Chocolate Mousse

Like any good hand-me-down, this recipe has lineage. My friend Sue M. is like a sister to me. We recently did the math and we are coming up on our 35th anniversary of friendship. Since Sue is an adventurous cook and eater, we have shared many meals—and many recipes.

It’s Sue’s cousin, Kathie, who is credited with the original chocolate mousse recipe, as you can see in my hand-copied version pictured below. It is much the same one I use today. I remember Sue serving this at a dinner party and at my first bite, the scene froze. I had ordered chocolate mousse at restaurants, but with mixed results. Oftentimes it seemed to taste like glorified chocolate pudding, uniform in texture and too sweet.

I remember thinking three things:

• this mousse has texture and is lighter than air,
• I must ask for this recipe,
• I hope to know more about this amazing cook, Sue!

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 4 fresh-as-possible eggs (separated, room temperature)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. liqueur (orange, such as Gran Marnier, or Hazelnut, as in Frangelico)
• 2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

Melt chocolate—microwave in a pyrex measuring cup, liquify atop a double-boiler, or heat slowly in a favorite saucepan—baker’s choice!

Add liqueur and mix well. Let cool.

Whip heavy cream until peaks form. If you don’t have a second mixer, remove from bowl and refrigerate, and use your mixer to:

Beat egg whites until firm peaks. Add sugar and beat until peaks re-form. Stir in the laced chocolate.

Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture until fully incorporated and uniformly flecked. Scoop and scrape every last bit into storage containers or serving dishes. Freeze for at least one hour and up to three months.

Thaw for 15 minutes before serving.

The oldest print reference for “chocolate mousse” in an American source dates to 1892:
“There were 8,000 persons at the Food Exposition at Madison Square Garden yesterday, and the attendance at the great show grows day by day as popular interest increases. People go there to see the attractive displays of food products…Miss Parloa lectured in the afternoon on “Lobster a la Newberg,” Welsh rarebit, and chocolate mousse.”

—The Food Show, New York Times, October 7, 1892.

FRESH EGGS

Why use as-fresh-as-humanly- (and henly- ) possible eggs?

Fresh eggs achieve the fullest volume as they are slightly acidic and this helps stabilize the proteins. As eggs age, they slowly become more alkaline, which makes their proteins less stable. Fresh eggs give a lighter resulting texture to the mousse—yet another reason to thank your local hens.

Nice work, ladies!