I was looking through some old clippings and came across this article by Marian Burros containing the following:
"There are no standard ingredients for a chocolate mousse, with the exception, of course, of the chocolate, which should be the very best quality.
It can be made with or without egg yolks, with or without egg whites, with or without heavy cream, with or without butter.
It can be chilled or frozen, served in or out of molds, in cake shells, in pie shells or heaped in a bowl.
Just as there are two deeply divided schools of thought about chocolate chip cookies -- hard or soft -- so there are two chocolate mousse camps: light, airy and pale in color or wonderful, wickedly deeply chocolate. You can tell where I stand.
I have an unexpected ally, the former White House Pastry Chef, Albert Kumin. Mr. Kumin makes his cocolate mousse without egg whites. "If you put egg whites in it," he explained "I think you take a little bit away from the goodness." For goodness, read richness.
Along with Albert Kumin's rich recipe, there is one for a standard (but rich) mousse, another for a chocolate mousse pie that can only be described as gilding the lilly."
Chocolate Mousse by Albert Kumin (former Pastry Chef - White House)
8 egg yolks
3 ounces superfine sugar
3 or 4 ounces Sabra liqueur
1 pound semisweet chocolate
1 quart heavy cream
Beat the yolks anhd sugar together until light. Mix in liqueur.
Meanwhile melt chocolate over hot water and whip the cream. Mix a little of cream into yolk mixture.
Then mix in the chocolate until it is smooth. Fold in whipped cream and spoon into individual serving dishes. Chill.
Yield: 16 or more servings.
Chocolate Mousse Pie
12 eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups sugar plus 3 tablespoons
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brandy
15 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup coffee
2-1/4 cups heavy cream
Chocolate crust.
Beat yolks in top of double boiler with 1-1/2 cups sugar, vanilla, salt and brandy, over simmering water, until mixture is thick. Remove from water and set aside.
Melt chocolates over hot water or over direct heat, carefully. Remove; beat in butter a little at a time. Gradually beat chocolate into yolks until mixture is smooth. Beat in coffee.
Beat whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 3 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat one cup of whites into chocolate mixture to thin it. Then fold in remaining whites until well blended.
Whip cream until stiff and fold into chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared crust and chill overnight in refrigerator.
Or spoon mixture into 16 individual souffle dishes, each holding less than 1/8 cup.
Chocolate Crust
1-1/4 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter
Crush cookies to make crumbs. Use rolling pin, blender or food processor.
Mix with melted butter and pat into bottom and sides of 10-inch springform.
Bake at 325 Degrees F. 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and fill.
Yield: 16 servings
Mousse au Chocolat
1/2 pound sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 inch scraped vanilla bean
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
In top of double boiler over hot water, melt the chocolate with the water and the sugar. Remove and cool.
Add the yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla bean.
Beat the whites until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into six or eight individual pots, souffle dishes or ramekins. Refrigerate.
To serve, top with whipped cream.
"There are no standard ingredients for a chocolate mousse, with the exception, of course, of the chocolate, which should be the very best quality.
It can be made with or without egg yolks, with or without egg whites, with or without heavy cream, with or without butter.
It can be chilled or frozen, served in or out of molds, in cake shells, in pie shells or heaped in a bowl.
Just as there are two deeply divided schools of thought about chocolate chip cookies -- hard or soft -- so there are two chocolate mousse camps: light, airy and pale in color or wonderful, wickedly deeply chocolate. You can tell where I stand.
I have an unexpected ally, the former White House Pastry Chef, Albert Kumin. Mr. Kumin makes his cocolate mousse without egg whites. "If you put egg whites in it," he explained "I think you take a little bit away from the goodness." For goodness, read richness.
Along with Albert Kumin's rich recipe, there is one for a standard (but rich) mousse, another for a chocolate mousse pie that can only be described as gilding the lilly."
Chocolate Mousse by Albert Kumin (former Pastry Chef - White House)
8 egg yolks
3 ounces superfine sugar
3 or 4 ounces Sabra liqueur
1 pound semisweet chocolate
1 quart heavy cream
Beat the yolks anhd sugar together until light. Mix in liqueur.
Meanwhile melt chocolate over hot water and whip the cream. Mix a little of cream into yolk mixture.
Then mix in the chocolate until it is smooth. Fold in whipped cream and spoon into individual serving dishes. Chill.
Yield: 16 or more servings.
Chocolate Mousse Pie
12 eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups sugar plus 3 tablespoons
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brandy
15 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup coffee
2-1/4 cups heavy cream
Chocolate crust.
Beat yolks in top of double boiler with 1-1/2 cups sugar, vanilla, salt and brandy, over simmering water, until mixture is thick. Remove from water and set aside.
Melt chocolates over hot water or over direct heat, carefully. Remove; beat in butter a little at a time. Gradually beat chocolate into yolks until mixture is smooth. Beat in coffee.
Beat whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 3 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat one cup of whites into chocolate mixture to thin it. Then fold in remaining whites until well blended.
Whip cream until stiff and fold into chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared crust and chill overnight in refrigerator.
Or spoon mixture into 16 individual souffle dishes, each holding less than 1/8 cup.
Chocolate Crust
1-1/4 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter
Crush cookies to make crumbs. Use rolling pin, blender or food processor.
Mix with melted butter and pat into bottom and sides of 10-inch springform.
Bake at 325 Degrees F. 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and fill.
Yield: 16 servings
Mousse au Chocolat
1/2 pound sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 inch scraped vanilla bean
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
In top of double boiler over hot water, melt the chocolate with the water and the sugar. Remove and cool.
Add the yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla bean.
Beat the whites until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into six or eight individual pots, souffle dishes or ramekins. Refrigerate.
To serve, top with whipped cream.