Julia Child’s Mousse au Chocolat

Today I’m making Julia Child’s Chocolate Mousse – and this is the real deal! This recipe uses no heavy whipping cream.  Instead, raw eggs.  I would be lying if I said I had no hesitations, but after reading information that  David Lebovitz provided, I can say I feel much better. For complete egg education (eggucation?) read this.  You may feel better too.

If you’re going to make a killer chocolate mousse, then you’ll need some killer chocolate.  Bittersweet or semisweet will be best for this recipe.  6 oz. of the finest grade available.

In a glass bowl, break the chocolate into smaller pieces, add butter and strongly brewed coffee to the mixture.  Place the glass bowl over a simmering pot of water, about 1/3 full.  Stir the mixture until thoroughly melted and smooth.  Remove from simmering pot and set aside.

Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl and set aside. 

In another glass bowl, combine the egg yolks, 2/3 cup of sugar, rum and water.  You’ll place this over the simmering water and beat with a wire whisk until thickened, about 4 minutes.  During this time you may think your arm is going to fall off from all the whisking.  Just consider this a workout, and at the end you get to eat chocolate mousse.

You’ll know the yolk mixture is ready when it lightens and sugar has completely dissolved.  Now you’re ready to place the bowl into the water bath.  More whisking.  This time, you’ll whisk until the mixture becomes markedly thick (like cake batter) and cooled.  This could take a while, but remember,  Chocolate Mousse Mousse au Chocolat!

In yet another bowl whip the egg whites and salt on medium speed with an electric mixer until foamy.  Add one tablespoon of sugar and beat on high until whites are glossy, just shy of the stiff peak stage.  G.e.n.t.l.y. fold in egg whites 1/3 at a time to the chocolate and yolk mixture until well incorporated.

The mousse is now ready to go into serving dishes, or one large serving dish.  I wanted to have a little fun with my presentation, so I used my small punch cups and placed them at an angle on a salvaged egg carton.

You can either pipe the mousse with a decorating bag (or heck, a ziplock!) or gently spoon mousse into the cups.  Place them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.

I piped in some whipped cream (heavy cream, sugar) after the mousse had set and added a little chocolate garnish on top.  This mousse is so very chocolaty, rich and delicious that it really requires no additional adornment.  I like it plain just as well.

Julia Child’s Mousse au Chocolate

Heather Baird

This classic recipe comes from the queen of French cooking herself: Julia Child.

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

4 hours chill time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 6 ounces 170g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 ounces 170g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup 60ml dark-brewed coffee
• 4 large eggs separated
• 2/3 cup 170g, plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons 30ml dark rum
• 1 tablespoon 15ml water
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Heat a saucepan one-third full with hot water, and in a bowl set on top, melt together the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over the barely simmering water, until smooth. Remove from heat.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. 3. In a bowl large enough to nest securely on the saucepan of simmering water, whisk the yolks of the eggs with the 2/3 cup of sugar, rum, and water for about 3 minutes until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise. (You can also use a handheld electric mixer.)
• Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick, as shown in the photo above. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff, then the vanilla.
• Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don’t overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.
• Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl or divide into serving dishes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm. Serving: I like to serve the chocolate mousse as it is, maybe with just a small dollop of whipped cream; it neither needs, nor wants, much adornment. Storage: The mousse au chocolat can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Keyword dark brewed coffee, dark rum, semisweet chocolate

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