You like chocolate, maple sirup, and bacon? – Me too!
This was my attempt to combine those flavours into an indulgent plated dessert that was the grand finale of our Christmas dinner for two. It consists of a dark chocolate parfait, tiny bits of chocolate mousse, and a sweet maple mousse on a really dark chocolate soil, topped with maple-bacon-crumble and a bit of maple sirup. The bitterness of the dark soil contributed a nice contrast to the sweetness of the maple mousse and you can really never go wrong with maple bacon. So here’s the recipe for all five components:

Ingredients (for 4 plates):

Chocolate Parfait and Mousse
50g of dark chocolate (ca. 50% cacao)
1 dl cream
1 egg (white & yolk separated)
1 tablespoon of sugar
pinch of salt

Maple Mousse
80 ml maple sirup
80 ml cream
1 egg yolk
1 sheet of gelatine

Chocolate Soil
80g of sugar
80g of cacao (pure)
50g of sugar
1 tablespoon of corn starch (Maizena)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
60g of butter (melted)

Maple Bacon
80g of bacon
2 tablespoons of maple sirup
1 teaspoon of honey mustard

Preparation:

Chocolate Parfait and Mousse (same base mixture)
Beat the eggwhite with a pinch of salt until stiff (the salt helps it stiffen more quickly).
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
In a bigger bowl, combine the sugar and the egg yolk and whisk until the mixture seems airy and lighter in color.
Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a water bath – or, as an easier version that works just as fine for this recipe, break the chocolate apart, put it into a bowl and pour hot water onto it. Let it sit for around 1-2 minutes and then carefully drain all the water. The chocolate should be melted at this point.
Add the melted chocolate to the egg and sugar mixture. Whisk until combined.
Then, fold the whipped cream into the mixture and finally, carefully fold the egg-white into the mixture.
For the chocolate parfait, pour the mixture into small molds (mine were around 20ml and the mixture was enough for at least 6 moulds). Put the molds into the freezer and let the parfait harden for ca. 3-4 hours until they are hard enough for you to demold.
The leftover mixture is for your chocolate mousse. Instead of filling it into molds and putting it into the freezer, let it rest in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Maple Mousse
Let the sheet of gelatine soak in cold water for a couple of minutes. In the meantime, whip the cream and, in a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk until a brighter shade of yellow. Put the maple sirup into a small pot and heat it (until hot but not boiling!), take it off the heat. Drip off the gelatine and whisk it into the maple sirup until completely dissolved. Let the mixture cool for a bit, then add it to the egg yolk and whisk. Carefully fold the cream into the mixture. Let the mousse set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Chocolate Soil
Combine all the dry ingredients. Add the butter and mix until clusters form. Spread the mixture on a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes (150 degrees). Break the crumbs apart as needed, let them cool completely.

Maple Bacon
Combine the maple sirup and the honey mustard. Attention, only pure maple sirup will work, as the sugar sirup alternatives usually burn in the oven and leave a bitter aftertaste.
Brush the mixture onto your bacon slices (both sides). Put the bacon slices into the oven (200 degrees) for 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Let the bacon cool.
Finely cut the bacon into crumbs or put the bacon slices into a foodprocesser or blender for a couple of seconds until crumbs form.
Plating:
Fill the chocolate mousse and the maple mousse into separate piping bags.
Spread some chocolate soil onto your plates (I probably used a bit too much) and top it with your maple bacon crumb. Demold the chocolate parfaits and place one onto each plate. Pipe the maple mousse and small amounts of your chocolate mousse onto your plate. Top everything with a bit of chocolate crumbs and maple sirup – and indulge!