The Crooked Ladle

Chocolate Mousse - Simple Yet Indulgent

Decadent Chocolate Mousse...Rich, Frothy, Creamy

Chocolate Mousse

I've been making this dessert for decades and I haven't gotten tired of it yet because it hits all the high marks, easy and delicious. Guests love it and I doubt they get to have a non-boxed mousse all that often. It's best to serve in individual servings for a proper mousse setup plus it provides lovely eye appeal. And it can serve a whopping 7-8 people. So, you might want to cut this recipe in half if you are only serving a few people. Honestly, I've never cut it in half even if I am only serving four people because my husband and I like to enjoy it for a couple of days. After all, it takes just as much effort to make it for four people as it is for eight so you may as well make the full batch. This recipe is really so easy to make, I'm almost embarrassed when I receive ohs and awes about it...almost. For time management purposes, I recommend making this dessert the day prior to the time it will be served as it keeps well in the refrigerator.

Serves: 7-8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Suggested Tools:

· Double-boiler or 2.5-quart size sauce pan (make-shift double-boiler)

· Large mixing bowl

· Electric mixer and bowl (for whipping cream)

. Small bowl

· Measuring cups

· Hand whisk

· Spatula

· Stir spoon

· 6-8 individual dessert glasses/bowls

Ingredients for Mousse:

· 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

· 8 large eggs (separated and at room temperature) (yolks should be whisked together)

· 8 tablespoons butter

Note: For homemade whipped cream recipe, refer to the lower portion of this page.

Instructions:

1. Before beginning the cooking process, be certain that the separated egg whites and yolks have been brought to room temperature.

2. Add about one inch of water to the bottom portion of a double boiler and add the chocolate chips and butter to the top portion. Or you can use a “make shift” double boiler, which is what I use, which is a 2.5 quart sauce pan and a large bowl is placed on top. Do not allow the water to touch the top of the bowl.

3. Turn the heat on high initially to bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low to bring to a slow rolling boil. This should begin the chocolate and butter melting process – stir the chocolate and butter until completely melted which should take about ten minutes. Take the mixture off of the heat and set aside and allow to cool down to a warm but still liquid of sorts.

4. While you allow the chocolate to cool, with an electric mixer, beat egg whites until very stiff and set aside.

Note: For step 5 below, it is very important that your yolks are at room temperature because if they are cold, the chocolate will seize up when they are added to the chocolate. Seizing up means that your chocolate suddenly becomes hard and it is tricky to bring it back to the melted texture that is needed. Having said that, if you do seize the chocolate, you can bring it back to a preferred texture by adding to the chocolate mixture very warm whipping cream a little at a time while constantly whisking. If this is your first time making a mousse similar to this one, you might want to purchase extra whipping cream in order to have enough for a come-back if needed.

5. Ensuring that the chocolate mixture has cooled but is still in the melted state, begin adding the yolks one at a time whisking each yolk into the chocolate briskly.

Note: For step 6 below, if you used a double-boiler, you should pour the chocolate mixture from that sauce pan into a large bowl so the mixture does not overflow as the egg whites are incorporated.

6. Then a little at a time, with a whisk, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture until completely blended and you cannot see anymore of the white streaks in the chocolate. The chocolate mixture should have fluffed up quite a bit from the inclusion of the whipped egg whites.

7. Using a spatula, fill individual dessert glasses/bowls with desired amount of mousse. With a damp paper towel, clean off any chocolate spills that may have dripped on the dessert dishes.

8. Refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight.