The Art of Mastering Chocolate Mousse
Many home cooks find themselves frustrated when their attempts at chocolate mousse fall short of restaurant quality. Despite having just three basic ingredients, this classic dessert presents numerous challenges that can make or break the final result.
Choosing Your Ingredients Wisely
Nicola Lamb, author of Sift and the Kitchen Projects newsletter, emphasises that chocolate quality is paramount. Since you're essentially extending the chocolate's flavour, she insists you should always begin with a bar you genuinely enjoy eating. For her, that means opting for 70% dark chocolate.
Matthew Ryle, author of French Classics, reveals an unexpected tip about eggs. Surprisingly, older eggs work better for mousses than fresh ones. As eggs age, their whites become looser, which provides more elasticity and allows them to incorporate air without breaking. He also recommends using room-temperature eggs for optimal results.
Mastering the Technique
One common problem occurs when folding melted chocolate into colder ingredients like eggs. The chocolate can seize, causing you to overfold and lose precious air. Lamb's solution involves whisking a couple of tablespoons of water, alcohol, or coffee into the melted chocolate before incorporating it, making it much easier to work with.
Ryle advises taking your time when whipping meringue. The longer and slower you whip, the smaller the bubbles become, resulting in a stronger, finer meringue and ultimately a better mousse. For additional lightness, Lamb suggests adding an extra egg white to your mixture.
Creative Twists and Serving Suggestions
Ollie Templeton of Carousel restaurant shares his unique approach: bringing honey to a boil, then pouring it into eggs and whisking until cooled. This technique creates an exceptionally light and airy texture. He then folds in whipped cream, seasons with salt, and refrigerates for four to five hours to set.
When it comes to serving, Templeton recommends drizzling with olive oil, adding salt, and sprinkling crushed hazelnuts for crunch. Peanuts or breadcrumbs can provide similar textural contrast. Lamb, however, prefers simplicity, suggesting just a pinch of salt unless whipped cream was omitted from the recipe, in which case she considers a spoon of barely whipped cream both chic and delicious.
For denser, truffle-like mousses made without cream, Lamb recommends removing from the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving. Even cream-based mousses benefit from about 10 minutes out of the fridge before serving.
