Mousses

Dark chocolate mousse is made foamy with beaten eggs, egg whites, and whipped cream, either alone or in combination. Traditional mousse recipes call for beating egg yolks with melted chocolate, sometimes melted with butter, but because of egg anxieties, in modern recipes the egg yolks are cooked. Because egg whites are considered safer than egg yolks, recipes that call for cooking the yolks often include raw beaten egg whites. To avoid raw egg whites, use whipped cream or Italian meringue.

To make the simplest mousse, melt chocolate and butter with a liquid flavoring such as vanilla, coffee, liqueur, or eau de vie. Use at least one-fourth as much liquid as you have chocolate—any less, and the chocolate may seize and stiffen up into a grainy mess; too much liquid and the mousse may end up too runny. Once you have your chocolate base, simply fold it with sweetened beaten egg whites (raw, or cooked as Italian meringue) or whipped cream.