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Grandma’s Chocolate Mousse

One thing I love about a few old-fashioned restaurants in Paris is that they still serve their chocolate mousse in jattes, or large serving bowls, and everyone helps themselves family-style. (At Le Petit Lutetia, on the Left Bank, they will actually refill your bowl when it’s empty! But shhhhh…. Don’t tell!)
My dining table is a little small to hold a big jatte, so I usually fill a bunch of different-sized (mismatched) ramekins and cups so each diner can choose the amount they want from a serving tray.
This recipe is definitely “regressive” so if you’re serving kids at the table, they’ll love this! Even my adult friends, who claim to only love dark chocolate mousse, ended up licking the inside of the ramekin. It really did take them back in time to their childhood sweet mousse-eating days.
Note: This recipe uses raw eggs, so please make sure to buy the freshest eggs available to you.
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup (120 g) heavy cream
  • 6 ounces (170 g) good-quality chocolate, 64% cocoa content, chopped
  • 4 very fresh large eggs, separated
  • 2½ tablespoons (30 g) sugar

Method
 

  1. Bring the heavy cream to the boil in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, add the chocolate pieces and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, working from the middle and stirring in the same direction. Gradually incorporate the chocolate on the edges, and keep stirring until all the chocolate is melted.
  2. In a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites, while gradually incorporating the sugar, to medium peaks (not too stiff: when you bring the whip up from the whites, you should have a bec d’oiseau or “bird’s beak”).
  3. Add the egg yolks to the cream-chocolate mix and stir well. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl, then delicately and gently fold in the egg whites just until the whites have disappeared.
  4. Turn the mixture into a large serving bowl, or into 6-8 individual ramekins, and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Notes

serves 6 to 8
© Allison Zinder
Important note: This recipe uses raw eggs, so please make sure to buy the freshest eggs available to you.