Few feelings can match that of being in love, but for me a big bowl of chocolate mousse once came pretty close. At Chez Janou, a bistro in the 3d arrondissement in Paris, I ordered the mousse for dessert. The waiter appeared bearing a gigantic wooden bowl of chocolate mousse with a serving spoon for me to scoop as much as I wished. I swear, the rush of joy that washed over me in that moment felt an awful lot like love.
With so few ingredients in chocolate mousse, quality matters. Choose the best chocolate you can — I like bittersweet with about 60 percent cacao — and Dutch-process cocoa powder. Using cocoa powder is an innovation from Cook’s Illustrated. It adds complexity to the straight-up chocolate mousse, but I leave it out of most of the variations so the additional flavors can shine.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Makes about 4½ cups
Air is an important component in mousse, so when you add the beaten egg whites and then the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture, gently fold them in with a wide spatula, so as not to deflate the whites or whipped cream too much.
Be aware that the eggs in mousse are not cooked. If that’s a concern, you can substitute 6 tablespoons packaged pasteurized egg whites for the fresh ones; they may take a little longer to beat.
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1½ tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1¼ cups heavy cream, cold
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Salt
Fresh raspberries, for garnish, optional
In a medium heatproof bowl, place the chocolate, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and 1/3 cup hot water. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water over low heat (bottom of bowl should not touch the water) and melt the chocolate, stirring frequently with a heatproof flexible spatula, until fluid and smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool the mixture to barely lukewarm, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, with a hand-held or standing mixer at medium speed, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 30 seconds. Adjust the speed to high and continue beating, gradually adding 1 tablespoon sugar, until whites are thick, glossy, and hold firm peaks, about 1 minute longer in a standing mixer. Scrape the beaten whites into a medium bowl and set aside.
In the bowl used to beat the egg whites (no need to clean it), with a hand-held or standing mixer at medium speed, beat ¾ cup cream until it begins to thicken and beaters leave a trail. Adjust the speed to high and continue beating until the cream is thick, nearly doubled in volume, and forms very soft peaks, about 45 seconds longer in a standing mixer (you should have about 1½ cups). Scrape the whipped cream into a medium bowl and set aside.
In the bowl used to beat the egg whites and cream (still no need to clean it), with a hand-held or standing mixer, beat the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon sugar at high speed until very thick and pale, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and ¼ teaspoon salt, and beat just to combine. With the motor running at medium speed, gradually add the cooled chocolate mixture, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary.
Add about one quarter of the beaten egg whites and, using a flexible spatula, stir until just combined. Add the remaining beaten whites and rapidly but gently fold to combine. Add the whipped cream and rapidly but gently fold to combine (it’s OK if some streaks of white remain).
Scrape the mousse into a serving bowl or divide it among up to 6 individual serving dishes, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 24 hours.
No more than 30 minutes before serving, with a hand-held or standing mixer at medium speed, beat the remaining ½ cup cream until it begins to thicken and beaters leave a trail. Adjust the speed to high and continue beating, gradually adding the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, until the cream is thick, nearly doubled in volume, and forms soft peaks, about 1 minute longer (you should have about 1 cup). Serve mousse, garnishing with a dollop of whipped cream and a few raspberries, if desired.
VARIATIONS
> Mocha Mousse
Makes about 4½ cups
Follow the recipe for Chocolate Mousse, making the following changes:
1) Omit the cocoa powder.
2) Increase the quantity of espresso powder to 1½ teaspoons and substitute lukewarm brewed espresso for the hot water.
3) If garnishing, substitute chocolate curls (shaved from a block of chocolate with a vegetable peeler) for the raspberries.
> Chocolate Mousse With Orange and Grand Marnier
Makes about 4½ cups
This variation calls for widely available orange flavoring (often oil-based). Depending on where you shop, you might also find orange extract, which is typically alcohol-based, or pure orange oil, the strongest of the three.
Follow the recipe for Chocolate Mousse, making the following changes:
1) Omit the cocoa powder and espresso powder.
2) Substitute Grand Marnier for the hot water if desired.
3) Decrease the quantity of vanilla extract to ½ teaspoon and along with it add ¾ teaspoon orange flavoring.
4) If garnishing, substitute chocolate curls (shaved from a block of chocolate with a vegetable peeler) for the raspberries.
> Chocolate Mousse With Rum and Ginger
Makes about 4½ cups
Follow the recipe for Chocolate Mousse, making the following changes:
1) Omit the cocoa powder and espresso powder.
2) Substitute amber or dark rum for the hot water.
3) Increase the quantity of vanilla extract to 1½ teaspoons and along with it add 1¼ teaspoons of powdered ginger.
> Milk Chocolate Mousse With Port and Cinnamon
Makes about 4½ cups
The port imparts a particularly fruity quality, without detectable booziness. Milk chocolate with a high cacao content, 30 to 35 percent, is recommended here.
Follow the recipe for Chocolate Mousse, making the following changes:
1) In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 cup ruby port to a strong simmer; continue simmering until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 10 minutes.
2) Use high-cacao milk chocolate rather than bittersweet chocolate.
3) Omit the cocoa powder and espresso powder and substitute the warm reduced port for the hot water.
4) Decrease the quantity of vanilla extract to ½ teaspoon and along with it add 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
> Chocolate Mousse With Brandy
Makes about 4½ cups
Three tablespoons of brandy impart a noticeable flavor to the mousse; an extra tablespoon makes it pretty boozy, if that’s what you’re after.
Follow the recipe for Chocolate Mousse, substituting 3 tablespoons of brandy or cognac for 3 tablespoons of the hot water.
Adam Ried appears regularly on “America’s Test Kitchen.” Send comments to cooking@globe.com.