Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Jen, my wife, wanted to try making chocolate mousse. I found an Alton Brown recipe, the ingredients were:

• 1 3/4 cups whipping cream
• 12 ounces quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 ounces espresso or strong coffee
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon flavorless, granulated gelatin

We substituted a bit of creme de menthe for the rum, otherwise it was pretty much to the recipe. When we folded the melted chocolate and liquid ingredients in, all seemed well. But after chilling it for a couple of hours, it really thickened up, not the light airy mousse we wanted. The flavor was fine, but I was expecting something light and delicate, melting on the tongue. So it was not a catastrophic fail, just a slight disappointment in terms of texture.

I had thought the gelatin would be good for it maintaining its structure, particularly at the 5,000 ft altitude where we live. But now I wonder if that was why it became denser than expected? Not collapsed, mind you, just that it didn't feel light and airy to the tongue. Grrrr. So I'm looking for a good approach for this that works at altitude. Lose the gelatin? Half it? Any ideas?

The Original Recipe at[url]: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good ... c=linkback[/url]

I think the gelatine would give it an odd texture. You need the whipped egg white and whipped cream to provide the airiness. I've always used Julia Child's recipe. It's the kind of mousse i remember from the restaurant menus of the 1980's.

8 oz sweet or semi sweet chocolate
3 oz softened unsalted butter
3 eggs, separated
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fine sugar

Melt chocolate & booze - (see note at the end).
Beat in the soft butter.
Add yolks one by one.

Whip the cream.
Whip the egg whites, adding the sugar part way through.

Fold the chocolate, cream and meringue together gently.
Chill.

Note at the end: She doesn't call for either, but I've put 1-2 Tlbs of booze or 1-2 Tlbs of strong coffee into the chocolate before melting.


eta: clarify booze instructions.

I am not much of a Chocolatier, but the use of chocolate chips and gelatin in the recipe leads me to believe that Alton isn’t either. Before I started to tweak the recipe you have, I would try a different recipe. There may not be any better texture in that recipe to coax out of it.

I've never been pleased with any of Alton's recipes for sweet things. For a southern boy, he just doesn't get it! He may like food science, but he isn't much of a baker.

Thanks, we will shift recipes. We actually did have some semi-sweet bar that we used, but I didn't figure that would make much of a difference. We will try SilverSage's recipe. We usually have powdered sugar around or we make it ourselves if we don't have any in the cupboard. Eggs are a mainstay of the house and I actually have a chunk of frozen whites in my freezer.

I had heard of using gelatin in whipped cream to keep it from collapsing, so I thought it might work here. We will make this again next month for a friend, I'll let you know how it comes out.

Don't use powdered sugar - the uncooked cornstarch might give you a chalky taste. Just regular sugar - spin it through the food processor or blender so it dissolves quickly in the egg whites.

Bingo, thank you SilverSage! That is our trick when we don't have any powdered sugar, same for canning or pickling salt. The blender is your friend.

Have you tried CI's Dark Chocolate Mousse? It's fantastic. Here's the recipe, along with my notes:

DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Ghirardelli 60% recommended - *See note below if using 62-70% cacao) (I used Ghirardelli 60%)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, Dutch processed
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
5 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brandy
2 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled heavy cream

1. Melt first 5 ingredients in medium heatproof bowl over saucepan with 1 inch of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth, remove from heat.

2. Whisk egg yolks, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar & salt in bowl until mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly. Pour melted chocolate mix into egg mix and whisk until combined. Let cool until just warmer than room temp.

3. In clean bowl, whisk/beat egg whites until frothy. (I used a stand mixer). Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Stir 1/4 beaten egg whites into chocolate mix to lighten it; gently fold remaining egg whites until a few white streaks remain.

4. Whip heavy cream until it begins to thicken. (I used a stand mixer). Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form. Using rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into mousse until no white streaks remain. Spoon into 6-8 individual serving dishes or goblets. Cover with plastic & refrigerate until set & firm, at least 2 hrs (can be covered & refrigerated up to 24 hrs).

*NOTE: Premium variation - 62-70% cacao needs 3 tablespoons sugar, 7 tablespoons water & 3 large eggs separated

Raspberry variation - 4 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons Chambord
Orange variation - 3 strips orange zest, 4 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

From Cook's Illustrated

I 'totally' agree with Merstar It's wonderful; so is Joy of Cooking's.

That mousse does look wonderful. If you use the Chambord, do you still use the brandy?