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Chocolate Dreams ~ Classic Mousse au Chocolat

Every October, chocolate lovers have made a pilgrimage to Paris to attend the Salon du Chocolat. The Salon celebrates chocolate in ways you may not have imagined. Fashion designers create fantastic chocolate couture creations with white and dark chocolate. Patissiers share their new sweet taste sensations with all the attendees, combining almost any flavor you can imagine with chocolate.

The year I attended, I enjoyed every bite and marvelled along with the other attendees at the creativity of it all. The taste sensation that has stayed with me the longest, however, was the pure taste of "plain" chocolate. I attended a tasting demonstration where we tasted 10 different chocolates from the 4 corners of the globe. My favorite was a 70% chocolate from Cuba. The memory of that "pure" chocolate taste and the recent show prompted me to share this very classic French recipe.

Et voilà.

Mousse au Chocolat ~ Chocolate Mousse

INGREDIENTS

• 5 oz. chocolate (65% or more depending on how intense you would like the taste)
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 egg yolks (from "large" eggs)
• 3 egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

Make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature.

1. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie. Remove from the heat.

2. Mix the butter into the chocolate until the mixture is very smooth.

3. Quickly blend in the 2 egg yolks.

4. Beat (or whisk) the egg whites with the pinch of salt to stiff peaks.

5. Beat (whisk) in the sugars.

6. Take about 1/3 of the egg whites and fold them into the chocolate mixture.

7. Gently fold the rest of the whites into the mixture.

8. Divide the chocolate into 4 champagne coupes (or other small containers) and chill for at least 12 hours.

Note: This is the classic French recipe for chocolate mousse. You will note that it uses raw eggs. The FDA has said that raw eggs may cause food poisoning and should be avoided by small children and those with compromised immune systems. When I make this recipe, I use fresh, undamaged eggs to insure that the risk is minimal.

Debra Fioritto contributes delicious French recipes to Wednesday issues of BonjourParis. Click on her name to read more about her or to collect the many recipes she has shared here.

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Books by French cooks written in English . . .

FABULOUS FONDANT DESSERTS by French cook Paul Simon shares over 30 recipes & some take less than 10 minutes to make. Fondant is a simple but delicious cream confection made of sugar, water, & flavorings like: toffee, caramel, chocolate, lemon curd, & more.

DIVINE CHOCOLATE DESSERTS by French pâtissier José Maréchal of Café Noir in Paris reflects the current foodie rage of serving sophiscated chocolate desserts that can be prepared in 10 minutes. Verrines are simply layered desserts in small glasses. Recipes w/photos of 33 original decadent & irresistible desserts!

For the best chocolate anywhere:

• zChocolat: "World's Finest Chocolates by World-Champion Chocolatiers." zChocolat’s selection is handmade by world-champion French chocolatiers following a 400-year-old tradition of passion and zealous adherence to purity. A single bite is an instant of pure seduction and sensory bliss one has never experienced before.