Thursday, October 3, 2013

Dark Chocolate Mousse topped with cassis flavored whipped cream


Chocolate mousse is one of the all time favorite French classic desserts. If its decadent and richness doesn’t lure you in, surely its silky smooth, light texture will. Even thought chocolate mousse sounds sophisticated, it’s really quite simple to make. Because it can be made in advance, it’s perfect for dinner parties, plus your guests will love the fact that they get their very own serving.    

Our recipe calls for dark or bittersweet chocolate. Perhaps you are as confused as I am by the percentages of cocoa found in different chocolates. I found this guide in Better Homes & Gardens to be very helpful, link here. If dark chocolate isn’t your thing, by all means substitute semi-sweet chocolate or a combination of bittersweet and semi-sweet.


The chocolate can be spiked with all sorts of spirits such dark rum, bourbon, amaretto, or whatever suits your fancy. For a twist of tastes, instead of flavoring the chocolate, we spiked the whip cream with a dash of crème de cassis, a sweet French liqueur made from black currants. As you can see from the color of the whipped cream in the photos, the cassis’s dark red color turns the white whipped cream into a luscious creamy beige. You probably recognize the name cassis from the popular French aperitif the Kir or a Kir Royale. A Kir is made with a dash of crème de cassis topped with white wine and the Kir Royale is made in the same way but topped with bubbling champagne.

Although chocolate mousse can be made in advance, it’s best to make it not more than a day or two before you plan to serve it. The whipped cream can be refrigerated, covered, for up to two hours before serving.
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Dark Chocolate Mousse topped with cassis flavored whipped cream
Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman – serves 6

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped into chunks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large eggs, separated
4 tablespoons sugar
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon good vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate chunks and the butter in the top of a double boiler over low heat. Just before the chocolate mixture finishes melting, remove it from the stove and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth, then transfer to a clean bowl and set aside and let cool.

Separate the eggs and set the whites aside. Add the egg yolks to the bowl with the chocolate and beat in the yokes with a whisk. Beat the egg whites with 2 tablespoons of the sugar until the whites hold stiff peaks, but are not dry. Beat the cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks.

Stir in a couple of spoonfuls of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it a bit, and then gently but thoroughly fold in the remaining whites. Fold the cream into the mousse.  Divide the mouse into six individual cups or ramekins and refrigerate. Serve within a day or two of making.

When ready to serve, top with your favorite whipped cream recipe, spiked with a dash or two of crème de cassis. Martha Stewart has an easy to follow recipe, link here, with excellent tips. Whipped cream can be made in advance and refrigerated, covered, for up to two hours before serving.



This recipe will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farms, Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday at Simple Recipes, Foodtastic Friday at Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Food of Friday at Carol's Chatter, and Seasonal Sunday at the Tablescaper.

Have a great weekend everyone.

36 comments:

  1. Heavenly! That is a delightful combination.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. One of the best uses of chocolate that I know!! It has been awhile since I've done a mousse. I'm inspired.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  3. Oh my goodness I saw this and in a split second my hand clicked!! This looks so good. Visiting you from Full Plate Thursdays.

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  4. This looks divine! Cassis flavoured whipped cream sounds perfect to me.

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  5. Just plain luscious, Sam. This is such a great dessert. I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't love chocolate mousse.

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  6. Oh my gosh how absolutely delicious this sounds...

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  7. Perfect dessert, love the liquor addition, my husband would love this!

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  8. I'm a dark chocolate girl and this sounds like a perfect treat to me! Very fancy presentation too Sam:@)

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  9. My mouth is watering! Take care Diane

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  10. Looks beautiful and delicious, Sam.

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  11. Cassis.. a pretty presentation:) Et le tour est joué!

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  12. Delicious! This a lovely finish to a good meal. Beautiful. classic dessert.

    Velva

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  13. Sam, I love your recipe for the chocolate mousse! I love the idea about spiking the whipped cream with a liqueur, sounds amazing!! Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Hi Sam, This looks fabulous. I am always looking for a new chocolate dessert. I am making this on Sunday. Thank you.

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  15. If I could only eat one dessert, this would likely be it and yours looks delicious,especially with the spiked whipped cream.

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  16. I make it a point to try chocolate mousse at every nice restaurant. I love it...the darker the better.

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  17. I thought I'd made every mousse out there! But not Mark Bittmans...whoops. My family will certainly be happy to taste test this recipe...and I love the idea of Cassis spiked whipped cream. So yummy, Sam! Have a wonderful weekend~

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  18. Yummm! What a great reason to go purchase some creme de cassis!

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  19. Sam, I love mousse and the idea of adding the creme de cassis to the whipped cream instead of flavoring the chocolate is brilliant. Mark Bittman is such a great teacher ~ and your presentation and photos are mouthwateringly delicious!

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  20. this looks amazing and love the presentation

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  21. Agree with you about dark chocolate. It has such a nice depth of flavor and I love that deep color. What a great idea to add cassis to the whipped cream, Sam. It adds the perfect touch to your dessert. Cute presentation, too.

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  22. Hi Sam,
    My husband just asked, are you ok, I said yes, I'm just moaning over this recipe, it looks so good! I love your presentation, makes it so special.

    Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great weekend!
    Miz Helen

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  23. You had me at the cassis whipped cream! This looks luscious...

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  24. I think I would be scraping the cup totally clean. Your mousse sounds absolutely delicious.

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  25. Well, here I thought I was finished eating for the evening, but now I'm facing a chocolate obsession before bed .... Looks ravishing!

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  26. Dear Sam, This is one of my favorite desserts too. The trouble is I can just keep eating it!! and never get full.
    This looks lovely. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

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  27. Ah, Sam, believe it or not I was going to make some kind of chocolate pudding or custard this week and top it with flavored whipped cream. But your addition of cassis fascinates me! I love it! And your mousse looks just marvelous!

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  28. Wow, this chocolate mousse looks delicious! Love your blog!

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  29. Wonderful Sam! The cassis whipped cream sounds marvelous!

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  30. This is one of my all time favorite desserts... I never thought to spike it with liquor... now you got my brain spinning. thanks for sharing this with us on foodie friday.

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  31. Sam, I am addicted to Chocolate Mousse. I've gotta try this recipe! Thanks! I want to make everything you post!

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  32. Wow, that sounds wonderful. You had me at the chocolate mousse, but the cassis whipped cream put it over the top! Thanks!

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  33. I wish I had one of these right now! YUM!

    xo,

    Sheila

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  34. Whoa, that is a simply gorgeous dessert! So very impressive, and I don't even usually like desserts.

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