I’ve told you about the best part of working from home, but I realized I haven’t mentioned some of the not-so-delightful sides.
First of all, according to your friends, you no longer have a “job”. What they call a job requires an office – preferably, one with stale coffee and decade-old carpeting. So, when they call you in the middle of the day and invite you out to lunch, grab a coffee or go lamp shopping for their new house, don’t expect them to take your “I am busy!” response too seriously.
Besides, what work? After all, you are only baking a cake and taking its pictures.
When I told you about my recent career change, you expected my posts to be more frequent, didn’t you? Well, so did I!
And not to worry; I still have the same intention. As much as I’d like to update my blog more frequently, something always gets in the way (like this book for instance). But I have to admit, my friends are not the only ones to blame.
Maybe, after working day and night all those years (sometimes even without vacation days), I’ve gotten used to the comfort of my home and became a bit, ummm, you know, lazy… Maybe, I have been spending way too much time on eBay for antique bakeware. I might have even woken up at 6:40 AM this morning and watched an awesome linen napkin set slip away and crawled back to bed.
Or maybe, just maybe, I’ve developed this obsession to watch all the TV shows in the world (go Glee!) the moment they air in the US. Maybe.
But if there is one thing I am absolutely sure of, it is this: Chocolate mousse must have been invented by the smartest, kindest and most charitable person in the world. He/she certainly deserves some kind of a humanitarian award for finding an answer to this very important question: “How can I eat massive amounts of chocolate AND never get tired of it?”
A chocolate mousse recipe is all about gradually lightening the melted bittersweet chocolate. The egg yolks provide a silky texture and additions of egg whites and heavy cream give the mousse body and lighten the taste.
Some recipes use just egg whites, others use both egg whites and heavy cream. I have tried every possible combination and came to the conclusion that using both gives you a more balanced mousse without sacrificing the rich chocolate taste.
I think this recipe will also be appreciated by those who are worried about using raw eggs, as it is pretty common in mousse recipes. Adding scalded milk to the egg yolks and heating the egg whites on a double boiler takes care of that issue.
One last thing before I go: In order to achieve that “light as a feather” texture, pay attention to how you incorporate the egg whites and whipped cream. The melted chocolate combined with the yolks is much denser than whipped cream and egg whites. Adding them all at once will make it very difficult for you to incorporate them without deflating the air bubbles trapped inside. So, first add only one third of each to the chocolate mixture, which will lighten it, and then fold in the rest gently.
Chocolate mousse. Light as a feather.
Bon Appetite!
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE RECIPE
Ingredients
6 servings
- 8 ounces bittersweet (70% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) whole milk
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten with a fork
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
Method
- Place a medium-sized mixing bowl and a wire whisk in the freezer and let chill (this will help you whisk the cream more easily).
- Melt the chocolate on a double-boiler, take off heat and let stand.
- In a small saucepan, bring milk and sugar to the boil and take off heat. While whisking the yolks constantly, slowly drizzle the hot milk in and continue whisking until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Important: You need to add the hot milk in small amounts at first; otherwise the egg yolks will cook too quickly and the mixture will curdle. Once you’ve added half of the milk this way, the temperature of the egg yolks will rise enough to allow the rest of the milk to be added at once.
- Add melted chocolate and whisk to combine.
- In another mixing bowl set over a pan of simmering water, place the egg whites and whisk until hot-to-the-touch. Add the salt and whisk until stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and mix well. Fold in the rest gently with a spatula.
- Place the heavy cream in the chilled mixing bowl and whip with the chilled whisk until stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and mix well. Fold in the rest gently with a spatula.
- Divide the mousse into 6 individual serving dishes (1/3 cup each), cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Serve cold. Additional whipped cream and/or summer berries won’t hurt. Will keep fresh in the refrigerator for 2 days.
FAQs
Common mistakes when making mousse (and how to fix them)
It's easy to remelt the chocolate in the microwave until smooth and try again. A grainy mousse is also a result of overbeating so only beat for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture resembles lightly whipped cream.
