Nutella Marshmallow Mousse

Mmmmmmmm.....Nutella. Just uttering the word makes me wanna grab a big spoon and dig into a jar of chocolate-hazelnut goodness. Aaaaaah...HAPPINESS. I'm telling you, if you haven't had the pleasure of eating this heavenly treat, you're missing out.



I remember the first time I ate Nutella. It was eight years ago while Hubby and I were on our honeymoon in Paris. Ooh la la. We were as giddy as two young newlyweds could be. I mean, come on now. How can we not be? We were in the most romantic city in the whole wide world. And to top it all off, we got to eat our way through Paris. Well, we were on a budget so we didn't go crazy but, nonetheless, we still had a good time. We practically lived on bread and cheese for eight days. On occasion, we splurged and had dinner at a nearby cafe or bistrot. And on our way back to our hotel, we got dessert.

I think it was our first or second day in Paris when we stopped by a crepe stand for a bite to eat. They had sooo many choices for fillings but we decided to get one savory crepe and one sweet crepe. I got a ham and cheese while Hubby got a Nutella and banana. As we were walking, we switched crepes and as soon as I had that first bite from the Nutella and banana crepe, I was hooked. Wow! As you might have guessed, Hubby never got his crepe back.

The day before we left Paris, we went to the nearby supermarche and bought eight or ten jars of Nutella and packed them in my suitcase. In the airport, I remember the customs person asking me,"Do you have anything to declare?," and for some insane reason I blurted out "Nutella?" Oh, you should've seen Hubby's face when I said that. I'm sorry, but at the risk of sounding like an idiot, I had no idea if I was supposed to declare my suitcase full of Nutella or not, so I just did. Thankfully, the customs person had a sense of humor and said I was okay. And little did I know that when we returned home, I could've easily bought a jar of Nutella in my local grocery store. Good grief!

So in honor of World Nutella Day, I've made this simple yet amazing little dessert. I was inspired to create this after watching Nigella Lawson make her Instant Chocolate Mousse on her show "Nigella Express." This Nutella Marshmallow Mousse only has four ingredients and takes just minutes to prepare. It's a smooth and silky way to eat Nutella and I'm so happy to share this with you on this special day :-)

Thank you Sara from Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso for solemnly declaring February 5th as "a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella." As if I had to have a reason to eat Nutella, but it's nice to know that today is a day for Nutella lovers all over the world.

Happy World Nutella Day Everyone!



I'm also submitting this recipe to Mansi from Fun and Food Cafe for the Valentine & Super Bowl Recipe Carnival & Special Giveaway!
 
Nutella Marshmallow Mousse
Makes 4 servings
Allergy Note: contains nut and dairy ingredients

4 ounces marshmallows (about 2 cups of mini marshmallows or 16 large marshmallows)
1/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Using a strainer, rinse the mini marshmallows over cold running water. (Why rinse the marshmallows? It removes the cornstarch and powdered sugar on the outside. Skip this step and you won't have a smooth and silky mousse. Trust me.) In a microwave-safe bowl, combine marshmallows, milk and Nutella. Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Mix until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In another mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream to soft peaks. Take 1/4 of the whipped cream and mix it into the Nutella mixture. Gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Transfer into margarita glasses, goblets or ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream, shaved chocolate or fruit.

To make the chocolate filigree heart:
Draw the heart design on a piece of parchment paper. Turn the parchment paper over and place it on a flat surface. Melt some dark chocolate and pour it into a pastry bag with a small round tip or a cornet (parchment paper cone). Pipe the chocolate onto the heart design and let it set.