Recipe: Chocolate Mousse

Name: Chocolate Mousse
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 8.75 oz (250 g) dark chocolate, 56% cocoa or higher; 1.25 cups (30 cl) heavy cream (30% fat); 2.1 oz (60 g) fine butter; 1 packet vanilla sugar (or seeds scraped from inside a vanilla pod); 4 farm eggs: 4 whites and 4 yolks; 1.75 oz (50 g) icing sugar; 24 cat's tongue biscuits

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

Prep 20 min

Cook 20 min

Total 40 min

Servings 6 serv.

Chocolate mousse is an emblematic dessert in French cuisine. This creamy and smooth dessert is made with melted chocolate, sugar, and eggs mixed together to create a light and airy texture. This recipe comes from years of professional experience in the kitchen: every mousse I've made has taught me something. The key trick is using a barely warm bain-marie for the chocolate, otherwise you'll burn it. And the egg whites should be whipped just before mixing: that's the difference between a light, airy mousse and a heavy paste. Plan for at least 12 hours of rest in the fridge for it to set properly.

Ingredients for 6 servings

Adjust for

servings

8.75 oz (250 g) dark chocolate, 56% cocoa or higher
1.25 cups (30 cl) heavy cream (30% fat)
2.1 oz (60 g) fine butter
1 packet vanilla sugar (or seeds scraped from inside a vanilla pod)
4 farm eggs: 4 whites and 4 yolks
1.75 oz (50 g) icing sugar
24 cat's tongue biscuits

Step-by-step directions

1 Chop or cut your chocolate into small pieces. In a fairly wide saucepan, put hot water so that the bowl containing your chopped chocolate just touches the boiling water (bain-marie). Heat and stir. As soon as the chocolate is melted (barely warm), immediately remove your bowl from its heat source.

2 Bring your heavy cream to a boil with the vanilla sugar (or vanilla seeds), then pour while stirring over the melted chocolate.

3 Let cool slightly, then add the butter squares and the 4 egg yolks one by one.

4 Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then just before the end add the icing sugar and whip more vigorously (whip firmly).

5 Fold 3 tablespoons of egg whites into your mousse, mix well with a whisk, then add the rest while mixing with a wooden spatula by cutting and gently lifting the mixture as you would for a soufflé.

6 Leave your chocolate mousse in the fridge for at least 12 hours, then about half an hour before serving, arrange your cat's tongue biscuits around it harmoniously. You can also serve it on spoons or in small glasses.

If you're serving adults, here are 3 wonderful accompaniments for chocolate mousse:

- 1 glass of aged Maury (Banyuls)

- or 1 glass of Pacherenc de Vic Bilh (or Jurançon)

- or 1 glass of Get set and crushed ice (Peppermint)

And for the children, orange juice or better yet mint water. And stop licking your fingers!

A chef's advice

Chocolate mousse is the effortless Sunday dessert, the one where you make people think you've really worked hard when you've just followed the steps. Historically, it's been a staple of French menus since the 1960s, everywhere because it works with good chocolate, farm eggs, and cream. It's especially a winter dessert, when the cold weather makes you happy to give in to something rich and chocolatey.

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.