Recently I have become a big fan of verrines. These french desserts are served in individual glasses and consist of several layers spanning different flavors, usually with some kind of cream. They are very versatile, quick to make and elegant in presentation.
This one includes speculoos cookies and intense chocolate cream followed by a silky mascarpone cream. For the final touch, strawberries and meringue kisses elevate it with new textures.
Since it has popular and diverse flavors, it is a great idea to serve it at a family gathering or dinner with friends. It is approved!
Mascarpone, Chocolate and Strawberry Verrine
with mascarpone cream, chocolate mousse, speculoos cookies, strawberries and meringue
Ingredients
Cookie Layer
- 250 g speculoos cookies
Chocolate Mousse Layer
- 400 ml milk
- 50 g white sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 20 g cornstarch
- 100 g chocolate (50 to 60% cocoa)
Mascarpone Cream
- 500 g mascarpone cheese
- 400 ml heavy cream
- 150 g powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
Decoration
- 300 g strawberries
- meringue kisses
- powdered sugar
Instructions
Cookie Layer
- In a food processor, grind down the cookies for a few seconds.
Chocolate Mousse
- Mix the milk with the sugar in a pan. Bring over medium heat until it starts to boil.
- In the meantime, beat the yolks and cornstarch with a hand whisker, making sure it is fully incorporated.
- Gradually pour about half of the milk into the yolk mixture, always whisking during the process.
- Return this mixture to the pan with the remaining milk and mix again.
- Bring over medium heat, continuing to stir until the mixture thickens and boils for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a bowl, place the chopped chocolate.
- Pass the egg cream through a sieve to ensure its smoothness. Then add it to the chocolate and let it rest for a bit.
- Mix the cream with the chocolate, which should be melting from the warmth, until you have a smooth mixture.
- Cover with cling wrap and place the chocolate mousse in the fridge so it can cool down completely.
Mascarpone Cream
- In the mixer, beat the cream cheese with the heavy cream until smooth.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar and the vanilla essence, mixing until it is incorporated.
- Store in the fridge until you are ready to prepare the dessert.
Preparation
- Wash and chop the strawberries into smaller bits.
- Split the cookies between 8 glasses of the same size.
- With a pastry bag, pipe the chocolate mousse layer equally in each glass.
- Follow the same procedure for the mascarpone cream, adding some chopped strawberries and meringue kisses in the middle of the cream.
- Smoothen the top of the glasses and decorate them with a few more strawberries and meringue. Sift a bit of powdered sugar on top.
- Refrigerate the glasses for about 1 hour before serving.
Notes
If you would like to make your own meringue kisses like I did, you can use the leftover egg whites from the chocolate cream so there’s no waste.
