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Mousse au Chocolat
Tips: I love a good mousse, but
a lot of mousse recipes use uncooked eggs, and I’m not comfortable
eating those in the US. This recipe is an exception. It has all
the richness anyone could desire, a good chocolate flavor, and a
nice consistency (neither too firm nor too loose). You can vary
the type of chocolate and amount of sugar you use here, depending
upon what your preferences are, but it is imperative to use chocolate
of good quality here! The decidedly-modest amount of alcohol used
lends just a touch of flavor, but you can substitute vanilla extract
for it, if you’d like. The mousse should be made ahead. It
needs about 2 hours to get to a good serving consistency, but it
will sit happily in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to three
or four days. I’ve never tried to freeze this, so I don’t
know what happens if you do.
This looks festive and pretty served in wine glasses. You’ll
need 6 wine glasses, each of 6- or 7- ounce capacity. Please do
make a point to serve this garnished with lightly sweetened whipped
cream. I know that might seem excessive, but nothing beats whipped
cream for color contrast, taste, and texture.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 7-1/2 ounces good-quality semisweet OR bittersweet chocolate,
finely chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 to 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar, preferably superfine
- Few grains of salt
- Optional: 1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules
- 1 Tbsp. compatible liqueur OR vanilla
- 1 cup heavy cream
For Serving:
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Shaved or grated semisweet OR bittersweet chocolate
Have ready 6 wine glasses, each of 6- or 7-ounce capacity. Set
aside. Chill a small bowl and the beater(s) from a handheld electric
mixer.
Place finely chopped chocolate or chips in medium heatproof bowl.
Combine water, sugar, and salt in small pot; bring to a boil over
medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. When mixture boils and
sugar is dissolved, remove from heat. (Alternatively, you can
combine these three ingredients in a 1-cup microwaveable liquid
measure. Heat at 100% (high) power until warm, then stir thoroughly
to dissolve sugar. Heat again at 100% (high) power just until
mixture boils.) If using instant coffee, add to hot liquid now;
stir to dissolve. Pour about half the hot liquid over the chocolate.
Allow to stand for a minute or two, then stir or whisk gently
until smooth. Gradually stir or whisk in remaining hot liquid.
Chocolate must be completely melted and mixture should be perfectly
smooth.
Cool melted chocolate mixture to room temperature, then gently
stir in liqueur or vanilla to combine. In chilled bowl with chilled
beater(s), beat cream at a high speed just until it holds a soft
peak. Work quickly from here on out. Add a large spoonful of the
whipped cream to the cooled chocolate mixture and fold in partially.
Repeat. Add remaining whipped cream and quickly but gently fold
in just until mixture is an even color (be sure to scrape up chocolate
mixture from bottom of bowl as you fold). The mousse will start
to stiffen as you’re working with it.
Divide evenly among wine glasses, spreading mouuse level in each
with the back of a spoon. Chill at least 2 hours before serving,
covering tightly when cold.
To serve, garnish with lightly sweetened whipped cream and shaved
or grated chocolate (the same chocolate you used in the mousse,
preferably).
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