Chocolate Mousse – the perfect Valentine’s Day Dessert

Chocolate mousse is one of my favourite desserts and is much easier to make than you might think. Its rich and creamy, while being light and fluffy all at the same time. Its the perfect decadent dessert for any occasion, and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I though it was the perfect time to show how to make this.

And the best part is that there are only 3 ingredients; chocolate, eggs, and whipping cream. It is an easy ratio to remember 1:2:4; 1 egg, 2 ounces of chocolate, and 4 fluid ounces of whipping cream.

In today’s video, I use 2 whole eggs, 4 ounces of semi-sweet bakers chocolate, and 8 fluid ounces of whipping cream.

1. I begin by place a heavy glass bowl into the freezer for at least an hour to ensure that it is well chilled, which will help you get a better whipped cream. If you don’t have a heavy glass bowl, you can use a stainless steel bowl, or at times, I have placed my bowl on top of a bag of frozen veggies to give me a cold surface.
2. Put chocolate in a bowl and create a double-boiler by placing it on top of a small pot with some simmering water. You want to have a bowl that doesn’t stick out over the edge too much and that just fits the pot.
3. While the chocolate is melting, make your whipped cream. Bring it to the firm peak stage, but take care not to overwhip your cream. It should still look shiny and glossy, not dry. Place in the fridge to keep cold while you are working.
4. Separate your eggs, taking great care not to get any yolks into your whites, which will inhibit your ability to get a good meringue. You want to make sure that you have a clean bowl that has no trace of oil or grease for your meringue; glass or stainless steel are best. It is very difficult to get a really good meringue in a plastic bowl.
5. Whip your egg whites into a firm peak meringue. As with the whipped cream, they should still be shiny and glossy looking when you are finished so that you know you have not overwhipped them.
6. Give the egg yolks a keep whisk and blend in your melted chocolate. You will need to work quickly from this point forward to ensure that everything is properly mixed before the chocolate sets firm again.
7. Fold you chocolate-egg mixture into the meringue. Take care with your folding so that you can maintain as much air in the mixture as possible. It is the air in the meringue and the whipped cream that gives the mousse its texture.
8. Once the chocolate mixture has been folded into the meringue, fold this mixture into the whipped cream. Again, take care to fold and not whisk so that you can maintain as much air into the mousse as possible.
9. Once all parts are combined, place into the fridge for several hours, and up to 3 days. You can also take this opportunity to place into the dessert dish of your choice so that it sets up in the dish. I used small clear glasses, but there are countless options.

There are many things that compliment the mousse. You can top with whipped cream, or drizzle a little chocolate sauce over the top. A little grated chocolate looks great, as does a few fresh berries. The sky is really the limit.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe.