Chocolate Mousse Methodology, Day Four - Dessert First (2024)
by Anita3 Comments
Remember back with mousse #1, where I discussed how eggs enriched a mousse like nothing else? The only issue was that the eggs in the classic French style mousse weren’t cooked, so it should be avoided by those with health concerns. However, the next two mousses use eggs that are cooked, so you don’t have to worry about anything – except perhaps your waistline! I think they’re worth the extra effort.
Chocolate Mousse #4: Custard Based
This mousse uses the classic creme anglaise as a base. Folded into the melted chocolate, and then lightened with whipped cream, it totally captures the rich-yet-airy paradox, especially when fresh. Not surprisingly, the creme anglaise gives the mousse a very full and creamy mouthfeel. I found as I was making these mousses that it was really hard to wait for them to set up: I pretty much wanted to eat them straight out of the mixing bowl. Freshly made mousse has the softer, more pudding-like consistency that some people seem to associate with mousse, rather than the firmer, denser product that results from a few hours of chilling.
This mousse tastes similar to the chocolate chantilly mousse (#3), and it also has the same dense, thick texture right out of the refrigerator, but allowing it to come to room temperature brings back its lovely creaminess. It also works really well as a dessert component, either as a layer in a chilled cake or as part of a composed dessert.
Another thing to note is that the higher cacao percentage you’re using, the drier and denser your mousse will be. So choose your chocolate accordingly. You can also adjust the mousse consistency by adding more or less whipped cream at the end – for eating, most people as I noted seem to go for a softer mousse, so you could add more. For assembling a dessert, you want it to a little more structure and be able to stand firm, so cut back a bit on the whipped cream.
The main thing to watch out with this mousse method is to not overcook the creme anglaise, which leads to a curdled mess. Don’t let the mixture come to a boil – it should be about 180 degrees F when it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. You should also keep stirring while the custard is cooking, to make sure the part at the bottom doesn’t cook faster and start sticking to the pan. Some creme anglaise recipes also use extra measures like straining the cooked custard to get rid of any lumps, or immediately plunging the pan into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Cooking with Chocolate suggests using an immersion blender to make sure the custard is completely smooth. Any of these methods can help keep your custard silky smooth.
If you’re attempting your own mousse comparison at home, I’d recommend doing #1, #2, and #4 at least – these three provide a really good range of textures and chocolate intensity, and you might be surprised at which one is your favorite. There’s still one more style I have to cover, though, so stay tuned!
12 3/4 oz (360 g)bittersweet (60-68%) chocolate, finely chopped
2large egg yolks
2 tablespoons (25 g)sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon (130 ml)whole milk
2/3 cup (150 ml) plus 1 3/4 cup (400 ml)whipping cream, chilled
Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat and set aside.
Make the creme anglaise: combine egg yolks and sugar in a large saucepan and beat until combined.
Add milk and 2/3 cup whipping cream to the mixture, and bring to a simmer over low heat. Let thicken until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Pour custard into a large mixing bowl. Process with an immersion blender to get rid of any lumps.
Slowly pour about one-third of the custard into the melted chocolate, stirring to combine. Pour in another third of the custard and stir to combine. Add the remaining custard and stir to combine.
Place 1 3/4 cups cream in bowl of a stand mixer and whisk with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
When the chocolate mixture has cooled to 113-122 degrees F, fold in the whipped cream with a flexible spatula.
Divide mousse among dessert glasses and chill for 12 hours. Mousse will keep for up to 2 days.
Mousse is a light and airy dessert made with eggs, sugar, heavy cream, and flavoring. All mousses have four basic components: aerated egg yolks, whipped egg whites, whipped cream, and a flavoring base.
The melted chocolate should not be hot because the eggs will curdle when added. Nor should it be cold because the eggs won't incorporate smoothly. Make sure the melted chocolate is at body temperature.
The pate a bombe serves as the main body of our mousse; the proteins in the egg yolks are strong enough to hold all the air bubbles we'll incorporate, even after being mixed with melted chocolate and whipped cream. It's rich, velvety, and makes the best chocolate mousse in this chef's opinion.
As you make the melted chocolate and hot crème anglaise emulsion, you need to keep the mixture above 95°F (35°C), which is the cocoa butter's melting point and the ideal temperature to create an elastic, shiny center.
Mousse is one of the most rich and decadent desserts and is often made with chocolate. Either whipped cream or beaten egg whites (sometimes both!) are folded into a mixture of melted chocolate, egg yolks, and sugar, then chilled.
Pudding is meant to be thick, soft, and silky, and is, therefore, a lot less airy than mousse. This difference in texture lies in preparation. Pudding requires heat to come together with the right consistency, whereas mousse simply needs to be whipped together.
Not fluffy enough, not chocolatey enough, too sweet, grainy, etc etc. Many “easy” chocolate mousse recipes tend to use too much cream so the end result is more like custard, rather than aerated like real chocolate mousse should be.
You will need to add a thickening agent such as cornstarch or additional egg yolks, but be aware that it is very difficult to add just the right amount to thicken the mousse so it doesn't turn into a chocolate pudding. Don't overdo it when it comes to thickening.
Why is my chocolate mousse grainy? Temperature is one of the most important factors to consider when making chocolate mousse. If your chocolate becomes grainy when you add the whipped egg whites or cream, it has cooled too much and hardened into small grains.
Mousse recipes that use raw eggs should be modified by heating the milk, eggs and sugar to 160 degrees F. Hillers recommends any recipe calling for raw eggs should be modified to either heat the eggs or to substitute a modified egg product. If your recipe can't be modified, Hillers advises finding a substitute recipe.
How do you make mousse without eggs? An eggless chocolate mousse recipe requires whipped cream. Whipping the heavy cream will add air into the mousse, making it light and fluffy.
The term “unhealthiest” is subjective, but egg yolks are often considered less healthy due to their high cholesterol and fat content. However, they are also nutrient-rich, making them beneficial in moderation.
Often homemade mousse can be grainy. That could be because the cream is too cold, making the melted chocolate clump together. Or it could be because you beat the eggs too much. Homemade mousse can also be too thick and heavy, without the light airiness you'd hope for.
This is probably the most crucial step and it's what really defines the consistency of your mousse: adding air bubbles into the mouse. There are roughly two ways to do so: Whisk an ingredient that's good at holding onto air itself, such as heavy cream or eggs. Whip the chocolate mousse as it's cooling down.
Silky, rich chocolate mousse that is light yet sooo creamy. Stabilized by gelatin, this can be used to fill a pie or cake but is equally as delicious eaten all on its own. Rich enough for a winter date night yet light enough for summer, there's no wrong time to try this beloved, easy chocolate mousse!
The mousse base is going to be one of two things: a custard (like crème anglaise) or a pate a bombe, which is egg yolks and/or whole eggs whipped with hot sugar syrup. I prefer a pate a bombe because it creates a richer, creamier mousse.
mousse, savoury or sweet dish with the consistency of a dense foam, composed of a puréed chief ingredient mixed with stiffly beaten egg whites, whipped cream, or both. Mousses are almost always cold dishes, and sweet mousses are sometimes served frozen.
A polymer or resin is the most effective and important component of hair mousse, which acts as a conditioning agent. These resins are long chain molecules that form a film on the hair allowing a tighter grip on the hair strands, making it harder to brush off and form a resistant film.
In fact it should spoon very easily without being too firm and melt very nicely away on our tongue. It also needs to be light in consistency, too much fat can make the mousse heavy and simply too rich. After eating a serving of chocolate mousse we should not feel “Full”, but rather satisfied.
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