perfectly average chocolate mousse
a craving comes to life, September 2023
on the hunt for the perfect chocolate mousse recipe, I decided the best way was obviously to:
take six well-reviewed recipes
calculate the % (by weight) of each ingredient
take the average % of each ingredient to create my own perfectly average chocolate mousse recipe
with my perfect ratios in hand, I could then scale the recipe to my preferred batch size, based on whole numbers of eggs (I wouldn’t ask anyone to separate 2.5 eggs!)
I tested this with a half batch (one egg), but the small amount of egg whites and cream were fussy to whip up in a small enough bowl. I’ve doubled the recipe to be more manageable below.
yields 4 servings
ingredients
7g butter
116g dark chocolate (ideally 70%), chopped
2 eggs
28g caster sugar
78mL cream
pinch salt
optional: 1 tsp vanilla paste
method
melt the chocolate (116g) and butter (7g) together and set aside to cool slightly
separate the eggs (2) and place the egg whites in a medium bowl
whisk the egg white until they begin to foam, then sprinkle in the caster sugar (28g) and whisk until you hit firm peaks (between soft peaks and stiff peaks - they should make a tall peak, but the top should flop over a little)
add the cream (78mL), salt (pinch) and vanilla (1 tsp, if using) to a large bowl and whisk (no need to clean the beaters) to stiff peaks
fold the egg yolks into the whipped cream mixture
add the melted chocolate and butter (checking that it’s not too hot as to cook the egg yolks, and not too cold that it’s started to solidify) to the yolk cream mixture and fold through to combine
add in about a quarter of the whipped egg whites and gently fold through to combine, mixing until the white streaks have just disappeared
add in the remaining egg whites, and fold through until just combined
divide into 4 small ramekins (or one big family size portion) and cover with plastic wrap
refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight
serve in the ramekins, or scoop into bowls and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream, compote or a drizzle of evoo and some flaky salt
variations
dark chocolate & coffee: add 1-2 tsp of instant espresso powder to the cream and mix to combine before whipping to stiff peaks
cinnamon / rosemary / orange / anything you can infuse into cream: the night before you plan to make the mousse, measure out your cream and add a cinnamon stick / sprig of fresh rosemary / zest of one orange / whatever your heart desires, and leave to infuse into the cream overnight. strain before whipping the cream and continuing as written