A few weeks ago, I was approached by a new chocolate line to create an exclusive recipe using its product. I don’t typically do product reviews, but I was intrigued since the new brand, Sugarpova Premium Chocolates, is by Maria Sharapova, the international tennis sensation, who is the company’s founder.

Sugarpova offers a decadent collection of 100g chocolate bars in Dark, Milk, Dark with Toasted Coconut and Milk with Strawberry. The unique product is non-GMO, Certified Kosher, Halal and made with natural ingredients. The bars have a suggested retail price of $3.99 to $4.99 and are available at www.sugarpova.com.

The samples I received were:

DARK CHOCOLATE COCONUT – “50% cocoa dark chocolate is made all the richer with the delightful addition of toasted coconut. A match made in heaven, you’re sure to fall in love with this tempting combination”.

MILK CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY – “Is there anything better than chocolate dipped strawberries? Treat yourself to a taste of luxury anytime with the only bar that combines creamy milk chocolate with the flavor of fresh strawberries”.

70% COCOA DARK CHOCOLATE – “Kick back, relax, and indulge in the full-bodied flavor of 70% premium dark chocolate. Not too sweet, it engages all your senses with every perfect bite”.

MILK CHOCOLATE – “Take a break from the hustle and bustle with a smooth, creamy bite of premium milk chocolate. We won’t tell if it ends up being more than just one bite”.

I wanted to use as many of the bars as I could in my recipe, but since I’m not a coconut fan, I skipped using that one. I thought of doing a mousse as soon as I saw the chocolate/strawberry bar – what a great compliment in flavors! I combined the strawberry bar with the milk chocolate one in the mousse and topped each serving with a healthy grating of the dark chocolate. I plated a couple different ways to showcase the mousse in various portion sizes and appearance.

Ingredients:

• 1 100g Sugarpova Milk Chocolate bar and 1 100g Sugarpova Milk Chocolate Strawberry bar, chopped into small pieces (could also use 200g semisweet chocolate chips)
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1-ounce piece of Sugarpova Dark Chocolate, optional

Directions:

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to cook for another 30 seconds. Allow to cool while proceeding with the following steps.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the tablespoon of sugar to the cream. Beat for 2-3 minutes or until soft peaks form. Set aside.
3. In a metal or heat-resistant glass bowl placed over a saucepan of barely simmering water, combine the remaining sugar and the egg yolks. Whisk the mixture for 3 minutes until smooth, fluffy and doubled in volume.
4. Using a rubber spatula, combine the melted and cooled chocolate with the yolk mixture until no eggy streaks are left.
5. Gently fold half the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Once fully combined, add the remaining whipped cream and again, gently fold in. Don’t overmix, you want this light and fluffy – a few darker chocolate streaks are okay.
6. Pipe or spoon the mousse into single-serving size dishes or glasses and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. The mixture will feel a bit runny but that’s okay, the mousse will stiffen after chilling.
7. Grate the dark chocolate over the individual mousse cups and serve.

About Sugarpova: Sugarpova continues to have double-digit growth year after year since its launch. Currently, the brand has retail penetration in 22 countries all over the world and is sold in a variety of retail partners and online. The founder and international tennis sensation is Maria Sharapova, whose sweet tooth and love for little indulgences, motivated her to create a candy company specializing in gummies and sweets of quality and craftsmanship. For more information, visit http://www.sugarpova.com.

Cheers,

Veronique