International Incident Party: Eggs

For this month’s International Incident Party, Penny challenged us to work with eggs.  I have to admit this had me scratching my head as there are simply so many possibilities – sweet or savoury, I couldn’t decide.  What I *really* wanted to do was a soufflé but circumstances (including my blasted hand that is *still* not 100% and particularly dislikes anything to do with baking, as you will see in my upcoming Daring Bakers’ post) prevented me from attempting this most delicate of French delicacies (but that will be for another time, I promise, it’s definitely on my baking bucket list).

I was still inspired by the idea that the French do wonderful things with eggs though and turned to Julia Child for some inspiration.  As I flipped through the pages, I saw so many dishes I want to make eventually but when I turned to page 604 and saw chocolate mousse, I knew I had found my dish.  (I am dedicating this dish to my dad – it’s his birthday today and I *know* he would like it if I were there making this for him!)

Julia’s mousse is different from other mousse recipes I have tried before because it uses egg yolks, sugar and butter instead of simply cream and beaten egg whites, and the egg yolks are cooked in a similar way to how you would make a hollandaise sauce (cooking it like a custard over heat then beating it until creamy over a cold-water bath).  This custardy goodness (along with the addition of butter to the melted chocolate) brings a richness to the mousse that you simply don’t get with cream and beaten egg whites.  It’s a keeper recipe for sure.

 

To serve, you can either enjoy it as is…

Or with a little whipped cream, orange zest and finely grated chocolate on top…

Stunning, no?

I absolutely loved this mousse – it was rich without being cloying and sickly and oh my, the texture…  It was not light and fluffy the way many mousses are.  It was thick and spreadable – in fact I did contemplate having it on toast 😉  It’s a much more substantial mousse than a whipped cream wimpy one. This is, indeed, the crème de la crème, only sans crème.

This *will* become my standard mousse recipe – I had it made in under 45 minutes too!

Note: This recipe is the JC100 recipe for the week of May 14th 2012. Since I already made it (and don’t need a mousse this week!) I’ll submit this one as my “entry”. The JC100 celebrates what would have been Julia’s 100th birthday in August 2012 by inviting bloggers to recreate some of her most famous dishes!

60 thoughts on “International Incident Party: Eggs”

  1. Ooh, pretty! I love that you went with a Julia Child recipe – that was definitely on my short list. (Not this one, but anything Julia Child!!) Well done and props to you for fighting through with your hand still not up and running. Well, but you are one tough chick – good for you. Well done!!! (Congrats on making it through round 1 by the way.)

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  3. That texture is incredible, almost like a cake! I know quite a lot of people who aren’t too keen on mousse, probably after having so much bad chocolate mousse at the Pizza Hut dessert station when young, but I am sure this would bring them around in an instant.

    Beautiful photos too, your hand is at least playing fair in that respect.

    And…. YAYAYAY you got through to to the next round. No surprise, of course, but yay nonetheless 🙂

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  4. Tempting me with chocolate! Your photos are improving by the post!!

    Good luck on your next round…. VOTE VOTE VOTE~

    Thanks for joining the party!

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  5. Gorgeous photos of the chocolate mousse. That texture sounds so heavenly, I have a major mousse craving right now!

    Congratulations on reaching the next round of Project Food Blog too.

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  6. Pingback: Round up #7 - International Incident Eggs Party | Addictive and consuming - A Melbourne food blog
  7. Julia would be proud ! My French mother in law who is the queen of chocolate mousse would be proud. She can judge them just by their color and texture. Great job Mardi

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  8. I loved penny’s post today with all of the contributions from such interesting people from around the globe! love it. the mousse looks and sounds pretty spectacular! cheers kari

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  9. I love your presentation and your dedication for this challenge Mardi! and Im glad to read another marvelous blog entry, featuring the “real” unfamiliar Asian cuisine! I can relate to you, the struggle and search for the perfect recipe of your most favorite dish. You definitely got my vote dear! will save your link in the future! Cheers!

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  10. I was lucky enough as a kid to get the WGBH (Boston) broadcast in Connecticut where I lived. I remember watching Julia with my Mom. I own her books but don’t get back to them often enough.

    I need some mousse.

    Jason

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  11. That chocolate mousse looks gorgeous! I’ve never made it myself, but I love Julia’s recipes, so I’m thinking I must give this a try. You made it look so delicious, too! 😀

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  12. Pingback: Julia Child’s chocolate mousse | Gourmantine's Blog

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