#MousseAuChocolatChallenge
The winning recipe
Délice de poire
Sprüngli apprentice Letizia Locci showed great creativity and a feel for culinary composition with her mousse au chocolat creation made with exquisite dark chocolate, the tartness and sweetness of pear and a hint of Rucolino Amaro liqueur.
Letizia Locci
Apprentice confectioner, 3rd year
For Letizia Locci, cooking and baking mean versatility – a world full of possibilities for living out her creativity. The young chocolatier with Italian roots loves reimagining dishes from her homeland using innovative approaches and treating friends and family to her delicious creations.
The recipe
- 125 g Sprüngli Grand Cru Baracoa chocolate (70% cacao)
- 1 Alexander pear
- 100 ml Rucolino Amaro liqueur
- 2 medium eggs
- 50 g sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 125 g full-fat cream
Prepare the marinated pears (two days in advance):
Two days before making the mousse au chocolat, peel the pear, slice it and soak it in the Rucolino Amaro liqueur. Cover and leave in the fridge.
Making the mousse (the day before serving):
The mousse au chocolat tastes best if prepared the day before serving.
- Before making the mousse, gently simmer the marinated pear with 5 g sugar until the liquid thickens.
- Leave to cool, then cut the pear into 3–4 mm cubes.
- Whip the cream until fluffy – don’t let it become too stiff. Place in the fridge.
- Place the two egg yolks and 20 g sugar in a bain-marie and heat to approx. 40°C, stirring continuously. Then beat for approx. 5 minutes in a mixer until fluffy.
- Add the finely chopped pear to the egg yolk mixture.
- Melt the Baracoa chocolate in a bain-marie. Ensure no water or steam comes into contact with the chocolate.
- In a separate bowl, beat the two egg whites, a pinch of salt and 25 g sugar until it forms stiff peaks.
- Mix the egg yolk and pear mixture with the melted chocolate. Mix in half the whipped cream well and then the second half. Finally, carefully fold in the beaten egg whites.
- 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 slices of cooked pear, 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, Sprüngli has always been driven by the highest standards, based on distinctive quality and the finest varieties of cacao beans from the world’s best growing regions. We are dedicated to sustainable cultivation, careful processing and first-class craftsmanship, all of which are reflected in the unique taste of our grand cru chocolate. Our grand cru chocolate bars are made with cacao beans from world-class growing regions, and are therefore ideal for making refined desserts.
Letizia’s recipe uses our exquisitely dark Grand Cru Baracoa (70% cacao) chocolate.
The taste of our Grand Cru Baracoa chocolate (70% cacao)
Our exquisite Grand Cru Baracoa chocolate (70% cacao) owes its intense flavour to the exclusive Trinitario cacao beans from the region of Baracoa, Cuba. With its 70% cacao content, it guarantees an intense chocolate experience with delicate, fruity notes of blackberry and pear, as well as earthy flavours of tobacco and coffee.
Letizia reflects the delicate pear notes of the Trinitario cacao beans in her recipe by adding real pears. The characteristic gentle bitterness of Rucolino Amaro liqueur blends wonderfully with the fruity flavours of the Grand Cru Baracoa chocolate, giving a rich, velvety depth to Letizia’s ‘Délice de poire’ mousse.