Chocolate Mousse

By

No judgements.

There are very few people who do not like chocolate.

Very few and to those I say, no judgement, but really you are missing out on a lot!! I for one am a chocolate fan in all ways and forms! from the lush and mouthwatering chocolate sauces, to the decadent chocolate fillings, to those chocolate pralines, and anything that chocolate touches… to me, it’s an irresistible world!

For my first chocolate recipe, I am keeping it simple. Starting with the basics. So am going for this chocolate mousse recipe. Simply because if you are a kitchen type of person, if you are a foodie, or a baker or even simply love to eat, you have got to make chocolate mousse at some point. So I want to make sure that you can! Not only is this chocolate mousse delicious, but it also looks very attractive served in cups. A very easy snack to grab that pairs very well with almond or hazelnut biscottis. It can also be used as a filler for chocolate mousse cakes. This succulent, seductive lusciousness of chocolate is a recipe everyone must have!

Ingredients

Serves: 8
  • 200g dark chocolate
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (recipe on this link)
  • 1 tablespoon coffee flavored liqueur, or 1 tbsp of strong prepared coffee, cooled
  • 300ml thickened cream

Melt the chocolate in large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

If you are just starting in the kitchen, this is what is called a double boiler. When melting chocolate in a double boiler, it is a rule of thumb that the water in the bottom pan, should never touch the bottom of the top pan. The chocolate must be melted by the steam resulting from the simmering water, not from the heat of the simmering water itself.

Once melted, remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, slightly beat the egg yolks with the liqueur or coffee. Pour the egg mixture in a thin stream over the melted chocolate while continuously whisking.

Beat the cream in a small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold the cream, in two batches, into the chocolate mix.

Beat the egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until stiff peaks form; fold into the chocolate mixture.

 

TIP

  • Try substituting crème de menthe for the coffee-flavoured liqueur – another way of serving after dinner mints! Always think outside of the box, bring a bit of this and a bit of that to the food you serve.
  • Why not top your sliced roasted duck with this luscious chocolate mousse? Remove the vegetables and serve with a handful of blueberries roasted parsnips and some strawberries too.
  • Why not try this chocolate mousse with your beetroot wafers? Don’t get stuck with your thoughts, be adventurous and open all the closed doors.

To serve

Spoon the mousse into eight mini cups or glasses.

Refrigerate, uncovered, about 3 hours or until mousse is set.

Top the mousse with sliced fresh strawberries, or candied strawberries. Also fresh Raspberries pair well with chocolate. You can add a mint leave and sprinkle the top with a dusting of icing sugar for a frosted finish. Or you can make thin biscottis or wafers and place them on the side. Otherwise, nuts are great, pistachios especially, and so are all types of chocolate shavings.

 

Let’s chat – Since I can’t indulge in chocolate all the time (how I wish I could), these are my go to tricks to put a chocolate crave at ease on the days when am watching what I am eating: I go for a small spoon of my organic hazelnut butter, it always does the trick and makes me feel like I had a spoon of hazelnut chocolate! Or I go for dark chocolate which I must say I have acquired a fondness of over time. Mixing both together (the hazelnut butter and the dark chocolate really makes me feel like I got a treat and for 1/4 the sugar if any!!! Do you have any such tricks to cure a crave? Do share them, dying to hear…!

You may also like…