Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate, eggs and a little sugar. No cream, no gelatin — the structure comes entirely from beaten whites.
- Prep
- 25m
- Cook
- —
- Waiting
- 4h
- Total
- 4h 25m
- Serves
- 6
- Effort
- Moderate
Scale
Units
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 200 g | Melt over barely simmering water, then cool to lukewarm 8m Cool it, or the yolks cook and the whites collapse on contact. | Stir the yolks into the warm chocolate 3m | Fold the whites into the chocolate in three additions 6m First third beaten in to loosen it, the rest folded gently. Streaks are better than a deflated mousse. | Divide into glasses and chill 4 hours 4h | |
| 2 tbsp | |||||
| a pinch | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 4 | Whisk to soft peaks, adding the sugar gradually 6m Soft peaks that flop at the tip. Stiff whites will not fold in without breaking. | ||||
| 3 tbsp | |||||
| a pinch | |||||
| a pinch | |||||
-
Melt over barely simmering water, then cool to lukewarm
8m- dark chocolate 200 g
- unsalted butter 2 tbsp
- fine salt a pinch
Cool it, or the yolks cook and the whites collapse on contact.
-
Stir the yolks into the warm chocolate
3m- from 1 Melt over barely simmering water, then cool to lukewarm
- egg yolks 4
-
Whisk to soft peaks, adding the sugar gradually
6m- egg whites 4
- caster sugar 3 tbsp
- cream of tartar (optional) a pinch
Soft peaks that flop at the tip. Stiff whites will not fold in without breaking.
-
Fold the whites into the chocolate in three additions
6m- from 2 Stir the yolks into the warm chocolate
- from 3 Whisk to soft peaks, adding the sugar gradually
First third beaten in to loosen it, the rest folded gently. Streaks are better than a deflated mousse.
-
Divide into glasses and chill 4 hours
4h- from 4 Fold the whites into the chocolate in three additions
- flaky salt (optional) a pinch
Soft peaks, not stiff
Egg white foam is a network of protein films holding air. Whipped to stiff peaks those films are already stretched to their limit; folding then tears them and the air escapes. Soft peaks have slack left, so they survive being folded into something as heavy as melted chocolate.
Notes
- Not a trace of yolk or grease in the whites, or they will not whip at all.
- Match the temperatures. Hot chocolate meeting cold foam seizes into lumps.
- Four hours minimum in the fridge. It is a soft foam until it is properly cold.