Mar 26, 2022

Decadent Chocolate Mousse

Some things never go out of style and chocolate mousse is one of them. It's not hard to see why: elegant, sophisticated, and considered the ultimate dessert for those who want to do 'fancy' (but figure profiteroles might be too much hard work!) Furthermore, who doesn't have room for light-as-air mousse even after a very rich meal? But that doesn't stop some know-it-all on Come Dine With Me declaring that a fellow contestant has chosen the 'safe' option when mousse is spotted on the menu.

Chocolate mousse could be described as the 'cornflakes' of desserts: seems simple enough; forgotten in favour of it's seemingly more exciting sweet counterparts, but once you dig in you'll remember how delicious, satisfying and moreish it really is. Who wouldn't want to indulge in those velvety, foamy clouds of chocolatey awesomeness.

Chocolate mousse - or any kind of mousse for that matter - may appear simple and easy to make, and indeed it probably is easy for those who are blessed with an abundant amount of culinary talent. But mousse can be a risky option when you want a dinner party dessert that impresses as there are a number of things that could potentially go wrong including setting issues; problems with the consistency; the texture being more custard-pudding than mousse-like; the mousse becoming too grainy if the chocolate isn't tempered correctly... plus we all know that desserts with raw egg can be unsafe for certain people. So not as simple as it looks.

There are certain key ingredients needed to make a good, rich but light, flavourful chocolate mousse, the first of which is a good quality chocolate with a high cocoa content. Of course there's also the aerator to create that cloud-like texture, and for that you could use whisked egg whites, whipped cream, or whisked aquafaba. If you want the chocolate mousse to hold it's shape better, you may also want to include some kind of setting agent like gelatin or agar agar.

With thanks to thechocolatewebsite at Pixabay

The above is a rough guide to the basics of chocolate mousse-making. But the end result can vary greatly depending on the combination and kind of ingredients used. The textures can differ from thick and slightly puddingy to light and overflowing with chocolate air bubbles (that's the best kind - Angel!) You can omit the eggs entirely and just use whipped cream, or a plant based whipped cream with aquafaba but of course that will change the texture and consistency considerably. If you wish to jazz things up a little, try adding your preferred flavouring such as vanilla, brandy, peppermint, orange or coffee. You could also top it with sweetened whipped cream, chocolate flakes, mint leaves, fruit pieces or crystalized petals or orange rind to make your dessert look pretty.

Back in the day, chocolate mousse was usually served with shortbread or tuile biscuits as part of the dessert course. In fact those biscuits are still a favourite accompaniment for chocolate mousse. But this dessert is actually very versatile and can be served in a variety of ways. Chocolate mousse can be:

Piped into profiteroles, eclairs, doughnuts, or choux buns
Used as a filling for tartlets or pies
In the form of a mousse cake or as a filling for a gateau
Set with gelatin to create a type of airy, much lighter blancmange
Filling for chocolates
Frozen to make a type of ice-cream
As one of the layers for a trifle

Chocolate mousse looks stunning and luxurious even though it is a dessert that requires minimal preparation time, although you will have to prepare it well ahead of time so that it will chill in the fridge for at least eight hours and set well.

With thanks to Efraimstochter at Pixabay

However if you're concerned about using raw eggs, you can always use pasteurized ones or leave out the eggs altogether and use whipped cream or aquafaba but bear in mind that it will obviously make a difference to the taste and texture.

Classic Chocolate Mousse

Prep time: 15mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Set time: 8hrs

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

8oz dark chocolate, grated
2 tbsps. hot (not boiled) milk
2oz butter
4 eggs, separated
8fl.oz whipping/double (heavy) cream
3oz caster sugar

Method

Put chocolate, milk & butter in pan.
Heat gently until chocolate melted & mixture creamy.
Cool slightly & add beaten egg yolks.
Whisk egg whites until stiff, adding sugar a bit at a time.
Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mix.
Whip cream and gently fold into mixture.
Pour into glasses.
Set overnight.
Dig in when ready!

MAKING A VEGAN VERSION

Substitute water for the milk or switch to a plant based version.

You could also use, if you want to create a favoured chocolate mousse:

rosewater
orange blossom water
fresh orange juice
coffee
liqueur
Switch to plant-based versions of butter and cream.
When using aquafaba instead of eggs, you could use:

3 tbsps. of aquafaba (before whisking) = 1 large egg

2 tbsps. aquafaba (before whisking) = 1 large egg white only

Finding an egg yolk substitute isn't the easiest of things, but a cashew nut puree might be the way to go. Soak the cashew nuts first in boiling water, then puree. This will help in creating the custard base of the mousse, but this step can be omitted. Bear in mind that it will alter the taste and texture of the dessert - but will still be very delicious!

Good egg yolk substitutes are: