Moms Chocolate Mousse Recipes

MOM'S OLD FASHIONED CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Add yolks, 1 at a time and stir (take care not to scramble). Add the coffee paste and let cool to room temperature. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into cooled chocolate mixture.
• Refrigerate in a big bowl or in individual wine glasses. Serve garnish with slivered toasted almonds and whipped cream piped through a pastry bag.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• For the mousse: Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Remove and allow to cool a little.
• Add the cream to a large bowl and start to whip using a hand mixer. Slowly add the sugar and continue to whip until you have stiff peaks, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Place the egg yolks in a pitcher, add the vanilla and whisk together by hand.
• Temper the egg yolks by adding a little of the melted chocolate to them and whisking together. Pour the yolks into the bowl of melted chocolate and stir in gently.
• Fold three-fourths of the whipped cream into the chocolate, reserving the rest.
• Divide between 4 serving glasses.
• Gently fold the raspberry preserves into the reserved whipped cream until you achieve a swirled appearance. Spoon some of the swirled whipped cream on top of the mousse in each glass.
• Place the glasses into the fridge and chill for 1 hour. Remove from the fridge and decorate with Marbled Chocolate Curls before serving.
• Add the semi-sweet and white chocolate to separate small microwave-safe bowls or pitchers. Add 2 teaspoons of the coconut oil to each. Pop in the microwave together for 1 minute. Stir each until smooth, microwaving for another 10 to 15 seconds, if needed, to fully melt the chocolate.
• Lay a sheet pan on the counter upside down. Start by pouring the white chocolate in a zig-zag pattern over the underside of the cookie sheet; do not get too close to the edges. Repeat with the semi-sweet chocolate, making sure to fill the holes where there is no white chocolate. Using an offset spatula or knife, spread the chocolates in a very thin layer, then stick the sheet pan in the freezer for 2 to 3 minutes. This step is key!
• After a few minutes, check the chocolate by pressing it with your finger; it should leave only the slightest mark, but not an actual depression.
• Using a somewhat sharp-edged spatula, scrap the chocolate from the bottom of the pan. If the chocolate is the correct temperature, it should begin to curl. If the chocolate is breaking, it is too cold so let it sit for a few seconds to warm, then try again. If it gets too soft, stick it back in the freezer for a minute.
• Pretty soon you will have some pretty marbled chocolate curls. Use as a garnish immediately on chilled desserts or immediately transfer to a cold plate and place back in the freezer to harden. Store in an airtight container in the freezer until you need them. The curls are perfect for topping your favorite pies, cakes or elevating a simple fruit platter.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Bring an inch of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Combine the cream and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. When the water boils, turn the heat to low so the water is barely simmering or just steaming. Set the bowl over the saucepan and melt the chocolate, gently stirring with a whisk now and then.
• While the chocolate melts, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer on medium speed. When the whites are foamy, add the sugar in a slow stream while whisking. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form. The whites should look glossy but not dry, and, when you lift the whisk from the mixture, a peak should form in the bowl and hold.
• Once the chocolate has melted completely, turn off the heat but leave the bowl over the saucepan. Holding the bowl with a kitchen towel, add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking after each addition. If the mixture looks broken, remove the bowl from the saucepan, cool for a minute, then add 1 tablespoon cream and whisk just until shiny and smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. (Don't worry if it still doesn't look completely smooth. It will come together in the next step.)
• Add a quarter of the beaten whites to the chocolate mixture and stir gently with a flexible rubber spatula until incorporated but still a little streaky. This will make it easier to fold in the remaining whites to create an airy mousse by gradually lowering the temperature of the chocolate (tempering) and making the mixture loose.
• Add the rest of the whites and fold them in by running the spatula from 12 o'clock on the bowl to 6 o'clock, then scooping up the chocolate on the bottom and gently folding it over the whites as you move toward 9 o'clock. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue folding just until the last streak of white disappears. It's OK if there are a few lumps of whites left. It's better to not deflate the batter by folding too much.
• Scoop into a pretty bowl or into individual cups or bowls for serving if you'd like. Otherwise, keep it in the mixing bowl. Refrigerate the mousse uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 more hours and preferably 24. The covered mousse can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
• If you'd like to serve the mousse with whipped cream, whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. A cup or two of heavy cream is plenty for this amount of mousse. Serve the mousse cold, straight from the refrigerator, with the whipped cream.

MOM'S BLENDER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH LEMON CREAM

Steps:

• Place chocolate in blender. Bring 3/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, and espresso powder to simmer in medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour over chocolate. Cover tightly; blend 5 seconds. Add egg whites. Cover tightly; blend on high 1 minute. Pour into 4 small bowls. Chill until firm, about 2 hours.
• Whisk cream, lemon juice, peel, and 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl to very soft peaks. Spoon over mousse; serve.

MOM'S CHOCOLATE "MOUSSE"

Steps:

• Put chocolate chips in blender. Top with egg yolks.
• While adding half & half slowly, start blender. After adding half & half, add brandy. Run blender on high for 1 minute.
• Pour into demitasse cups, and chill overnight. Top with raspberries and whipped cream to serve.
• To make Chocolate Mousse Cake:.
• Slice pound cake and arrange in glass bowl in one layer. Slowly pour in the hot chocolate mixture so that it has time to saturate the cake slices. I even pour directly onto each slice first, as if they were sponges, and then fill the empty space.
• Chill thoroughly (at least overnight, a full day or even two is preferable).
• Reserve several whole raspberries and set aside. Pour the rest of the thawed raspberries AND the collected juice onto the bowl. Top with whipped cream. Decorate with the reserved raspberries.
• Variations:.
• Substitute flavored liqueurs for the brandy, such as Chambord (delicious with the raspberries!).
• Substitute HOT espresso or strong HOT coffee for some of the scalded half & half, skip the raspberries, and decorate with shaved chocolate and/or chocolate covered espresso beans. This would be particularly delicious paired with kahlua or bailey's substituted for the brandy!
• To have the Mousse Cake still in the demitasse cups, simply cut small cubes of pound cake and place one or two in each cup prior to filling with the chocolate mixture.
• Notes for Success:.
• There are two things truly necessary to make this very easy yet very impressive dessert pull together properly. First, the half & half (and coffee if you are using any) must be very hot, as it is what will melt all of the chocolate and cook the egg yolks. This is why measuring and assembling everything beforehand is your secret weapon. The other half of this temperature game is to have the egg yolks at room temperature. Frankly, I've always achieved this by putting the chocolate and egg yolks in the blender prior to putting the half & half on the stove, but if you would like to take extra precautions, set out your eggs beforehand for them to come to room temperature.