This popular dessert can be made well in advance, frozen, and served partially frozen or thawed.
For special occasions, I have made two batches of this recipe, using white chocolate for one, and milk/dark chocolate for the other. I then combined the batches to create an attractive mottled or swirled effect. Liqueur can be used instead of vanilla extract.
Chocolate leaves and curls provide the finishing touch! (Notes below)
Chocolate mousse
Rating
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- 2 3½-ounce slabs milk chocolate
- 1 tablespoon strong black coffee OR
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee mixed with
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- ¾+¼ cup pasteurized egg white
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- dark chocolate, shaved or grated, for decoration
Instructions
- Break the chocolate into squares and place in the top of a double boiler or in a glass bowl. Add the coffee.
- Melt the chocolate over boiling water or in the microwave.
- Put ¾ cup of the egg white into a bowl, sprinkle the cream of tartar over it, and beat until stiff. Set aside.
- Using the same beater, whip the cream in a separate bowl, until stiff. Set aside.
- Slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of egg white to the chocolate while beating with the same beater. Initially the chocolate will become crumbly, but continue beating, until smooth.
- Mix the chocolate into the whipped egg white.
- Fold in the cream and pour the mousse into a suitable bowl.
- Freeze for 6-8 hours.
- To serve the mousse partially frozen, remove from the freezer half an hour before needed. To thaw completely, place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before serving.
- Decorate before serving.
Chocolate leaves are fun to make
- use real rose leaves with a bit of stem at the base of each leaf for a handle
- rinse and dry the leaves
- melt chocolate and stir until smooth
- use a brush to paint the underside of the leaves with a thick, smooth layer of chocolate
- arrange on a parchment-lined tray and refrigerate until set
- use a paring knife to carefully separate the tip of the leaf from the chocolate and then peel the leaf off, working quickly but gently
- arrange the chocolate leaves on parchment paper and refrigerate until needed for decoration
Chocolate curls
- melt 6-8 squares of dark chocolate
- add a good knob, about a teaspoon, of margarine and stir until smooth and blended
- line a small dish with parchment paper and pour the chocolate into it
- refrigerate until completely set. Use a vegetable peeler to create curls and whirls
- refrigerate until needed
Aileen says
Thanks for sharing Felicia!!
Felicia says
Amazing receipe! A perfect gluten free dessert in a few easy to follow steps.
kathy says
Did you mix the whites in a plastic bowl? I was never able to beat the whites stiff in my food processor (high quality plastic), but they beat up beautifully in a metal bowl. Give it a whirl!
Heide says
Had a bit of a problem beating up the pasteurized egg whites. I did however put it in the freezer. The family decided to do a taste test and now I will never know if it would have been the mousse it was supposed to be as there was not enough left to gage the result, as it was delicious.
Frank says
Thank you for keeping the idea of chocolate mousse alive, Aileen. I wish restaurant managers would appreciate that there are thousands, nay, millions, of us hoping to find chocolate mousse on the menu. As a practical measure to correct the shortage of chocolate mousse offerings at restaurants I suggest the following: always ask for it, then when the waiter/waitress apologizes for the gaping hole in their offerings, ask for it a second time–your insistence may very well be reported to the manager, and we may all be better fed at that restaurant the next time.
aileen says
Frank, I believe that there are fashions in food as with everything else. I hadn’t realized that there was a dip in its availability, but you are right – keep asking and it will hopefully become a matter of ‘demand and supply’:)