Name: Simplest Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat la Plus Simple)
Yield: Makes 6 Dessert Servings
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (unless you’re beating the egg whites in a copper bowl); 1 tablespoon Cognac, Grand Marnier, marc, kirsch, or any favorite brandy or liqueur (if you don’t want to include this, add 1 more tablespoon of water or coffee to the 2 tablespoons given above); 6 large eggs, allowed to come to room temperature; 2 tablespoons water or strong coffee; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 6 ounces [170 g] of the best bittersweet chocolate you can find, chopped coarse; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional if you’re using a brandy or liqueur); 4 tablespoons sugar

Preparation info

Makes
6
Dessert Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Glorious French Food

By James Peterson

Published 2002

About

This mousse used to be made with raw egg yolks, which made it even simpler, but nowadays our anxieties about uncooked eggs compel us to cook the yolks.

Ingredients

6 large eggs, allowed to come to room temperature
2 tablespoons water or strong coffee
1

Method

Separate the eggs, reserve the whites, and combine 4 of the egg yolks in a medium-size heat-proof mixing bowl (stainless steel is ideal) with the water, Cognac, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. (Save the extra 2 egg yolks for something else or throw them out.) Set the bowl on top of a small saucepan of simmering water, but don’t let the bowl touch the water. Whisk the egg mixtur