Chef Donna Nordin is quite a chocolate artist as demonstrated with this whimsical dessert. The tacos are easily formed out of rounds of melted chocolate draped over dowels until they harden and make an eye-catching presentation, even simply filled with a flavored whipped cream or soft ice cream.
Do ahead: The raspberry sauce and chocolate taco shells can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. The salsa can be made up to 4 hours before serving. The mousse can be made a day ahead and refrigerated but needs to come to room temperature to pipe into the taco shells.
For the mousse: Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Melt completely, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Place the cream in a bowl and , with a whisk or electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form.
Add the sugar and liqueur and whisk until completely incorporated (do not overbeat or it will be difficult to fold in the chocolate).
Fold in the nuts.
Remove the chocolate from the heat and gently fold into the whipped cream. Refrigerate the mousse until firm enough to pipe, about one hour to one day ahead.
For the tacos: On parchment paper draw 12 rounds, each 4½ inches in diameter. Cut out the rounds with scissors and arrange them on a work surface.
Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Melt completely, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Using the back of a spoon, spread a thin layer of chocolate smoothly over each circle.
Sprinkle half of each circle with 1 teaspoon of chopped hazelnuts.
Let sit until the chocolate begins to set but is still pliable, about 30 minutes.
Drape the pliable parchment-chocolate discs over 2 wooden dowels, 1 inch thick and 20 inches long, and balance over a roasting pan.
Place the roasting pan in the refrigerator and chill the tacos until hard. Remove the tacos from the dowels and very carefully peel off the parchment paper.
For the raspberry sauce: In a food processor or blender, purée the raspberries; strain into a bowl. Stir in the jam and mix well. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
For the Papaya-Kiwi Salsa: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Let the flavors marry for about 30 minutes. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
Assembly: Place the mousse in a pastry filled bag fitted with a star tip. If the mousse has been chilled until it's too firm to pipe, let it come to room temperature and then fill the pastry bag. Pipe the mousse into the chocolate taco shells. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Place about 1 tablespoon of raspberry sauce on the bottom of each of 12 plates; top with a mousse-filled taco. Spoon a tablespoon of Papaya-Kiwi Salsa on the side of the taco. Serve immediately.
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