Perfect Chocolate Mousse

If you read My Baking Addiction on a regular basis, which I certainly hope you do, you may recall that I am not a HUGE chocolate lover. I would classify myself as a “sort-of chocolate liker” meaning I’ll eat a mini frozen Snickers during a certain time of the month or chomp down on a mini Reese Cup swiped from a candy dish—but I rarely crave it!

On the other hand, Brian and my dad are chocolate lovers and drool at the thought or site of anything chocolate. For Easter, my dad had two requests; a Honey Baked Ham and chocolate mousse. My first instinct was to make the mousse that I had prepared back in February, but a twitter pal led me to a Julia Child recipe that had been tweaked by the ever-so amazing David Lebovitz.

David’s recipe seemed straight forward, but involved quite a few steps, so I decided to construct this dessert early Easter morning to allow an ample chilling time. This classic French recipe does contain raw eggs, so if that is something that concerns you, this may not be the mousse for you. David recommends using high quality chocolate, so I picked up a 9.7 ounce bar of Scharffen Berger. Although this chocolate is definitely pricey in comparison to your typical grocery store chocolate, the results are well worth the extra cost.

The result? This is one of the most decadent, rich desserts that I have ever made or tasted. The coffee added a great depth of flavor and the consistency was truly lovel. More importantly, the choco-holics enjoyed every last spoonful. I served this topped with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Perfect Chocolate Mousse

Yield: 6-8 Servings

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces (170g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup (60ml) dark-brewed coffee
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (170g), plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons (30ml) dark rum (I left this out)
1 tablespoon (15ml) water
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat a saucepan one-third full with hot water, and in a bowl set on top, melt together the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over the barely simmering water, until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.

3. In a bowl large enough to nest securely on the saucepan of simmering water, whisk the yolks of the eggs with the 2/3 cup of sugar, rum, and water for about 3 minutes until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise. (You can also use a handheld electric mixer.)

4. Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick, as shown in the photo above. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.

5. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff, then the vanilla.

6. Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don't overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.

7. Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl or divide into serving dishes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.

Notes:

- May be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child via David Lebovitz

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