Nothing says love like chocolate mousse
Make a sweet treat for that special someone
It’s Valentine’s Day on Friday. Whether you’re alone, in love, lovelorn, in lust or simply fed up with winter, you probably need some chocolate. Here are three delicious dessert recipes that are heavy on dark, chocolatey satisfaction, but easy on the cook.
The Quickie
This recipe — which I’ve had for so long that I no longer remember the source — is absolutely easy: you just whirl chocolate chips with hot coffee in a blender to melt them, mix in egg yolks and coffee liqueur, then fold the works into whipped egg whites. (Note: While the yolks will be cooked slightly by the hot coffee, raw eggs do carry a very slight risk of salmonella and should be avoided by those with compromised immune systems.) Makes: 6 servings Preparation time: about 15 minutes ❚ 1 cup (250 mL) or 6 oz (170 g) chocolate chips ❚ 1/3 cup (80 mL) hot, hot coffee ❚ 4 eggs, divided ❚ 2 tsp (10 mL) creme de cacao or Kahlua
Place chocolate chips in a blender; pour hot coffee over and whirl until chocolate is melted and smooth. Add 4 egg yolks and liqueur and blend again another 30 seconds or until smooth.
Beat 4 egg whites in a large bowl until stiff. Pour chocolate mixture over egg whites and blend until no white streaks are left.
Pour into 6 individual or one large serving bowl. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Serve garnished with chocolate-coated coffee beans.
Sat in Seduction
This is a classic recipe for chocolate mousse, from Fine Cooking magazine many years ago.
It’s rich and perfect, but makes for more washing up than the other two recipes: you need to use three different bowls (and you’ll be left with three unused egg yolks).
As with The Quickie, it contains raw eggs, though just the whites; you can use pasteurized egg whites if you’re concerned. Makes: 4 servings Preparation time: about 30 minutes ❚ 1 cup (250 mL) or 6 oz (170 g) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped ❚ 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces ❚ 3 large egg whites ❚ Pinch salt ❚ 3 tbsp (45 mL) granulated sugar ❚ 3/4 cup (180 mL) whipping cream ❚ Chocolate shavings for garnish
Put the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water (or use a double boiler.) Stir the chocolate with a heatproof spatula just until it is melted. Remove the bowl from the water; add the butter to the chocolate and stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.
In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites and salt until they barely hold soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and continue whipping until the whites just start to hold stiff peaks.
Wipe the beaters or whisk attachment clean, then whip the cream in a large bowl until it’s fairly thick and holds a soft peak.
With a large spatula, gently fold about one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate until the mixture is no longer streaky. Fold in the remaining whites.
Scrape the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. Fold gently until mixture is uniform in colour and texture.
Divide among 4 dessert dishes, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and serve garnished with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
I n th e raw
This recipe for a dark and delicious vegan chocolate mousse is based on one called Chocolate of the Gods, by eco-author Renee Loux, who has been dubbed “Queen of Green.” I used dark chocolate balsamic vinegar for an extra chocolate hit. Makes: 4 servings Preparation time: about 15 minutes ❚ 2 cups (500 mL) avocado (about 2 ripe medium avocados) ❚ 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (150 mL) maple syrup ❚ 2 tbsp (30 mL) coconut oil ❚ 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla ❚ 1 tsp (5 mL) balsamic vinegar ❚ 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) soy sauce (preferably shoyu, wheatfree soy) ❚ 1 cup (250 mL) pure cocoa powder, sifted ❚ Raspberries and mint leaves to garnish
In a food processor, blend avocado, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce until smooth and creamy.
Add cocoa and blend until smooth. Scoop into 4 serving dishes; garnish with raspberries and mint leaves.