Neoclassic Chocolate Mousse Recipes

Steps:

• For mousse: Heat whipping cream gently in double-boiler or small saucepan until it comes to a simmer.
• Remove from heat and add chocolate.
• Stir until the chocolate has completely melted.
• Whisk in the egg yolks and brandy.
• Set aside to cool completely.
• Beat 1/3 cup cream, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl to stiff peaks.
• Fold into cooled chocolate mixture.
• Spoon into wineglasses.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
• For cream: Beat cream, sugar and brandy in medium bowl to soft peaks.
• Top mousse with dollops of cream.

Steps:

• Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan containing about 1-inch of barely simmering water (or use a double boiler). Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool slightly. Then grab a whisk and beat the egg yolks into the chocolate, 1 at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Set aside.
• In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
• In a chilled bowl, beat the heavy cream until it begins to thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the vanilla and continue beating until the cream holds soft peaks.
• Now that you've got the elements prepared, put it all together. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, fold in the whipped cream. Take care not over work the mousse or it will be heavy. Divide the mousse between 4 individual glasses, preferably Moroccan glasses. Cover and chill for several hours. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings before serving.

Steps:

• Beat 1/2 cup cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form; cover and chill.
• Combine egg yolks, espresso, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a large metal bowl. Set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water). Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is lighter in color and almost doubled in volume and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the mixture registers 160°F, about 1 minute.
• Remove bowl from pan. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Let stand, whisking occasionally, until room temperature.
• Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in another medium bowl on medium speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually beat in remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until firm peaks form.
• Fold egg whites into chocolate in 2 additions; fold whipped cream into mixture just to blend.
• Divide mousse among six teacups or 4-ounce ramekins. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Mousse can be made 1 day ahead; cover and keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
• Before serving, whisk remaining 1/4 cup cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form; dollop over mousse.

Steps:

• Bring an inch of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Combine the cream and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. When the water boils, turn the heat to low so the water is barely simmering or just steaming. Set the bowl over the saucepan and melt the chocolate, gently stirring with a whisk now and then.
• While the chocolate melts, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer on medium speed. When the whites are foamy, add the sugar in a slow stream while whisking. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form. The whites should look glossy but not dry, and, when you lift the whisk from the mixture, a peak should form in the bowl and hold.
• Once the chocolate has melted completely, turn off the heat but leave the bowl over the saucepan. Holding the bowl with a kitchen towel, add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking after each addition. If the mixture looks broken, remove the bowl from the saucepan, cool for a minute, then add 1 tablespoon cream and whisk just until shiny and smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. (Don't worry if it still doesn't look completely smooth. It will come together in the next step.)
• Add a quarter of the beaten whites to the chocolate mixture and stir gently with a flexible rubber spatula until incorporated but still a little streaky. This will make it easier to fold in the remaining whites to create an airy mousse by gradually lowering the temperature of the chocolate (tempering) and making the mixture loose.
• Add the rest of the whites and fold them in by running the spatula from 12 o'clock on the bowl to 6 o'clock, then scooping up the chocolate on the bottom and gently folding it over the whites as you move toward 9 o'clock. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue folding just until the last streak of white disappears. It's OK if there are a few lumps of whites left. It's better to not deflate the batter by folding too much.
• Scoop into a pretty bowl or into individual cups or bowls for serving if you'd like. Otherwise, keep it in the mixing bowl. Refrigerate the mousse uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 more hours and preferably 24. The covered mousse can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
• If you'd like to serve the mousse with whipped cream, whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. A cup or two of heavy cream is plenty for this amount of mousse. Serve the mousse cold, straight from the refrigerator, with the whipped cream.

Steps:

• Place the chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl and place over a bowl of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water (this ensures the chocolate is evenly melted and prevents burning). When the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat.
• Take the egg whites and whisk until they form soft peaks. Stir in the sugar and whisk until well combined and glossy.
• In a different bowl, whisk the egg yolks then beat them into the melted chocolate with a wooden spoon. This can become quite hard work as the mixture becomes quite stiff but take a spoonful of the egg whites and add to the chocolate mixture to loosen it. Then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites and the sugar, (taking care not to over-mix) to combine the ingredients. The mixture needs to be light and fluffy.
• Spoon the mixture into small pots or one large bowl, cover and allow to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours.