Valentine’s Day Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

• Chocolate Hearts (optional, recipe follows)
• 1/3 sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 milk
• 1/2 water
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 3/4 s semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 whipping cream, whipped
• 1/2 whipping cream, whipped
• 8 strawberries (optional)
• Prepare Chocolate Hearts (optional).

Directions

Stir together sugar and cornstarch in medium heavy saucepan. Stir in milk and water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until boiling. Stir about half of hot mixture into beaten egg yolks. Return all to saucepan. Boil gently 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and vanilla to hot mixture; stir until chocolate is melted. Pour into small metal bowl. Set bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice water. Beat on high speed of mixer about 5 minutes or until chocolate mixture is completely cooled. Fold in whipped 3/4 cup cream. Spoon into martini glasses or dessert dishes. Cover lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Just before serving, top each with dollop of the whipped 1/2 cup cream and a strawberry, if desired. Peel chocolate hearts from wax paper; place one on each dessert.

CHOCOLATE HEARTS
Place 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips and 1/2 teaspoon shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil) in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high (100%) 45 seconds; stir until melted. Let stand 2 minutes. Pour into heavy duty small plastic bag; cut off a tiny corner of the bag. Squeeze bag to pipe mixture into heart shapes on wax paper, Refrigerate until firm.
Tip: To form perfectly shaped chocolate hearts, trace around a small heart-shaped cookie cutter on piece of white paper. Tape wax paper over the white paper; pipe chocolate on wax paper following the outline.