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.
Serves 8 (I halved this recipe)
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. Julia suggests a different order of proceedings – the cooked egg yolks first, but I didn’t trust that they would not curdle so I made it in a different order.
Ingredients
170 g bitter or semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
170 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
60 mls espresso coffee
4 eggs, separated
170 g, plus 1 tablespoon caster sugar
30 mls orange liqueur (I used Mandarine Napoleon)
15 mls water
pinch of salt
Method
1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over barely simmering water, until combined. Remove from heat. Beat until smooth and set aside.
2. Fill a large bowl with ice-cold water in preparation for the next step.
3. Beat the yolks of the eggs with the 170g of sugar, liqueur, and water with a hand-held beater (well I did because that’s all I could manage with my hand) for a couple of minutes until the mixture is falling back upon itself and is thick, pale and yellow. Over a double boiler of just simmering water, continue to beat the mixture until is is a little foamy. Remove from heat and continue to beat over the bowl of ice-water for another 3-4 minutes until it has the consistency of runny mayonnaise.
3. Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg yolks and beat until smooth. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, beat egg whites with salt until frothy (think bubble bath consistency). Sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar over and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
5. Fold about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate/egg yolk mixture at a time. Try to work quickly and not overwork the mixture – the mousse will lose volume the more you “play” with it.
6. Divide into ramekins, and refrigerate for a few hours (mine were firm in about 3 hours).
To serve, you can either enjoy it as is…
Or with a little whipped cream, orange zest and finely grated chocolate on top…
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!
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.)
I got sucked into reading a fair chunk of Julia as I was looking for this recipe actually – to me it reads like a book..
The French do seem to do eggs well don’t they? Your mousse looks amazingly light and fluffy, a stellar effort with your hand causing you pain.
French + eggs + dairy = excellent.
This chocolate mousse looks amazing! The texture is wonderful!
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 🙂
Oh it’s totally cake-like. Cheesecake-like in texture in fact 🙂 And ugh – had not thought about the PH dessert station until now. Thanks – I will try not to dream about that tonight!
beautiful photos. love those square little ramekins, where did you get them? 😉
I bought them at a kitchen supply store. I love the shape of them too!
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!
Thanks Penny and thanks for hosting!
Stunning? Yes. Such a lovely dessert.
looks wonderful and congrats again~ good luck
Oh that chocolate mousse looks so yummy. and you garnished it off so nicely too.
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.
Thanks so much. I really loved making (and eating!) this!
wow. the chocolate mousse looks so good!
Now this is one mousse I’d like to have right now!
This is a breakfast item, right?!? I mean it has eggs…and dairy…so perfect for breakfast 🙂
Oh my gosh, of course!
This chocolate mousse looks absolutely yummy!
Love the idea of a baking bucket list. I’ll have to write one. I’m not a huge fan of mousse because of all the fluff. I think I’d love this one!
Oh there’s definitely NO fluff here. Just dense rich chocolate!
Delicious texture
I’ve forgotten how wonderful, decadent and luxurious chocolate mousse is until read this post. Yours looks so fluffy and creamy!
It’s a great texture!
That is a thick and sumptuous mousse, and no wonder with the custard like cooking. I bet a few spoons are enough!
Well a few plus a few if truth be told!
Oh your chocolate mousse looks superb! What wonderful photos too. Congrats on advancing and continued luck and success.
Thanks so much! Fingers are crossed!
Yumm! One of my all time favorite desserts, and this looks simply amazing!
Oh My, Mardi! Your mousse looks so thick, yummm! I’m definitely going to give this recipe a try 😀
Well then the proof would be in the pudding!!! I would love to know what you think!
Mmm, love this & don’t think I’ve ever had a Julia Childs recipe not work, adore her stuff. Well done.
Her recipes are flawless!
mmmmm… now why didn’t I think of chocolate mousse! I must get me a Julia Child book! looks amazing!
See all I could really think was desserts! Then I saw all the other contributions and wondered if I was wrong!
Aaaah! So luscious! Chocolate mousse is the devil counterpart to the white eggs. sinful, but so, so irresistible!
Totally agree! If you only have it once in a while, it’s not so bad!
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
Sharlene – you made my day!
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
Yes it was one of the best roundups yet!
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!
Thanks – I think you meant to comment on my PFB post but I appreciate your vote and you reading!
Wow, that mousse looks great!
this looks so good, light, and fluffy. OMG..decadent. of course, anything julia child makes would be good.
I can’t believe I have never tried her mousse before!!
Mmmm what a delicious approach to eggs! We like to make Pots de Creme — heavenly but dense!
See I found this much lighter than a pot de crème which I loved too!!!
That chocolate mousse looks incredible… great choice!
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
I need to get my hands on some of the old Julia DVDs, I think!
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! 😀
It’s so easy but honestly the best mousse I have ever tried!
That mousse looks decadent! And if it’s a Julia Child recipe, it’s definitely a keeper.
It is, most definitely, a keeper!