Today, we’re featuring a favorite French dessert sure to please chocolate lovers of all ages, the Mousse au Chocolat (Chocolate Mousse). Chocolate mousse makes a wonderful dessert after a meal or simply served as an afternoon treat for children. Check our detailed recipe and Art of the Home suggestions below. Enjoy and bon appétit!

Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)

Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)

INGREDIENTS (for 8 servings)

• 7 ounces (about 200g) of dark baking chocolate (e.g. 70% cocoa)
• 5 eggs
• 3/4 cup of whipping cream (about 15 cl)
• 1/4 cup sugar (50 g)
• 1 Tbsp of amber rum

 
DIRECTIONS

1. Beat egg yolk with sugar until you get a pale yellow mixture.
2. Break the chocolate into even pieces. You’ll need to put your chocolate pieces in an oven proof dish (or a small saucepan) and place it on top of a larger saucepan filled with hot water. Melt chocolate in a “bain marie” (water bath). Chocolate burns very fast so the key is to keep the water hot but not boiling to make sure no water gets in the chocolate. Stir to help it along until you get the chocolate melted (it will look shinny). You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave on low power (defrost for example) but do it little by little (e.g. every 30 sec.) so you can stir in between and make sure the chocolate does not burn.
3. Beat in melted chocolate the egg yolk/sugar mixture and add rum.
4. Beat egg whites (add a pinch of salt beforehand, it helps the process) until you get a firm peak. Set aside.
5. Beat whipping cream until you get a soft peak. Set aside.
6. Mix in the whipped cream into the egg yolk/sugar/rum mixture. Then carefully fold in about a third of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk/sugar/rum mixture. Repeat with another third and then the last third. Make sure to get the chocolate from the bottom of the mixing bowl.
7. Pour in 8 individual ramekins or ice-cream dishes and let settle in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours.

 
A FEW SUGGESTIONS

• Presentation: make extra whipping cream and place a Tbsp on top of the mousse for a nice white color contrast. Offer a “cigarette russe” or other sugar cookie to go with your chocolate mousse.
• Experiment with various chocolate types depending on what you like. You can also make this recipe with semi-sweet chocolate chips if that’s what you have handy.
• Make ahead of time: mousse au chocolat is a great dessert to make ahead of time. In fact, it is even better the following day!
• Light and Airy Mousse: check out Art of the Home 4 tips for the perfect chocolate mousse to make sure your mousse comes out just right.