From: Chef Daniel Esses, Three Muses, New Orleans.
Chocolate Mousse:
½ cup chilled heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup kahlua liquor
¼ cup plus 1 tbs. sugar
1 pinch of salt
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 large egg whites
Strawberry Salsa:
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 tsp. jalapeño, finely minced
1 tsp. mint
1 tsp. basil
2 tbs. sugar
Anglaise:
½ cup whole milk
½ cup whipping cream
1 2" piece vanilla bean, split
3 large egg yolks
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Chocolate Tacos:
6 6" flour tortillas or 6 pre-fried corn tortilla shells
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ heavy cream
For the mousse: Beat ½ cup cream in medium bowl until stiff peaks form; cover and chill. Combine egg yolks, kahlua, salt and ¼ cup sugar in a large metal bowl. Place over a saucepan of boiling water (do not allow bowl to touch water). Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is lighter in color and almost doubled in volume.
Remove bowl from pan. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Let stand, whisking occasionally, until room temperature.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in another medium bowl on medium speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually beat in remaining sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until firm peaks form. Fold egg whites into chocolate in two additions; fold whipped cream into mixture just to blend. Cover and place in refrigerator till needed.
For the strawberry salsa: Mix all ingredients together and let sit for 10 min.
For the anglaise: Combine milk and cream in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring milk mixture to simmer. Remove from heat.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Return custard to saucepan. Stir over low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Strain sauce into bowl. Whisk in the cinnamon.
For the tacos: If using flour tortilla shells, use a 4" ring mold and cut a circle with it and a taco shell basket and fry at 350º F till crispy or spray tortillas and put them in a muffin tin then bake them in oven at 400º F, or place the tortilla inside of a big enough ladle and submerge that in 350º F oil. In a small sauce pan heat up the cream. Don’t let it boil. Add chocolate and stir until all melted. Using a pastry brush, brush chocolate on one half of the shell and let it cool. Do this five more times. Once cooled brush the other side with the chocolate and let cool. Once totally cooled you can pipe the mousse in the shell using a pastry bag and a star tip.
For plating: Put the chocolate mousse in a plastic piping bag with a star tip. You can use a spoon or a small spatula if you want. Fill each chocolate taco with mouse. Place a small amount of mouse on a plate ("glue" to keep taco on the plate). Add strawberry salsa to top of taco. Drizzle anglaise over taco and serve.
