It’s my first week of culinary school and admittedly, we’re not doing any cooking yet. Just going over general orientation, procedures and policies for the most part. However, last night, we started to talk about the properties and uses of dairy and eggs. I won’t get into the details but, suffice it to say, there are many for both. Luckily, our instructor, Chef Sam Kadko, took this as an opportunity to demonstrate them in a recipe, chocolate mousse! Yes!
I love chocolate. Have I told you this before? Yes, I’m sure I have. I’m not the only one, am I? Chocolate mousse is such a decadent treat! Very nice to serve to guests at a dinner party. You can even use it for Thanksgiving. I made one this morning using the recipe Chef Kadko prepared as a guide. I subbed in dark chocolate for the semi-sweet chocolate he used and added a little bit of coffee and amaretto. I put it in a martini glass to cool so when it is ready to serve, I don’t have to transfer it into anything. See how that just elevates it even more? Fancy! More importantly, it tastes heavenly! You can add a little whipped cream to the top, raspberries and/or some crunched up cookies for garnish. Enjoy!
- 4 oz dark chocolate (I used Hershey's Special Dark Chips)
- ⅛ tsp instant coffee (I used Starbucks Via)
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1.5 T water
- 1T Amaretto* (Grand Marnier or vanilla extract)
- 1 C heavy cream
- 3 T sugar
- Melt chocolate and coffee in microwave, 30 second intervals, until smooth (do not overheat)
- Whisk egg yolks and water continuously on top of a double boiler (over a pot of simmering water) just until it looks as though the egg is starting to slightly stick to the sides of the bowl (about 5 minutes). Let cool for a few minutes.
- Whisk heavy cream. 1.5 T of sugar and amaretto in a mixing bowl, with wire whip attachment, on high speed, until medium stiff peaks appear (about 5 minutes). Once finished, transfer into another bowl.
- Combine eggs and chocolate (if the chocolate seems a little lumpy, add a little heated heavy cream to smoothen it out)
- Using double boiler method, heat egg whites until 160 degrees fahrenheit, whisking occasionally (do not over-whisk).
- Transfer to mixing bowl and beat with wire whip attachment on high speed until medium peaks appear and the egg white has stiffened.
- Fold whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture, gently. Do not stir, just continue to fold it in until fully incorporated.
- Repeat this folding-in process with the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
- Scoop into martini glasses or serving dish of your choice, and chill for at leadt 30 minutes.
- Garnish and serve.