Top Mousse Tips
A Word on Eggs
Make sure your eggs are as fresh as possible and are at room temperature before using. If they're cold when you add them into the chocolate things are going to start going wrong very quickly - your chocolate will 'seize' and you don't want that! Bear in mind that your eggs will not cook during any part of the process (even when added to warm chocolate) so if you have any concerns about the eggs, use pasteurised.
A Little Decoration
Here at La Cuisine, Chef Diane loves to add just a tiny sprinkle of fleur de sel to her finished pots of mousse au chocolat, which gives it an amazing sweet and salty touch that is iressistible. Alternatively, you can grate a little chocolate on top.
Go the Extra Mile
A pot of mousse au chocolat is perfectly paired with a little crunch, and for that, you might consider another traditional recipe: langue de chats. These light, thin biscuits are delicious next to a cup of coffee or served alongside your mousse. A recipe? Oh go on then.
Serve it with Style
Why not get a little creative with your presentation? You can pour your mouse into glass or colourful ramekins, jam jars, or lovely Kilner jars with their iconic snap-top lids for something trendy.
Ready to get started? Let's do it!
Mousse au Chocolat
Serves 6
Ingredients
400 g dark chocolate (65%-70%)
80g butter
4 egg yolks
100 g cream
1 vanilla pod
15g un-sweetened cocoa powder
10 egg whites
20g sugar
Method
In a double-boiler, melt the chocolate and butter.
Take off the heat and add in the egg yolks.
In a pan, heat the cream on a low heat for a few minutes, then cut the vanilla pod in half lenghthways and add to the cream so it can infuse. Add the cocoa powder.
Remove the vanilla pod, then add this warm mixture into the chocolate.
With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff, then add the sugar a little at a time until the mixture is glossy.
With a large spatula, add the egg white mixture to the chocolate in 2-3 batches and combine well. Don't panic if it seems the mixture is losing a lot of its volume - this is totally normal.
Pour the mousse into one large bowl or into individual ramekins if you prefer!
Allow to chill for a few hours before serving.
You can prepare the mousse the day before if you like.
