Ultimate Chocolate Mousse
by Craig Claiborne
Yield: 12 servingsPrep: 30 minsTotal: 4 hrs 30 mins
Ingredients
You have 1 of 7
protein
- ○6eggs(separated)
dairy
- ✓2 cupsheavy cream
- ○whipped cream(for garnish)
pantry staple
- ✓3 tablespoonwater
- ○6 tablespoonsgranulated sugar(divided)
- ○8 ouncessemisweet dark chocolate(broken into 1/2-inch pieces)
other
- ○grated chocolate(for garnish)
- ○1/4 cupsweet liqueur(such as Chartreuse, amaretto, mandarin, or Grand Marnier)
Instructions
- Place chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water, and cook over low, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat, and set aside.
- Place egg yolks and 3 tablespoons water in a heavy saucepan; cook over very low, whisking vigorously and constantly, until yolks begin to foam and thicken, about 6 minutes. Whisk in liqueur, and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl; discard solids.
- Fold melted chocolate into sauce. Transfer chocolate mixture to a large bowl, and set aside.
- Beat cream with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes, beating in 2 tablespoons sugar toward the end. Fold into chocolate mixture.
- Using electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks start to form, about 1 minute. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold into chocolate-cream mixture.
- Spoon mousse into a bowl, and chill until ready to serve, 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Garnish servings with whipped cream and grated chocolate.
My notes
The key to this recipe is to use the very best semisweet dark chocolate you can find—we like Valrhona. The better the chocolate, the better the mousse.