Hello, Foodies!
Congratulations! We have successfully made it through another Valentine’s Day. Sadly, that means putting away the cupids, hearts, doilies, roses, and chocolate away until next year…minus the chocolate. You’ll need it to make mousse!
Mousse is one of the few things I cannot quite put into words, but I’ll try. It’s almost as if pudding and shaving cream had a baby (unappetizing, I know…bear with me). It’s decedant and rich, but has this silky, airy, pillowy quality you can’t imagine until you’ve tasted it. Oh, and it’s DELICIOUS (in case you were alarmed by the shaving cream bit).
There are a lot of mousse recipes out there, but in my humble opinion, one is superior: Julia Child’s “Mousseline Au Chocolat.” Maybe it’s because anything in French sounds fancier and is therefore more scrumptious, or because she uses egg whites instead of cream, but trust me when I say Julia’s way is the best.
While mousse-making is not difficult, it can quickly become frustrating if you “lose control,” as tempering eggs and melting chocolate require 100% focus. To make it easier, I will divide the steps into three sections so you know when these critical focus periods are. Before you begin a new section, make sure you have everything prepared and set out, as even a ten-second delay to grab a bowl can jeopardize the future of your mousse.
- 4 eggs (separated)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (plus 1 Tb)
- 1/4 orange liqueur (or dark rum or bourbon)
- 6 ounces of semi-sweet baking chocolate
- 4 Tb strong coffee
- 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (softened)
- Pinch of salt
Part One: The Eggs
Beat the egg YOLKS and 3/4 cup of sugar together. The sugar/egg ratio will seem off at first, but keep mixing — the sugar will quickly dissolve and you’ll be left with a beautiful, pale yellow mixture. Add in your alcohol of choice (don’t worry…it will cook off). If you like the taste of orange, go with orange liqueur, but I went with dark rum.
The next part involves a double boiler (a.k.a. a bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water). If you have ever made Hollendaise Sauce, the process is very similar: simply beat your egg mixture over the water until it is thick and foamy, about 3 to 4 minutes (DO NOT STOP BEATING!). Remember, you need to cook both the eggs and the alcohol, so make sure the mixture is too hot to touch.
As you are continuing to mix, transfer the bowl with the egg mixture to a basin of ice-cold water. Beat for 3 to 4 additional minutes until the mixture has cooled completely. According to Julia, it should be the consistency of mayonnaise.
Part Two: The Chocolate
Using the double boiler, melt the chocolate and coffee together (if you don’t like the taste of coffee, you can partially or completely substitute it with water). Take it off the heat and mix in the butter bit by bit. Try to add it quickly so that the heat of the chocolate can melt the butter. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and shiny.
Add the chocolate to the egg mixture. At this point, it should look like chocolate pudding.
Part Three: The Fluff
Beat the egg WHITES and salt together (I recommend using an electric mixer for this). Once it looks foamy, add in the 1 Tb of sugar. Continue to beat until the mixture is white and stiff peaks have formed.
Add 1/4 of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture and whisk together. Fold in the remainder of the egg whites using a rubber spatula. The “folding” is key to making the mousse light and airy.
Spoon the mousse into bowls or cups (depending on the size, the mixture should yield anywhere from 4-8 servings). Chill for at least two hours. I recommend covering the tops with plastic wrap to keep the mousse from tasting like the fridge. Top with whipped cream and berries and enjoy!
If you liked this post, please…
The best dessert in the world! Perfect for a fancy dinner like Valentine’s Day. Love how you broke the recipe down to make it seem less daunting. Gorgeous pictures too.