chocoholly geranium mousse

i was sent a bar of chocoholly’s geranium-scented milk chocolate a few weeks ago and, having tried a small piece i decided it would be perfect for turning into chocolate mousse or some dark and moist chocolate brownies. i then proceeded to eat the rest of the chocolate and it’s taken me until now to track down another bar (thank you john lewis food hall, you can also buy it direct from holly’s website) so i could put my plan into action.

firstly, the chocolate. i adore geranium chocolate (i think of it as a more sophisticated version of rose) and until now had been dependent on montezuma for my fix (their geranium dainty dollops are an old favourite, as is their orange & geranium bar), with the paul a young bar as an occasional treat. however, chocoholly’s bar is one that i can add into the mix and will keep buying– her milk chocolate is actually quite dark which i really appreciated in this bar, as the extra cocoa balances really well with the perfume of the geranium. david, a committed milk chocolate lover also enjoyed this, so the darkness is very versatile.

secondly, the mousse. or rather, which mousse recipe? i don’t have a “go to recipe” for chocolate mousse so i was grateful for felicity cloake’s diligence in trialling different recipes (felicity writes a fabulous weekly column for the guardian where she goes in search of perfection, trying out traditional  and modern versions of a wide range of classic recipes, which means you can learn a lot about what impact each of the variations has on the finished dish – see here for details of her research into the perfect roast chicken, wholemeal bread, ice cream, omelette and many more). i chose her recommended recipe and was very grateful when david knocked up a batch in preparation for a lunch with friends (i was wrestling with homemade pastry for a quiche, which is never a pretty sight).

finally, the verdict. the resulting mousse was wonderful, with the geranium adding interest to a classic dish. all five pots were quickly demolished, including the one requisitioned by my friend’s two year old! sadly no photographic evidence remains which means i’ll have to get david to make some more. perfect. sadly I was less impressed with the quiche.