What are the four basic components of a mousse? ›
Four basic components of a Mousse
Mousse is a light and airy dessert made with eggs, sugar, heavy cream, and flavoring. All mousses have four basic components: aerated egg yolks, whipped egg whites, whipped cream, and a flavoring base.
Why is my chocolate mousse not fluffy? ›
The chocolate you used wasn't fluid enough
A three-drop chocolate has exactly the right cocoa butter content to produce the perfect end results. Chocolate with less cocoa butter in it will give the mousse too little texture. How to choose the right fluidity?
What makes a good mousse? ›
Whipping cream is the soul of a rich and creamy mousse. While making whipped cream may sound like a cakewalk, it's important to not carried away and over whisk the cream. It's only a matter of seconds and your cream could go from creamy and smooth to grainy and broken!
Why is chocolate mousse so hard to make? ›
Mousse is both an easy and difficult dessert to make, just because the different components need to be at the correct temperatures when assembling. The melted chocolate should not be hot because the eggs will curdle when added. Nor should it be cold because the eggs won't incorporate smoothly.
How do you fix failed mousse? ›
To fix a soupy pot de crème or chocolate mousse, you can try the following: Chill the mixture: Put the mixture in the refrigerator and let it cool completely. As it chills, the mixture will thicken. Add more chocolate: Melt additional chocolate and fold it into the mixture to make it thicker.
Is it safe to use raw eggs in chocolate mousse? ›
Mousse recipes that use raw eggs should be modified by heating the milk, eggs and sugar to 160 degrees F. Hillers recommends any recipe calling for raw eggs should be modified to either heat the eggs or to substitute a modified egg product. If your recipe can't be modified, Hillers advises finding a substitute recipe.
How much mousse is enough? ›
When it comes to hair mousse, err on the side of caution when applying the product and add more as needed. Work a golf ball-sized amount of product through your damp hair using your fingers and concentrating the product on your roots. If you have longer hair, go for an egg-sized dollop.
What should the consistency of mousse be? ›
While it uses only a few ingredients, chocolate, eggs, butter, vanilla, and heavy cream, its chocolate flavor is rich and its texture is silky smooth and airy, almost foamy. And foamy is an apt description as "mousse" is French for 'froth' or 'foam'.
Why did my chocolate mousse seize? ›
Seizing can also occur if you splash water into the chocolate or if you melt it with a tiny amount of liquid. To add flavorings, melt every 2 ounces of chocolate with at least 1 tablespoon of coffee, juice, liqueur, cream or milk, or with 1/4 cup of butter.
The first could be that you over or under-whisked your whipped cream. The most important part of a mouse is the creamy, soft texture and the best way to maintain that texture is to ensure that your ingredients are mixed well enough that they are firm but not overly soft. It's about finding the right balance.
What is traditional mousse made from? ›
Mousse is the stuff of dessert dreams: incredibly light and also ridiculously rich. At its most basic, mousse is made by folding aerators into a base. These aerators can be whipped cream, meringue (egg whites + sugar), pâte à bombe (whole eggs and/or egg yolks + sugar), or a combination.
What can I add to mousse to make it thicker? ›
Don't overdo it when it comes to thickening. Try adding a small amount of cornstarch to a little water, and add it to the mousse a little at a time and see how it thickens the texture.
How do you stabilize mousse? ›
Adding gelatin to whipped cream (known as stabilized whipped cream) is a great way to stabilize it, but it's not always an easy task, as the gelatin can sometimes solidify before mixing into the cream, leaving small chunks of it behind. I decided to try an alternative—add the bloomed gelatin to the ganache as it cooks.
Why didn't my mousse set? ›
A runny mousse that won't set is caused by the opposite of the reason for grainy mousse. If your mousse won't set, it is most likely because you have under-whipped the heavy cream.
What causes mousse to separate? ›
Using a cream with a fat content of only 32% means that it will have a higher water content (if it is whipping to soft peaks it is probably as it has some stabilizers or thickeners added) and this water content could be causing the choccolate to seize and the mousse to separate.
What causes lumpy mousse? ›
There are a few things you can do to avoid ending up with lumpy chocolate mousse. First, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin. This includes the chocolate, eggs, and cream. If your ingredients are too cold, the chocolate will seize up and you'll end up with lumps.
