St. Patrick’s Day Irish Trifle

Tue, 16 March 2021

Aisling Larkin's St. Patrick’s Day Irish Trifle

Chocolate Stout Mousse with an Irish Cream Liqueur Topping on a base of Chocolate brownie drizzled with whiskey caramel sauce

Ingredients:
Chocolate Stout Mousse
250g dark chocolate
50g butter
50g brown sugar
100mls stout
150mls cream
4 eggs

Topping:
150mls cream
50mls Irish cream liqueur

Brownie Base:
125g butter
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up
40g cocoa powder, sifted
40g plain flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking powder
150g caster sugar
2 large eggs

Whiskey Caramel Sauce:
100g castor
60mls water
45g butter
30mls cream
30mls Irish Whiskey
1/2 tsp sea sugar

Method:

Chocolate Stout Mousse
• Weigh and measure all the ingredients. Choose your serving glasses.
• Separate your eggs.
• Whip the cream until it forms soft, stiff peaks.
• Whip the egg white until it forms stiff “fluffy clouds”.
• Create a bain-marie by placing a heat proof bowl over a simmer saucepan of water. Melt the chocolate butter and brown sugar.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a moment for two. Then whisk in the stout and the egg yolks.
• Using a spatula gently fold in the cream, then fold in the egg whites. It should be light and fluffy with no lumps or streaks of white visible.
• ( If making the full trifle - place the baked brownies - see recipe below on the base of the glass) Spoon in to the serving glasses. Cover with cling film and allow to chill for 6 hours or over night.

Topping
• Whip the cream in to soft peaks. Fold in the Irish cream liqueur. Gently dollop on top of the mousse

Brownies
• Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper.
• In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.
• Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean.
• The secret is to take them out after 15 minutes and shake, then return to the oven. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board to decorate.

Whiskey Caramel Sauce
• In a large saucepan, heat the sugar and water and allow to bubble for 5 minutes.
• Don’t stir but swirl until the liquid turns a light amber colour. Lift off the heat and add the butter and whisk until combined.
• Add in the whiskey, the cream and the salt. It will steam and splutter quite a bit but just keep whisking until it is smooth. Store in a sterilised glass jar.

Assembly
• Place the brownie base in the end of the serving glass.
• Spoon in the chocolate mousse.
• Top with the Irish cream liqueur
• Sprinkle on some chocolate shavings
• Drizzle over some whiskey caramel sauce
• Garnish with shamrock