Chocolate Mousse
(serves 6-8, or alysse and will 5 times)
6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces (170g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup (60ml) dark-brewed coffee
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (170g), plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons (30ml) dark rum
1 tablespoon (15ml) water
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Heat a saucepan one-third full with hot water, and in a bowl set on top, melt together the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over the barely simmering water, until smooth. Remove from heat. I used the Obsidian roast from Caribou Coffee - their second darkest and my favorite blend. I'd be interested to make 1/4 cup with more grounds to make it an even stronger flavor.
2. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
3. In a bowl large enough to nest securely on the saucepan of simmering water, whisk the yolks of the eggs with the 2/3 cup of sugar, rum, and water for about 3 minutes until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise. You can use an electric mixer - and maybe should. This took more like 5 minutes of Will and I passing off whisking duty. But! While the whisking was rough, it really felt like I earned it when I was finished.
3. Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick, as shown in the photo above. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff, then the vanilla. This took only a couple minutes and was much easier/more rewarding since I could quicky see the result.
5. READ THIS ENTIRE STEP FIRST: Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don't overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.
6. Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl or divide into serving dishes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm. I transferred a majority into a bowl, with a solid chunk in another bowl that I planned to eat an hour out. It was delicious.
This would be amazing served with strawberries or raspberries. I prefer straight out of the mixing bowl.
Bon App-Alysse!
Sam makes a wicked mousse. I think it has kahlua in it. You need to get her recipe.
ReplyDeleteRob
Guess what? Last night I tried out this recipe last night! It was really fun to make, though complicated, as mousse is! I told my Mom I was making it and she said she has never even attempted because of how hard it is to make it. Well, for the most part, it worked! It tastes like and has the thickness of mousse - I'm so excited to serve it! However, I couldn't get it fluffy. I think I messed up the egg white directions. I couldn't get the egg whites to get frothy and thick. Any ideas on what I did wrong? Well, despite the mistake there, it turned out pretty darn close to what mousse is supposed to be! Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteRob - That sounds amazing... It would be fun to experiment with different liquors (Chambord... mmm). I need to figure out when she adds it to the recipe. And how much...
ReplyDeleteKimmer - Hmm, I'm thinking you may have not whisked the whites long enough. (I know that's exactly what you want to hear - I'm sure your wrist is sore today!) I was literally whisking until I thought my arm would fall off, and then I whisked some more. I'm currently a purist when it comes to mixing by hand vs using a hand mixer, but I'm sure I'll be over that soon enough :) I'm sure your guests will LOVE it.
Yeah my mom had a couple of ideas too - the bowl might have had residue oil in it, plus when I was separating the egg whites, one of them kind of shattered so there was a couple of small pieces of yolk in the egg whites... probably was what screwed that part up.
ReplyDeleteBtw, so do you still think you'll be able to attend the bachelorette party? I know it's still a ways out, but was just checking in on what you think MIGHT happen :)
Love,
Kim