Chocolate Mousse
Living in the country which produces the best chocolate in the world (no, Belgian chocolate doesn't count :)), one gets to know all kinds of different
Having made this last
fluffy sweet wonder myself a couple of times I feel I know what essential ingredient
nieken's recipe above is missing:
Cream -
Full cream
Making chocolate mousse requires some planning and swiftness in the crucial phase when all the ingredients are put together. This basic recipe (I might add some fancy variation later) is for 4 people (though call and I have proven that it's no problem at all for 2 people to eat it).
Getting everything ready
As said before, when the time comes to throw everything together, which is once the chocolate has melted, speed is essential. (You don't want too many clumps, do you?) So you need to have all your ingredients and tools ready and close at hand. You will need plenty of mixing bowls, so make sure you have enough clean ones ready.
The order of tasks is in the way it works best for me. (As I have to whip both, the cream and the egg whites by hand, I usually put a "relaxing" part - mixing the yolks and the sugar - in between the two "beatings".)
Whip the cream
Either by hand with a whisk or with a blender. If you whip it by hand - be patient. And persistent. However don't use a whipped cream syphon or spray-can cream as the consistency is not the same, the latter is usually sweatened and it's just not the done thing.
You can stop whipping the cream when you can lift out the whip and the cream clings to it and forms a little "permanent" heap. Or cut through it with a knife and the cut should remain visible for a while.
Careful, don't whip the cream for too long. After all it's chocolate mousse you want and not chocolate butter.
Ok, now put the bowl with the cream in the fridge.
Mix the yolks and the sugar
Separate the eggs - egg white from yolk. Hint: separate one egg after the other, i.e. open the second egg over a different bowl in case an "accident" happens and the yolk flows into the white you only have to "throw out" one egg instead of both.
It is of utmost importance that not one bit of yolk (or anything else for that matter) gets into the white, because unless the white is totally "pure" you can't whip it stiff. Throw a pinch of salt into the white and put it away.
Add a table spoon of sugar to the yolks and beat them up until the sugar has dissolved entirely in the yolk and is not visible anymore.
Whip egg whites
Now things should be done swiftly. Once it's beaten the egg white shouldn't be left for too long as it will then dissolve and won't get stiff again.
Beat the egg white until it's stiff with a clean whisk. Stiff in this case means as with the cream before you can cut through it and the cut remains visible. Unlike with the cream you can't overdo the whipping - so go crazy! Once you're done, put it into the fridge.
Melt the chocolate
Switch off your phone, lock the doors, for the next 10 minutes you are not available for anyone.
Break up the chocolate and put it into the bowl you want to have your mousse in. Make sure it's big enough! Boil some water and carefully pour it over the chocolate until it's completely covered. Wait a moment for the chocolate to melt and then carefully strain off the water.
sneff says: I have never heard of melting chocolate like that - maybe try the microwave, or a double boiler - which is a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water.
/me says: well, believe me - it works - it's how I've done it the last 5odd times I've made the mousse :)
I never tried melting chocolate in the microwave before... seems a bit weird to me. (melted butter there, but never chocolate... hm).
I do know the double boiler method, but it's just too much of a bother - yes, I am lazy :)
Proquar says: Both 'double boiler' and microwaving chocolate are good methods for getting melted chocolate, but the method described here works well because it adds moisture to the recipe which improves the mousse.
/me says: Cool! Hadn't thought of that. Now I actually have a better reason than just plain laziness. ;)
Mix
Quickly add the yolk-sugar mixture and stir to a smooth paste. (Hurry.) Now add cream and egg white. Gently fold the whipped cream and the egg white through the chocolate mix. Don't stir it. If you do stir it you remove all the air bubbles you've just painfully whipped into the cream and egg white. Once it's all smooth and kinda well mixed, put the mousse into the fridge to cool down, take a deep breath, lick the sweet stuff of the whisk, unlock the doors, switch on the phone and start doing the dishes :)
Serve fresh
Feel free to add some chocolate shreds on top of the mousse as decoration. Maybe some sliced fruit. Use your imagination.
Smile...
...and enjoy the compliments you will receive.
Important note: You are using fresh, uncooked eggs, that means good hygiene is imperative and you should eat the mousse within the next 60 hours or so. Not that this should prove to be a problem...
Summary:
- Whip 2dl of full cream
- Mix 2 egg yolks and 1 Tbsp of sugar
- Whip 2 egg whites
- Melt 100g chocolate
- Mix
- Refrigerate
- Serve
- Enjoy
Variation:
Add a table spoon or so of your favourite single malt whisky to the egg yolks. Give the whole creation an interesting flavour. (If you're not a whisky person, add your favourite alcohol, but also use your imagination to figure if your choice might work with chocolate.
Special thanks go to sneff for helping me out with kitchen vocabulary and nodes for soft - and pipelinks. Thank you heaps!