Mousse de Limão

Ingredients

• 4 dl sweetened condensed milk
• 2 dl heavy cream, very well chilled
• 1¼ dl lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 tsp lime zest, finely grated
• 1 pinch salt
• 50 g dark chocolate, coarsely shaved
• 1 lime, thinly sliced for decorating

Method

1. 1.

   Whip the chilled cream — Put a mixing bowl and the beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes, then whip the heavy cream to soft peaks — the cream should hold a shape that slumps gently when the whisk is lifted, never stiff enough to look grainy.

2. 2.

   Thicken the lime base — Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a blender with the pinch of salt and blitz for 10 seconds. With the motor running, add the lime juice in a thin steady stream — within about 30 seconds the mixture visibly thickens and turns opaque as the acid sets the milk proteins.

3. 3.

   Fold the two together — Scrape the lime base over the whipped cream and fold it in with a spatula in slow figure-of-eights, stopping the instant the last streak disappears. Fold in half the lime zest; overworking now knocks out the air and leaves you with a sauce rather than a mousse.

4. 4.

   Set in the fridge — Divide between four glasses, smooth the tops and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. It is set when a spoon drawn through leaves a clean edge that holds instead of flowing back.

5. 5.

   Garnish with chocolate and lime — Just before serving, scatter over the shaved dark chocolate and the remaining lime zest and lay a slice of lime on the rim of each glass. The bitterness of the chocolate is what keeps the sweetness in check.