Nostalgia: Authentic French Two-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse Recipe

Mousse Au Chocolat: La Recette!

Today, I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes. Some call it chocolate mousse, others call it mousse au chocolat, but we all agree it’s delicious! Growing up in France, I had the chance to eat the best pastries and desserts: mousse au chocolat, macarons, croissants, crepes… you name it! It wasn’t until I moved to the United States at 21 that I realized how lucky I was to have grown up enjoying these delicious desserts. My favorite, or at least the one that evokes the most memories in me is mousse au chocolat.
My mom sent me the chocolate we used in my childhood so I could reproduce the exact same recipe: a walk down memory lane! And today, I’m going to share this recipe with you.

 

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 8 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (preferably around 60% cacao – the one I use is 52%. Remember, this is the only source of sugar in the recipe)

DIRECTIONS:

1 – Melt the chocolate using a double boiler method, also called au Bain-Marie.

• You’ll need a lower pot for water, and an upper pot or bowl that will fit on top of the water pot.
• Add approximately 1 inch of water to the lower pot. You do not want the water to touch the upper pot/bowl when it is in position.
• Place the pot on a medium heat source.
• Place approximately half your desired amount of chocolate in the upper pot/bowl.
• Once the water is starting to bubble bot not fully boiling, turn off the heat and place the upper pot/metal bowl atop the lower pot.
• Use a spoon the stir the chocolate until is is mostly melted.
• Add some more chocolate.
• Repeat until all chocolate is melted.
• If the water cools too much during this process, remove the upper pot/bowl and reheat the lower pot before continuing.
• Once the chocolate has melted set it aside.

 

2 – Separate the whites from the yolks.    

Make sure you use a big bowl for your egg whites because they grow a LOT!

• Take two large metal bowls and separate your 6 eggs into whites and yolks in them.

3 – Beat your egg whites.

Perfectly whipped egg whites is the key to a light and fluffy mousse.

• Add a pinch of salt to ease the process, then use a mixer or it’s going to take a long time.
• Start on low, and end on med-high.
• When your eggs are done, they should be firm enough that you can turn your container upside-down without them falling out!
• In French, we call them oeufs en neige, which means “snow eggs”.  They look like snow when they’re done. See pic below.

 

4 – Mix the yolks with the melted chocolate.

Now that you have fluffy egg whites, it’s time to mix the egg yolks and chocolate together.

• Little by little, add the melted chocolate into the yolks bowl. Mix energetically with a fork or whisk.

 

5 – Fold in your egg whites.

Time to incorporate (fold) the egg whites into the chocolate/yolk bowl. Done well, it keeps the mousse fluffy and light.

• Scoop up one third of the egg whites plop it in the center of the chocolate/yolk mix.
• To avoid crushing the air bubbles, cut down vertically into the center of the mixture with a wooden or metal spoon. Then fold the bottom of the mixture up and over the top of the egg whites.
• Turn your bowl 90-degrees and repeat this process until you can’t see any white anymore.
• Resist the temptation to stir it or whisk it. Be gentle.
• Add half of the remaining egg whites to your mousse mixture and repeat the above process.
• Add the remainder of the egg whites and repeat again. That’s it!

6 – Presentation, Presentation, Presentation!

• Pour your mousse into containers of individual servings. I use wine glasses.
• Leave it in the fridge for at least 3 hours, et voilà! You just made a light and fluffy delicious mousse au chocolat the French way without any cream or extra sugar. Bon appétit!

 

 

 

 

Note: The risk of salmonella infection from consuming raw egg whites is low, but the only way to be completely safe is to use pasteurized egg whites.