Millefeuille of raspberries and chocolate recipe

This chocolate mousse and raspberry, ready-made puff pastry dessert, with homemade lavender ice cream, is one of MasterChef: The Professionals 2009 champion, Steve Groves winning recipes

Ingredients

• 250g (9oz) ready-made puff pastry
• 400g (14oz) raspberries
• Icing sugar for dusting

For the chocolate mousse:

• 4 egg yolks
• 200g (7oz) caster sugar
• 100ml (3½fl oz) whole milk
• 150g (5½oz) dark chocolate, 70% cocoa, chopped
• 1tsp salt
• 200ml (7fl oz) whipping cream

For the ice cream:

• 500ml (16fl oz) double cream
• 6 heads of lavender
• 4 egg yolks
• 175g (6oz) clear honey

Method

1. To make the ice cream: Bring the cream to the boil. Add 2 heads of lavender, remove from the heat, and allow to infuse for 10 mins. Strain then return to near boiling point. Whisk the egg yolks and honey together then pour half of the cream onto them, whisking meanwhile. Return to the pan and heat to 80°C (176°F), then pass through a sieve. Chill and then put into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
   
3. Roll the pastry out to around 3mm (1⁄8in) thick and cut into 12 rectangles measuring 3 x 6cm. Bake for 20–25 mins between 2 baking sheets, then remove the top baking sheet and return the pastry to the oven if needed to ensure it is golden throughout. Once cooled, trim the edges.
4. To make the chocolate mousse: Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until they are almost white. Bring the milk to the boil and then pour half onto the egg mixture while whisking. Once thoroughly mixed, return to the pan over a low to medium heat and heat to 80°C (176°F).
   
5. Pour this mixture over the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is melted and incorporated. Add the salt and allow to cool.
6. Whip the whipping cream to soft peaks and fold gently into the cooled chocolate mix. Put into a piping bag and chill.
7. To serve: Arrange rows of raspberries on a layer of mousse on 8 pieces of pastry. Dust the flattest 4 pieces liberally with icing sugar and use a very hot metal skewer to make a crisscross pattern. Stack the layers up with the sugared one on top. Place on the serving plates with a scoop of ice cream garnished with a head of lavender.