Who knew? Today is World Chocolate Day! Not that I need a reason to eat chocolate, since it is one of my food groups, but mark 07 July on your calendar so you’ll be ready to celebrate every year!
This Chocolate Mousse recipe is one of the easiest desserts to, literally, whip up. A handful of ingredients, no added sugar, gluten free, dairy free, and fully delicious! I have been making this mousse since my Budapest days and that was 14 years ago. It’s reliable and you can make variations by adding flavours of your choice such as cinnamon or orange or a touch of rum. The recipe comes from Michel Montignac, and while his method includes a bain-Marie, I’ve been successful using a medium sized saucepan over very low heat. Your choice on how to melt your chocolate for this – go with what works for you, in your kitchen.
For the mousse, you will need:
- 400 grams dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
- 8 eggs, separated
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee
- 125ml boiling water, to make coffee
- pinch of sea salt
Directions
1. Use 2 teaspoons of instant coffee and 125 ml boiling water to make a cup of coffee. Pour this into a medium saucepan and add 400 grams excellent quality dark chocolate. If you’re using chocolate bars, break them up so they melt faster. On the lowest heat, stir until the chocolate dissolves. If you like, you can add 70 millilitres of rum at this stage (or Cointreau, or a liqueur of your choice) if you’d like this type of flavouring. I have tried it with rum and with Cointreau and it’s good, but I prefer a more pure chocolate taste, so I typically go without and add another 70mls of boiled water to the initial cup of coffee.
2. Once the chocolate has melted, turn off the heat, remove it from the burner and pour it into a large bowl to begin cooling. Now move on to your eggs.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until stiff peaks form.
4. Return to the bowl of chocolate and test the temperature – if it’s too warm, you need to give it more time to cool or the chocolate will cook the egg yolks! When the chocolate has come to room temperature, add the egg yolks and incorporate with the use of a whisk. Next, add the beaten egg whites, about a third of the batch at a time, and fold in slowly so as not to lose too much of the air they are holding.
5. When everything comes together, pour the mixture into eight ramekins and set in the fridge to cool. These need 5 hours minimum to set, and overnight is even better.
Pretty darn simple, isn’t it? And the chocolate flavour is SO intense. When I’ve served this, people can’t believe there is no added sugar and no dairy. Chocolate, eggs, coffee, water, salt. I bet you’ve got those in your larder as you read this. It’s World Chocolate Day – what are you waiting for 🙂
Eat good food xxx