chocolate mousse and cherries .... back to the 70s

 The locals shops are full of the most delicious cherries at the moment .... and chocolate and cherries are the perfect match.

When I was a student in the 70s, a trip out to a restaurant to celebrate a birthday was a major treat and a meal of prawn cocktail, steak 'n' chips and Black Forest gateaux at a Bernie Inn was the height of sophistication!

For the uninitiated, Berni Inns, were a chain of British restaurants, with a fake Tudor vibe and a limited but good value menu. For me, the highlight of the meal was always the cherry and chocolate combination known as Black Forest gateaux. This of course, was inevitably followed by an Irish coffee. Sipping coffee, laced with whiskey, through a thick layer of cream was almost always guaranteed to make me feel a little queasy!

But times change, and Black Forest gateaux is no longer a thing.

But, the heavenly combination of cherries and chocolate most definitely is!

Chocolate mousse is one of those timeless recipes and the internet abounds with recipes for this luscious  dessert , but you can't go wrong with a recipe from Delia

And to go with the mousse some very delectable ( and simple to make) cherries in liqueur.

To fill 1 small jar:

250g fresh cherries

3 tbsp of brandy or fruit liqueur

2 tbsp icing sugar

You can if you wish de-stone the cherries, which is best done with a cherry stoner to avoid squashing the fruit too much. However, if you warn any friends, family, guests that there are stones still in the cherries you can skip this bit!

Place all the ingredients in a small pan and heat gently until the cherries are just soft.

Allow to cool and spoon into a sterilised jar. 

Serve with the chocolate mousse or with ice cream or cream.

Keep any leftovers in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Speak soon.

Annie

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