#MousseAuChocolatChallenge
The winning recipe
Grenade épicée
Tamina Laternser, budding chocolatier and Sprüngli apprentice, triumphed in the ‘Mousse au Chocolat Challenge’. Her passion and extraordinary craftsmanship, paired with an incredible recipe using our exquisitely dark Grand Cru Beni chocolate (75% cacao) along with pomegranate, Tasmanian pepper and rooibos tea, won over judge and mentor chef Andreas Caminada.
Tamina Laternser
Apprentice confectioner, 3rd year
Tamina loves experimenting with extravagant flavour combinations and delighting her friends and family with her own desserts and dishes. So it comes as no surprise that the 21-year-old calls the bakery her home.
Having previously won second place twice at Decorissima – a vocational school confectionery competition – she succeeded in impressing mentor chef Andreas Caminada with her ‘Grenade épicée’ recipe.
The recipe
- 125 g Sprüngli Grand Cru Beni chocolate (75% cacao)
- 1 tbsp rooibos tea with vanilla
- 16 Tasmanian pepperberries
- 15 g pomegranate molasses
- 150 g cream
- 2 medium eggs
- 55 g sugar
- Pinch of salt
Preparation (a day in advance):
A day before you want to prepare the mousse, place the cream in a saucepan with the tea and 10 pepperberries and bring to the boil. Leave to stand for 10 minutes and then strain. Add five more pepperberries and leave the cream in the fridge overnight.
Making the mousse (the day before serving):
The mousse au chocolat tastes best if prepared the day before serving.
- Melt the chocolate with one ground pepperberry in a bain-marie. Ensure no water or steam comes into contact with the chocolate.
- Whip the pre-flavoured cream until fluffy – don’t let it become too stiff. Place in the fridge.
- Place the two egg yolks and 15 g sugar in a mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the pomegranate molasses and mix in.
- Whip the egg whites with the salt until it forms stiff peaks, gradually adding the remaining 40 g of sugar.
- Add the warm, melted chocolate (approx. 45°C) to the egg yolk mixture and whisk in well.
- Mix half the whipped cream into the chocolate and egg-yolk mixture and then the second half.
- Do the same with the beaten egg whites: divide into two portions and fold into the mixture one after the other, so it stays nice and fluffy.
- Put the mousse in a bowl, cover and leave to stand in the fridge overnight.
To serve:
- Form the mousse into quenelles with a lukewarm tablespoon and present on a plate.
- Garnish with pomegranate seeds, chocolate decorations and cream as desired.
We hope you enjoy this exquisite chocolate dessert.
You can download the recipe as a PDF here.
Our unique range of grand cru chocolate flavours
As a pioneer of grand cru chocolate in Switzerland, we use only the finest varieties of cacao beans from world-class growing regions for our exclusive grand cru chocolate bars. This makes them ideal for using in refined desserts – though the art of selecting the right variety and the right ingredients to go with it is key. In order to discover the unique range of flavours offered by our grand cru chocolate, and to find the perfect complementary ingredients for their recipes, the finalists of the ‘Mousse au Chocolat Challenge’ learned the art of chocolate tasting with Sprüngli mentor Regina Von Däniken. At the end of the tasting, Tamina selected our Grand Cru Beni chocolate (75% cacao) to create her winning recipe.
The taste of our Grand Cru Beni chocolate (75% cacao)
The flavours of this grand cru chocolate are determined by the growing region and the way in which the single-origin cacao beans are processed. The wild Bolivian Criollo Salvaje de Beni cacao beans are characterised by a subtle bitterness, perfect melting properties and an inherently fruity flavour, with refreshing notes of grapefruit, plum and vanilla.
Pomegranate, rooibos tea and a hint of Tasmanian pepper are the perfect complement to the flavours of our Grand Cru Beni chocolate, and create a harmonious blend in Tamina’s ‘Grenade épicée’ (spiced pomegranate) mousse au chocolat recipe.