Chocolate Mousse 3 ways – 2 with a Crunch

Can chocolate mousse, that decadent & quintessential creamy French dessert, have a crunch? Why yes it can. For fun Meakin decided to create a light and airy dark chocolate mousse but also one that had a bit of crunch. He started with basic chocolate mousse shown above and used it as a springboard to create two more recipes, each more spectacular than the next.

First, to produce a light and airy mousse rather than a thick and creamy one, he very gently folded in the whipped cream into the basic recipe, which creates a bit of air and makes swirls of whipped cream throughout the chocolate. No one will ever mistake this mousse for pudding.

To achieve a bit of crunch, he’s used two different ideas. The first crunchy mousse has ground bits of dark chocolate coated espresso beans incorporated into the mousse itself, plus a few saved for a garnish on the whipped cream. It’s still light and airy, but you can definitely taste the bit of crunch from the chocolate coated espresso beans. Chocolate covered espresso beans can be found in most supermarkets in the produce section or on line.

The second crunchy mousse goes a step further with ground bits of Toblerone dark chocolate, garnished with Grand Marnier whipped cream, and topped with candied orange peel. Toblerone is a rich Swiss chocolate bar with honey & almond nougats that is available in dark chocolate as well as milk chocolate. It’s available in some supermarkets and on line. To make this mousse’s presentation spectacular, it’s served in a brandy snifter.

We like our chocolate dark so we’ve used bittersweet chocolate, but feel free to substitute semisweet if that’s your preference. No matter which chocolate you choose, you can’t go wrong with chocolate mousse as a dessert. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone say no to chocolate mousse.

Basic Chocolate Mousse
Adapted from The New York Times & How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman – serves 6
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (we prefer bittersweet)
3 eggs, separated
¼ cup sugar
½ cup chilled heavy cream
½ teaspoon good vanilla extract

Place a double boiler or small saucepan over low heat and melt butter and chocolate together. Just before chocolate finishes melting, remove pan from the stove and beat chocolate with a wooden spoon until smooth. Transfer chocolate to a bowl and beat in egg yolks with a whisk. Place bowl in the refrigerator while you beat the egg whites.

Beat eggs whites with half the sugar until they hold stiff peaks but are not dry. Set aside while you beat the cream with the remaining sugar and vanilla until the whipped cream holds soft peaks.

Stir a couple of spoonfuls of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it a bit, then fold in remaining whites thoroughly but gently. Fold in the whipped cream very gently to keep the mousse light and airy. You want to see a few swirls of the whipped cream in the mouse. Refrigerate or divide among separate cups. It will chill much faster divided. Serve within a day or two of making.

Crunchy Chocolate Mousse with Chocolate Coated Espresso Bean Bits
From My Carolina Kitchen – serves 6
Printable Recipe

Basic chocolate mousse recipe (see above)
½ cup or so dark chocolate coated espresso beans
1/3 cup chilled heavy cream

Prepare basic chocolate mousse recipe and set aside in refrigerator to chill until you are ready to serve.

Whirl chocolate covered espresso beans in a mini food processor until chopped but not turned to dust, although some dust in inevitable. Stir in most of the processed beans into the chilled chocolate mousse, leaving a few to sprinkle on top of the whipped cream for garnish. Divide mousse into individual servings.

Beat heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Top mousse with whipped cream and garnish the cream with remaining chopped espresso beans. Serve right away.

Crunchy Chocolate Mousse with Toblerone Dark Chocolate Bits, Grand Marnier Whipped Cream, and Candied Orange Peel
From My Carolina Kitchen – serves 6
Printable Recipe

Basic chocolate mousse recipe (see above)
1 - 3.25 ounce bar Toblerone Swiss pyramid shaped dark chocolate bar wedges
2 tablespoons Grand Mariner orange liqueur, divided
1 navel orange
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup chilled heavy cream

Prepare basic chocolate mousse recipe and set aside in refrigerator to chill until you are ready to serve.

Zest orange into strips and add zest and juice from the orange to a small sauce pan with 1 tablespoons Grand Marnier and sugar and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove to a bowl and let cool in refrigerator.

While the orange zest cools, process 5 of the 6 wedges of the Toblerone dark chocolate in a mini food processor until chopped but not turned to dust, although some dust in inevitable.

Add 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier to the chilled cream & beat until it holds soft peaks.

When ready to serve, divide the mousse into individual serving dishes or brandy snifters. Gently stir most of the Toblerone chocolate bits into the chilled chocolate mousse, leaving some bits for garnish. Top with whipped cream, then garnish cream with remaining Toblerone bits and candied orange peel. Serve right away.

For better viewing, click on photos to enlarge.

This will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm, Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, and Foodie Friday at Simple Recipes.    

Have a great weekend everyone.