Recipe: Chocolate Mousse

Name: Chocolate Mousse
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: This chocolate mousse recipe is a mix of several recipes that I used during my professional carrier.; Chocolate mousse recipe for 5 to 6 people :; 250g (8.75 oz) dark (56%) cooking chocolate; 3 dl whipping cream; 60g (2.1 oz) butter; 1 packet of vanilla sugar; 4 eggs, separated; 50g (1.75 oz) icing sugar; 24 biscuits, langue de chat

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (42 reviews) · 🍳 22 made it

Prep 20 min

Cook 20 min

Total 40 min

Servings 6 serv.

This recipe comes from years of hands-on experience in professional kitchens, each mousse teaching me something new. The key is a barely warm bain-marie for the chocolate, overheat it and it's done for. Mount your egg whites just before folding: that's what separates a light, airy mousse from a heavy paste. Allow 12 hours minimum in the fridge for it to set properly.

Ingredients for 6 servings

Adjust for

servings

This chocolate mousse recipe is a mix of several recipes that I used during my professional carrier.
Chocolate mousse recipe for 5 to 6 people :
250g (8.75 oz) dark (56%) cooking chocolate
3 dl whipping cream
60g (2.1 oz) butter
1 packet of vanilla sugar
4 eggs, separated
50g (1.75 oz) icing sugar
24 biscuits, langue de chat

Step-by-step directions

1 Chop up the chocolate and melt it down onto a bain-marie (double boiler). As soon as the chocolate has melted take your bowl away from the heat.

2 bring your cream to the boil with the vanilla sugar and pour it onto the chocolate. Mix well.

3 Allow to cool down a little and start adding the butter in parcels. Then, add the egg yolks.

4 Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add the icing sugar at the end and give them a last whisk to make even firmer.

5 Add 3 table spoon of egg whites into the chocolate. Then, carefully, fold the rest of the whites into the chocolate mixture, using a spatula.

6 Put your chocolate mousse into the fridge for at least 12h to set. Take your mousse out of the fridge 1/2h before serving it. Nicely arrange your biscuits around your bowl (see picture).

If your are serving a chocolate mousse at meals between adults, there three nice accompaniments to your dessert :

- 1 glass of old Maury wine (Banyuls)

- or a glass of Pacherenc du Vic Bilh wine (or a Jurancon)

- or a glass of peppermint on the rocks

And for the kids a nice orange juice.

And stop licking your fingers... ;)

Chef's tip

Chocolate mousse is the effortless Sunday dessert, the one where you make people think you've slaved away when you've just followed the steps. Historically, it's been a staple of French menus since the 1960s, everywhere you go, because it works with good chocolate, free-range eggs, and cream. It's mostly a winter dessert, when the cold makes you happy to surrender to something rich and chocolatey. For accompaniments, skip the ridiculous syrups. Go for an aged Maury or Banyuls if you're an adult: the sugar and tannins in the wine answer each other perfectly. For kids, fresh-squeezed orange juice beats water with mint. The langues de chat planted on top aren't just for show: they snap under your teeth and absorb some of the chocolate's richness. Technically, the chocolate must never exceed 45°C, or it becomes greasy and dull. The hot cream poured over it melts just enough. Egg whites whipped firm but not until powdery, that detail changes everything. Those who wreck their mousse usually fold the whites in too roughly instead of gently, like you would for a soufflé.

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace the vanilla sugar with regular sugar?

Yes, no problem. Use 50g of plain white sugar and add a real vanilla pod scraped if you have one. Vanilla isn't mandatory: a dark chocolate above 56% works alone. Commercial vanilla sugar is mostly convenience.

How do I know if my egg whites are whipped enough?

Turn the bowl upside down: they should stay put without slipping. But too stiff and they become grainy, hard to fold in. Whip until they hold, add the icing sugar, then whip just 20 more seconds. Any longer and it turns powdery.

How long does chocolate mousse keep in the fridge?

Three days maximum. After that, raw eggs start to age and the texture compacts. Cover it with cling film to keep fridge smells out. Never freeze: mousse separates when it thaws.