Indulge your chocolate need

Valentine’s Day practically screams for a chocolate dessert.

Because this is a chilled dessert, you can make it ahead of time and not worry about things coming out of the oven at the right time when you’re busy trying to impress your sweetheart with dinner. For a restaurant-worthy dish, spoon the mousse into parfait glasses and top with fresh berries.

Milk Chocolate Mango Mousse

1 cup frozen mango chunks, thawed

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

1 whole egg, plus 1 yolk

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2/3 cup milk chocolate bits

1 cup heavy cream

Fill a medium bowl with ice.

In a blender, combine the mango chunks, sugar, milk, whole egg and yolk, and the cornstarch. Puree until completely smooth.

Pour the mixture into a small sauce pan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, heat the mixture until it thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the milk chocolate bits. Stir until the chocolate is melted and thoroughly incorporated.

Place the saucepan in the bowl of ice; ensure that none of the ice gets into the saucepan. Whisk the mixture until completely cooled and smooth.

Place the cream in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat it until medium peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add half of the beaten cream to the milk chocolate mango mixture and fold together to incorporate. Add the remaining cream and fold again to incorporate. Transfer the mousse to four individual serving dishes and refrigerate.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 500 calories, 34 grams fat (21 grams saturated, 60 percent fat calories), 6 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrate, 195 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 80 milligrams sodium.