/ 30 July 2010

The unbearable lightness of chocolate

Find the perfect balance between lightness and flavour with the chocolate mousse recipes below

The classic recipe
Cookery writer Elizabeth David’s simple chocolate mousse recipe is just that — an egg and 30g of chocolate a person. I melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water, then stir in the egg yolks. I then whisk the whites to soft peaks, gently fold in the chocolate mixture and refrigerate until set.
It tastes divine.

The American version
Chef Julia Child’s infamous Mastering the Art of French Cookery includes a recipe for chocolate mousse that calls for all sorts of exotic ingredients.
I melt the butter and chocolate over a pan of water and add a spoonful of coffee. Then I set the bowl aside and replace it with four egg yolks, which must be whisked over the simmering water, along with 170g sugar and 2tbsp rum, until thick. Next I fold the egg mixture into the chocolate. The whites are beaten with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sugar until shiny and then folded gradually into the chocolate mixture. It’s overpoweringly sweet and slightly too dense.

Adding cream
In comparison Gordon Ramsay’s recipe seems like a lighter option — although there is a good quantity of double cream: 300ml to 100g of chocolate. I bring half the cream to the boil and add the pieces of chocolate, stirring to melt them completely before adding the rest of the cream and transferring the mixture into a bowl set in a large pan of iced water. Once I’ve whisked it into soft peaks, I beat one large egg white until stiff, adding 50g of caster sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until I have a soft meringue that I can fold into the chocolate.
Inevitably, the cream weighs the mousse down and dilutes the flavour of the chocolate.

Egg-whites only
Raymond Blanc’s mousse employs chocolate, sugar and just the egg whites. I melt 180g chocolate and whisk eight egg whites with 30g of sugar until they form soft peaks. I whisk a third of the egg whites and sugar mixture into the chocolate and then immediately fold in the rest. Folding it all together can give a streaky result if you’re not careful. The mousse is light but also it’s less satisfying than with egg yolks.

Just chocolate and water
French chemist Hervé This, who specialises in molecular gastronomy, is clearly a magician — despite its name, his Chocolate Chantilly recipe contains no cream. I put 150g chocolate into a pan with 200ml water, and then balance it awkwardly in a bigger pan full of water, over a low heat, and stir occasionally until the mixture has a “uniform texture”. I move the pan to a bowl of iced water, and whisk the mousse until it thickens to the texture of whipped cream. The results are incredible — dense and intensely chocolatey but, when refrigerated, it’s more like a remarkably clean-tasting chocolate pot.

Verdict
Elizabeth David’s mousse has the perfect balance of lightness and flavour, although I add a teaspoon of sugar a person to suit my own taste. You can play around with flavourings — pop in a teaspoon of coffee, some booze or chilli flakes. Just work quickly and with a light hand and you will have one of the easiest and most satisfying puddings around.

Perfect chocolate mousse — makes two
60g chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
2 medium eggs
2tsp caster sugar (depending on sweetness required, less/more can be added)
1. Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a bowl over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. When the chocolate begins to melt, turn the heat off. Separate the eggs.
2. Whisk the egg whites into soft peaks, add the sugar, and whisk again briefly.
3. Mix the egg yolks quickly into the melted chocolate and then whisk in a third of the egg white. Fold the rest very gently into the mixture until just combined (be careful not to overmix), and then put into bowls and refrigerate for at least four hours until set. — Guardian News & Media 2010