Skip to main content

Classic chocolate mousse

This is a quick and easy French classic that has become loved everywhere, which requires far less sugar than most similar recipes.

Chocolate mousse

Recipe kindly supplied by henrileworm.com

Download this recipe as a PDF

Serves – 4
Prep time – 20 mins
Cooking time –  n/a
Special equipment –  whisk or electric mixer & bowl, 2 x medium glass bowls,
Planning ahead – It is best to prepare this recipe half a day in advance as 6-12 hours is the ideal setting time.

Ingredients

165 g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa solids = 51g carb
8 egg whites, organic or free range, stamped with Red Lion mark*1*= 0g carb
20g (4 tsp) caster sugar or a substitute such as Stevia = 20g carb
3ml (1 x lemon), juice
Total carbs 71g divide by 4 = 17.75g carb per serving

Method

Step 1

Break up the chocolate and put it in a bowl and melt it over a simmering pan of water, sitting the bowl on top of the saucepan. *2*

Step 2

Whilst the chocolate is melting, gently whisk the egg whites and lemon until they form SOFT peeks. *3*

Step 3

Then add the sugar and turn the electric whisk to high speed until they become FIRM peeks.

Step 4

Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and briskly whisk in a 1/3 of the egg mixture and then immediately fold in the rest of the egg whites.  This must be done quickly so the melted chocolate doesn’t solidify.  Also try not to over mix at this stage or you will lose the lightness of the mousse.

Step 5

Once the egg whites are completely folded in, pour the mixture into serving bowls and leave to set in the fridge for 6-12 hours.

Chef’s notes

*1* Because we are using raw eggs it’s important to get organic or free range  which are carrying the Red Lion mark, which means the eggs have been vaccinated against salmonella.  There are also numbers printed on all eggs- O is for organic, 1 for free range, 2 for barn eggs and 3 for caged eggs.

*2* Chocolate burns easily, leaving a bitter taste and potentially ruining the dish. Ideally you don’t want to go above 90C, which is why we are heating it gently using steam.

*3* If you over whisk the egg whites, the foam will be firmer and the bubbles smaller and your mousse will lose volume.

Henri the worm

Henri says – As an alternative you could bake the mousse at 200 C for 3 minutes, which is a delicious alternative, like a hot chocolate soufflé!

Download this recipe as a PDF