Dark Chocolate Mousse, Salted Caramel & Honeycomb

1. 01

   Make the honeycomb first—it needs time to cool

   Heat 60g caster sugar and 20ml water in a heavy pan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring. Let it bubble to a deep amber—about 8 minutes. It should smell biscuity and slightly burnt. Off the heat, stir in 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. The mixture will foam like a bath bomb. Pour it onto a greased baking tray and let it cool hard.

   ~12 min
2. 02

   Make the salted caramel

   In a clean pan, heat 50g caster sugar and 25ml water as you did before, swirling to amber. Slip in 30g cold butter and a pinch of Maldon salt. Off the heat, pour in 50ml double cream—it'll seize and hiss. Whisk it smooth. Let it cool to room temperature.

   ~8 min
3. 03

   Whip the whites

   In a copper bowl or clean glass one, whip your egg whites with a pinch of salt until they're stiff peaks—they should hold their shape like meringue. This takes about 4 minutes with a hand whisk, less with electric.

   ~5 min
4. 04

   Melt and temper the chocolate

   Chop your 200g dark chocolate finely. Set a bowl over a pan of simmering water (not touching the water), add the chocolate, and let it melt slowly, stirring now and then. Once it's smooth and warm—not hot—whisk in your 2 egg yolks and 20ml olive oil. You want silky, glossy, pourable.

   ~5 min
5. 05

   Build the mousse

   Whip 200ml double cream until soft peaks form. Fold the chocolate mixture gently into the whipped cream in two goes—don't overwork it. Then, in two careful folds, add your stiff egg whites. The mousse should be dark, airy, and hold a peak.

   ~3 min
6. 06

   Spoon and chill

   Divide the mousse among four glasses or bowls. Chill for at least 2 hours—overnight is better. Just before serving, crack the cooled honeycomb into shards, drizzle the caramel over the top, and scatter honeycomb on each portion.

First spoonful: cool, dark, almost bitter chocolate with that peppery olive oil bringing it alive. The air in the mousse makes you feel like you're eating something lighter than it is. Hit the honeycomb and you get that brittle crack, then a sweet relief with the salted caramel cutting back through—bitter, sweet, salt, all dancing. It's old-school comfort food, but the olive oil and the honeycomb make it feel like you thought about it.

• ·Don't melt chocolate over direct heat—it seizes, splits, and you'll want to bin the lot and start again
• ·Honeycomb is finicky about humidity; make it on a dry winter's day, not a damp one
• ·Aquafaba whips best when it's cold and you're patient—skip the lemon if you want sweeter peaks