
I only fully understood the appeal of chocolate mousse ten years ago, when I had it at my friends Cécile and Tom Renna’s. They hosted a brunch on a July afternoon that was so wet I couldn’t imagine eating much.
But then Cecile brought out two large metal bowls – one filled with chocolate mousse, the other with whipped cream – so fresh from the fridge that they immediately started sweating as much as we did.
Fresh, silky and so light, the mousse was perfect for the hot weather. It disappeared in your mouth like cotton candy but delivered a deep chocolate flavor. And the casual way Cécile served her dessert – a family style that we could pull straight out of the mixing bowls – made it as fun and welcoming as a birthday cake.
Chocolate mousse can seem intimidating as it is often dropped into martini glasses and crowned with chocolate shavings in formal dining rooms. But in France, where Cécile grew up, it carries the understated familiarity of our chocolate chip cookies. She has been making mousse since she was a child and now loosely follows the instructions on the back of a “cheap” French Nestlé dark chocolate bar. “It’s the recipe that everyone makes in France,” she says.
Someone poured for seconds, revealing a shiny cloud of whipped egg whites that hadn’t been incorporated into the chocolate. Instinctively, I tensed. In the kitchens of the restaurants where I had worked, the chefs would have whispered how unacceptable this was (in more colorful language).
Instead, Cecile glanced at the egg white pupil surrounded by her chocolate iris and burst out laughing. She preferred it that way, she said with nonchalant confidence, adding that it was better to have pockets of egg whites than to fold them tightly so the foam would deflate.
When I asked her about her perfect approach is the enemy of foam good all these years later, she said, “The moment you’re afraid to do something, it paralyzes you.”
But there’s nothing to worry about making foam, especially since there are endless variations. The word loosely translates to “foam,” and that’s the only thing it needs. “Larousse Gastronomique”, the culinary volume, describes it roughly as a “light and sweet preparation”. This lightness can come from the eggs, the cream or quite simply from the air, as is the case with the all-chocolate version of the molecular gourmet Hervé This.
What makes a no-frills mousse?
Most mousse recipes follow a few basic steps: melt the chocolate, then stir in frothy egg yolks, whites or both, and sometimes whipped cream. Many enhance the mixture with coffee, alcohol, spices or other seasonings. In “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, Julia Child asks to beat the egg yolks at room temperature, then over boiling water, then over cold water, before beating the egg whites as well. eggs. She also melts an amazing amount of butter into chocolate, just like Ina Garten a generation later. In The Times, Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey shared their “ne plus ultra” formula, which involves folding a sabayon (a creamy dessert sauce of egg yolks and liqueur), then sweetened whipped cream, then firm chocolate egg whites.
The thing about chocolate mousse is that any kind will be delicious as long as it’s smooth and airy. I wanted to create a version that captures Cécile’s relaxed spirit, both in cooking and in sharing. To taste the effects of different ingredients in varying proportions and understand potential pitfalls, I experimented with nearly 20 variations to come up with a formula that combines simple pleasures with ease of preparation. There are a few key steps to achieving this.
Extra fluffy egg whites: Mountains of sharp egg whites were a no-brainer, as egg whites provide the airiest froth and are easy to beat with an electric mixer, ideally standing upright. In order for them to harden, the mixer bowl must be clean and the whites must not have a trace of yellow. If you’re worried about your egg-separating skills, first place each egg white in a separate small bowl before sliding it into the mixer bowl. That way, if you have, say, five perfect whites in the mixer bowl and you mess up the sixth, you won’t have to start all over again.
The whites can then be beaten – on medium speed for the most stable froth – until they are so stiff that peaks form and hold in the bowl and at the end of the whisk. There should be no liquid at the bottom of the bowl, but the whites should not be dried out by excessive beating either. Adding sugar while whisking also helps keep them shiny.
Just Wealth: After testing versions with beaten yolks until chunky, I found whisking added lift, but not enough to justify the time and extra dishwashing. Not to mention that the taste of the eggs came out too strong when the yolks were beaten first. Just stir them for a richness that doesn’t interfere with the flavor of the chocolate.
The butter also offered fat, but it was a bit too much for a summer dessert, making the mousse denser, like a chocolate truffle. For perfect smoothness, the heavy cream softens the bitter side of the chocolate. Whisking it before adding it also gives it a fluffy touch, but nailing the temperature is tricky. Too cold, and it can cause the chocolate to solidify into small pieces; not cold enough, and it will just liquefy.
Following a tip from the grandmother of a French chef, I melted the chocolate with the cream. This not only gave a smooth milky flavor, but it also helped keep the chocolate from seizing up and getting gritty. It was the same for adding the yolks while the chocolate was still hot. The fat from the cream and yolks can make the mixture look broken, but whisking it gently off the heat can bring it back together. A splash of cold cream can too. If the mixture still seems a little separated, it will smooth out with the addition of the whites and the end result will be silky smooth.
Smart and gentle folding: A dollop of the whites is first stirred into the chocolate to loosen the mixture, which means you can fold in the rest of the whites with the softest touch to ensure the fluffiest froth. As for the folding, it’s exactly what it sounds like: you want to scoop up and fold the heaviest chocolate at the bottom of the bowl over the weightless whites on top. And you want the two to blend together in as few folds as possible to keep any air trapped in the blanks intact.
It also helps to rotate the bowl in the opposite direction of your spatula as you slide the chocolate up and over the whites. So, for example, if you use your spatula from 6 o’clock to 9 o’clock, then you want to turn your bowl counterclockwise. It’s not necessary, but it’s worth a try if only because of its meditative feel and look, the zebra swirls blending into a beautiful brown.
Whether you consider chocolate mousse easy depends on your experience and comfort level with making dessert, but these little tweaks and tricks can guarantee a bowl of goodness. Once you figure it out, you can have it ready in less than 20 minutes. It won’t be a good mousse until it’s chilled, and it’s much better after 24 hours in the fridge, but that’s what makes it the least stressful party dessert. Prepare it the day before guests arrive and take it out when eating.
But what really makes it a relaxing dish is the approach Cécile recommends: try it fearlessly, and don’t worry if it’s not perfect. About the moss – and maybe more – she said, “You can’t control everything. The moment you let go, it makes life so much easier.