As you can tell I am going through all my chocolate recipes, this one is a take-off from my Chocolate Pot de Creme, which is usually one of my go-to desserts when we are having a dinner party. Prior to one of those dinners, one of our guests requested if I could make a Mousse and since the party was for her birthday I said sure. I thought I could just start the same ways as the creme only whip one of the cups of heavy cream instead of heating it with the chocolate.
Traditionally when creating a creme or a mousse you melt the chocolate, heat the cream, whisk the two together, then whisk the sugar and the egg yolks together, then slowly pour the hot chocolate cream mixture into the eggs whisking franticly so the eggs do not scramble - Ugh. There has been many a time I had to start over, so I came up with my own way and I have not had a problem since.
Ingredients
2 cups of heavy cream
8oz of dark chocolate, 70%
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons of raw sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Creme Fraiche -Garnish
Directions
Break up the chocolate then place in the food processor and pulse into small bits.
In a small bowl whisk together 1 cup of the heavy cream, egg yolks, vanilla extract, sugar, salt, and nutmeg, whisk until combined. Pour into the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl that will fit on top of a saucepan filled about halfway with water. Add the chocolate to the cream mixture.
Note: I fill the bottom of the double boiler (or saucepan) with hot tap water, it makes the process faster.
Place either the double boiler or saucepan over med-low heat.
Slowly whisk and heat the mixture, you do not want it to boil. You should only get small bubbles against the sides of the vessel. You can switch to a wooden spoon once the chocolate as melted and the sugar has dissolved. Keep stirring until the mixture starts to thicken and coats the back of the spoon and you can draw a line through the mixture on the spoon and it does not spread back. Remove from heat and let cool to room temp. Stir a couple of times during the cooling process.
Once at room temp, place the remaining heavy cream in the stand mixer and whip until stiff peaks form and the cream stays on the whisking element when removed.
Now fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, doing it gently, the mixture will lighten as the cream gets incorporated. Once all combined, spoon into 6oz glass and cill in the fridge for at least 4 to 6 hours.
Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche on top and berries if you like.