Baked chocolate and sherry mousse with raisin cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Meanwhile, to make the raisin cream, bring the sherry to the boil in a small saucepan. Add the raisins and heat until the sherry just comes back to simmering point. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

2. Whip the double cream and whisk in the icing sugar. Once the raisins are cool and have soaked up all of the sherry, add them and any residual liquid to the cream. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

3. To make the mousse, place the chocolate, butter and sherry into a heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of barely simmering water. While the chocolate melts, separate the egg yolks from the whites and reserve separately.

4. In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to firm peaks and slowly add the sugar, whisking continuously until firm and glossy.

5. Once the chocolate mixture is completely melted, it should be warm rather than hot. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks. Very briskly fold in one third of the egg whites then fold in the remainder more tenderly.

6. Line four shallow individual heatproof dishes with butter and sugar and spread the chocolate mixture evenly into them. Bake for 10-12 minutes until just set around the outsides but still soft in the centre.

7. Remove from the oven and serve the mousses hot with the raisin cream on the side.