Using a whisk, beat the whipping cream in a well-chilled bowl to obtain a whipped cream. keep cold.
Gently melt the cocoa, couverture and butter in a saucepan placed in a bain-marie, stirring with a spoon to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Book.
Pour the egg yolks and sugar into the mixing bowl. Mix for 2 or 3 minutes to whiten the mixture and obtain a light foam. Pour the melted chocolate over this mixture. Add coffee and the same amount of water as coffee. Keep blending until you get a smooth mixture. Stir in the whipped cream vigorously. pour it all at once into the bowl. Place the bowl in the fridge and let the chocolate mousse set for 24 hours.
Preparing the leaves:
Cut the blanket into small pieces. melt it in a saucepan over a bain-marie, stirring regularly with the spoon. Let cool slightly.
Cut the plastic tape* into strips 7 cm wide, arrange them on a tray.
Using a brush, spread a thin layer of warm blanket 1.5 mm thick on each strip. Place the tray in the refrigerator and let the chocolate set for 30 minutes. Carefully peel the plastic strips off the tray using a knife. turn the leaves over, pinch a corner of the plastic tape and very gently separate them from the chocolate.
Dip the knife in lukewarm water and cut the leaves into 7 x 4 cm rectangles.
Arrange 4 rectangles on the work surface. Place a 1 cm thick layer of chocolate mousse on the surface of each of them using a piping bag. cover them with new rectangles, pressing gently to make them stick, without breaking them. Put a new layer of foam then a new sheet and continue in this way until the ingredients are used up. finish with a rectangle without mousse.
Reserve in the refrigerator
Serve with vanilla cream,
* You can get plastic strips of pastry tape from your favorite pastry chef.
This great chef's recipe is taken from my friend Michel Trama's book:
"Cooking in Freedom".
The Inn in Puymirol. 3 Michelin stars.
