I starting serving this dessert in the restaurant as I came across more and more customers who had dairy allergies or needed to restrict their dairy consumption for dietary or religious reasons. It also doesn’t contain added sugar. With a mousse so rich, light and low calorie, it became of interest to all diners. I even made this mousse in an enormous trifle bowl as the “wedding cake” for one of our regulars. So I am often asked for the recipe which required some pairing down since I usually make it in very large quantities. After some extensive kitchen math and testing, here it is. And I thank you for your patience in waiting!
Ingredients and equipment
1 cup finely minced high quality, semi-sweet or bitter chocolate. I use a mixture of Belgian and Mexican chocolate. The quality of the chocolate will certainly make a difference.
5 small eggs, separated, do not discard the yolks (you will need one to two of them, creamed to mix in later). Use the rest of the yolks for a creamless Sabayon.
Standing mixer or hand mixer for egg whites
You will need a dry bowl and you should work in an air-conditioned area since humidity will affect the consistency of the mousse.
You will also need a wooden spoon and a rubber spatula
Everything needs to be ready before you start assembly since you need to work quickly.
Instructions
Melt chocolate in double boiler or metal bowl over boiling water until chocolate becomes smooth and stir until-should be warm – not hot
All 5 egg whites beaten to stiff peaks and do not allow to sit around — must mix when you are ready to use.
Once your chocolate is warm and melted – but not hot – you will fold your egg whites in working quickly, lifting from the bottom and folding over to the top. Mix quickly or the chocolate will begin to solidify into granules. When incorporated begin to drizzle the mixed egg yolk while folding.
If you are going to serve in a large dessert dish or trifle bowl you should pour it in now while still soft. Use you spatula get it all out of the metal bowl.
If you are serving in individual pudding glasses or parfait glasses, plate now while the mousse is soft and can set.
This will need to set overnight to achieve that airy mousse quality.
In a lot of the bistros in France you get a little whipped cream with your mousse so if you are having guests over who want the cream, you could always serve a bowl of fresh whipped cream on the side. For homemade whipped cream visit “how to whip cream”.
And for those of you who can’t have any dairy on the table, just place a beautiful bowl of fresh berries next to the mouse garnished with some mint or lavander from your garden.
This dessert pairs perfectly with your favorite port wine like the Cabernet Port from Pindar Vineyards, or a flavorful red blend like the Nautique Red from Peconic Bay Winery, The Nautique line is featured in this month’s Beverage Media Magazine, which is great for North Fork wines. Congrats to Peconic Bay Winery.
