 10

    Equipment

    • 2 2 qt capacity mixing bowls
    • 1 beaters or stand mixer

    Ingredients

    Raspberry Cream

    • 6 oz fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries preferably black raspberries
    • 8 oz heavy whipping cream

    Chocolate

    • 5 oz semi-sweet dark chocolate you can use chocolate chips, or your favorite chocolate baking bar
    • 2 oz unsalted butter

    Eggs

    • 3 large eggs
    • 4 tablespoons water
    • 2.5 oz white sugar This is ⅓ cup

    Serving

    • ½ cup crème fraiche, lightly sweetened or use whipped cream
    • 1 recipe wild raspberry sauce see recipe below

    Instructions

    Raspberry Cream

    • Warm the cream with the raspberries, then puree in a blender. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Pour the pink cream into a bowl, chill and reserve until cold enough to whip.
    • When it's chilled, whip the cream until soft peaks form and reserve. Do not whip it until stiff peaks form or it may be difficult to fold into the finished mousse.

    Chocolate

    • If you have a baking bar, cut the chocolate into 1 inch pieces, or break it apart. Combine the chocolate and butter in a small metal mixing bowl and melt over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.

    Eggs

    • Combine the eggs with the sugar and whisk until light in color, fluffy, and doubled in volume, then reserve.
    • Gently fold the melted chocolate into the egg mixture using a spatula.

    Cream

    • Fold in half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then the remaining whipped cream. Fold the mixture slowly, until completely mixed. Spoon the mousse into serving dishes, or into a large bowl and chill in the refrigerator.

    Chilling the mousse

    • I like to chill the mousse for at least two or three hours to ensure it sets.

    Serving

    • Dipping a spoon or scoop in warm water in between each scoop, arrange scoops of the mousse with a dollop of crème fraiche and a tablespoon or so of the raspberry sauce if using on chilled plates or bowls. Serve immediately or refrigerate covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

    Notes

    This uses a few mixing bowls, but other than that it's easy and straight forward.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4oz | Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 169mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 274mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 1067IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 2mg
    « Dandelion Capers with Ramps and Lemon
    Thoughts on Ramarias / Coral Mushrooms »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Margaux M

      February 11, 2016 at 12:30 am

      omg, what a beautiful recipe. You are like an evil genius! Cold-smoked chocolate, buttermilk added to fresh cream? I cannot wait to try this recipe. Thank you!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

    More about me →

    Get The Book

    the forager chef's book of flora
    The Forager Chefs Book of Flora

    As Seen On

    Footer

    BACK TO TOP

    Privacy

    Subscribe

    Be the first to hear what I'm doing

    Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Forager | Chef®