Fast and delicious chocolate mousse

Who, in this world, does not love chocolate? It is luscious, warm and give you endless grades of sweet embracement. Almost like a good friend, the type that is almost extinguished. As my husband puts it, "chocolate was, probably, the best human invention". As exaggerated as the statement might sound - chocoholic enthusiasm - one has to admit that any true foodie praises chocolate as one of cuisine's gods. It is, in fact, one of the most difficult ingredients to work with and one of those that requires a great deal of skill to manage successfully. A simple chocolate mousse can be ruined in a blink of an eye if you use very hight temperatures to melt the chocolate. Any ingredient has to be treated with some degree of respect but chocolate demands additional patience, as if dealing with a capricious being. 

This recipe for chocolate mousse is very fast and it has little margin for failure. For those of you out there who deal with lactose intolerance, just grab your Lactaid pills and swallow a bunch of them. This mouse uses plenty of cream but you cannot afford to skip it! One last advice: please, please, please (!), do not use cheap chocolate (like Hersheys) for mousse. That would be like making barbecue without meat. You do not have to spend $50 in chocolate for making mouse but you want something that it is rich and intense, in a good way. Ghiraldelli  or Baker's will serve you very well at a very affordable price. We love Baker's because not only is delicious but it has a very convenient presentation - they wrap it in 1oz squares which makes it so much easier to measure. 

Okay! Now that you chose your chocolate, let us start (the following recipe serves up to 12 people)!

Start by setting up an ice bath by partially filling a large bowl with cold water and ice.

In a large sauce pan, combine 2 cups of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, whisking occasionally, to blend in the cocoa. In the meanwhile, chop 13 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. When the cream is boiling, take it off the heat and immediately add the chopped chocolate and 1/2 cup of unsalted, softened butter, cut into pieces. Whisk slowly until melted and smooth. You will get a beautiful, shiny chocolate mixture.

Scrape the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, add 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract or 1 to 2 tablespoons of Brandy (choose what you like best), and a pinch of salt. Set the bowl over the ice bath and stir constantly, with a rubber spatula, scrapping the sides very frequently, until the chocolate cools to room temperature. When it is cool, remove the bowl form the ice bath.

Take another clean bowl and put in 7 egg whites (save the yolks! They will keep in the fridge for as long as your eggs and there are plenty of good things you can use them for). Whip until very foamy. Add a pinch of salt (and 1/4 teaspoon of cream tartar - totally optional) and keep whipping until very soft peaks are formed. At this point, slowly add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and continue beating until the whites are shiny  and form fluffy peaks. Scoop about 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate mixture and fold together and thoroughly. Repeat the previous step until no whites are left. Cover and chill, at least, one hour. Serve simple or with whipping cream.

My husband makes another recipe for mouse that is very delicious too but that takes us twice as time as this one. This one is a very good option for a last minute call party or to simply satisfy a sudden craving for decadence. This mouse is super airy, fluffy, and smooth at the same time. It is not overly sweet, which is a great advantage, in my opinion. It is the perfect final touch for your long working days, it is the perfect sweet kiss for your "not so shinny" days, it is the perfect reward for your victorious days. In short, it can be one of your best friends. The consequences, actually, are not as bad as having to deal with most people. ;)

Happy cooking and bon appetit!!!