Hello Again, Chocolate Mousse
August 7th, 2009 | 72 Comments
One fine day in my not too distant past, I decided to spend my lunch hour milling around the Barnes and Noble. Just a regular day, it was, with the usual rows of books, and the usual cappuccino slinging. As I stood there, leafing through Poker for Dummies, my ears suddenly perked up. It was the store announcer crackling over the loud speaker. He was pleased to announce that in 15 minutes, Jacques Torres would be giving a demonstration and signing books in the main area. Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!
Needless to say, I did a little jig in the Crafts aisle before bee-lining to front and center. I would get to watch the great Jacques Torres in action and, if I didn’t faint by the end, I’d get to sample a dessert! I was beside myself. In those days, Jacques Torres was on PBS and I watched him fling profiteroles at the audience every Sunday. My cheeks hurt from over-smiling.
Too bad that smile faded not 30 seconds later when Jacques revealed that he’d be demonstrating chocolate mousse. Suddenly, an overwhelming drowsiness kicked in. Chocolate mousse was so booooooring. It was in every cookbook, on every menu. Everywhere, like pigeons. Anyone with a whisk and an apron could throw together chocolate mousse.
But I stayed in my seat, because when it’s Jacques Torres, you stay in your seat. He began talking and showing. His moves were very calculated, like he didn’t have a gesture to waste. He spoke of different types of sho-ko-laht, as he pronounced it, while he got his bowls in line. The way he spoke was both entertaining and educational. Those years on TV made him a good showman. My eyebrow arched and now I was in.
A few things really made an impression. One was that he favored Valrhona chocolate, but if stranded some place with extremely limited options, he would choose the everyday supermarket Dove brand. He deemed it to be an acceptable substitute in a pinch.
Another thing that struck me was that when he started folding his whipped cream into the chocolate, he spun his bowl really quickly, as though it was a pottery wheel, and dug his spatula in with fervor, a fast chopping motion. Someone from the audience pointed out that folding was supposed to be a delicate affair. Yes, he said. He was doing it “delicately” when compared with another kitchen technique: whipping. Using a whisk is much more violent than using a spatula to incorporate something, he explained. To this day, I fold like Jacques Torres.
In a few minutes, he ladled out the mousse and dropped a couple of raspberries over each sample. Even though they were served in paper cups with plastic spoons, as soon as I had my first bite, I was hypnotized. I closed my eyes and saw myself seated in his 4-star restaurant, Le Cirque. The silver spoon shone as I dipped it in the chocolatey cloud. The texture was dreamy–so ethereal, so sensual, so refined–and yet the flavor was full, cloaking me in it’s depth.
I never took chocolate mousse for granted again.
I’ve noticed over time that most chocolate mousse recipes are essentially the same: melt chocolate, fold in cream. That’s why it’s imperative that the chocolate be of excellent quality. It’s the difference between a mousse that bores and a mousse that stuns. Here’s a recipe that I’ve had so long I’m not sure of its origin, but I think it began in the New York Times. In any case, it’s had its share of tinkering and modifications. I love the combo of milk chocolate and caramel used here, but feel free to substitute dark chocolate.
Here are some chocolate brands that make me want to get out of bed in the morning:
40% Jivara Lactee Feves – Valrhona – 3 kg
45% Grand Lait Minigrammes – Michel Cluizel – 11 kg
Whaddaya know? I go for the French stuff.
If you do a lot of baking, buying in bulk makes sense cost-wise, but if you don’t want to buy a honking 5 lb box, these brands can often be found in the fancier supermarkets in more manageable 4 or 8 oz blocks. I see Valrhona at Whole Foods all the time.
Milk Chocolate Caramel Mousse
makes 6 servings
recipe can be doubled
I used to be intimidated by the dry caramel method used here until I tried it. Now I think it’s far easier than the wet caramel method and will never go back! The sugar doesn’t crystallize.
1/3 cup (2.5 oz.) granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons (1.5 oz; 42 g) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid oz.) heavy cream, divided into 1 cup (8 oz) and 1/2 cup (4 oz)
4 oz. high quality milk chocolate
1. Just 4 happy ingredients!
2. Start by making the caramel: sprinkle a thin layer of sugar in a lightly colored-pan set over medium-high heat. ( A light pan will help you gage the color of the caramel.)
In a minute or 2 it starts to melt. Don’t bother to stir or anything.
Sprinkle more sugar. The heat of the already melted sugar will start melting the new addition right away.
Keep adding until all your sugar is in. This may take 2 or 3 additions. It will melt quickly and the edges will color faster than the center. Swirling the pan around helps get the sugar to caramelize more evenly.
In a few minutes, the sugar goes amber, like this:
3. Now you must work quickly to avoid burning the sugar. Sprinkle in the butter lumps, and whisk them in.
4. Now, add the 1/2 cup of cream, but GRADUALLY. The cream will sputter and roil when it comes in contact with the hot sugar. Some of the sugar will seize and harden a little, but keep whisking. It will dissolve.
Here I added a small dribble of cream and whisked it in:
Then I added another dribble of cream and whisked again. How about those angry bubbles?
And the final addition of cream. Ooooh, yeah.
Caramel, all whisked up and smooth. Remove pan from heat and let it rest until we get to it.
5. Meanwhile, take the remaining 1 cup of cream, and whip it to soft peak.
You can see trails in the cream, but it’s still kind of droopy and doesn’t hold a peak.
Pop this bowl of cream in the fridge to keep it chilled while we melt chocolate.
6. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and rest a bigger bowl filled with your chocolate over said pot. This is our faux double boiler. If you have a real double boiler that’s been waiting for this special occasion, use it now!
Don’t let any water get into your chocolate or you will witness a grainy mess. Gently let it melt, stirring occasionally to help it along.
Oooooh.
7. Once it’s completely melted, remove from the heat, and stir in the caramel.
You will notice the texture is mottled and dull, like this. Don’t stop here.
Grab a whisk, and work up some elbow grease. You’re trying to create an emulsion. Whisk in a rapid, circular motion like you’re trying to rev up an engine. Start from the center and whisk outward, in concentric circles. The mix should end up glossy and very smooth. This will make the texture of the mousse luxuriously creamy.
8. Make sure the contents are lukewarm or cooler. (A chance to taste test, in my book.) If the mix is still hot, let it sit until it’s cool enough. Scoop about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the bowl and gently fold it in. This will help lighten the dense chocolate and ensure better incorporation of the whipped cream.
It doesn’t have to be 100% incorporated yet.
Add the rest of the whipped cream and gently fold that in too, just until all the cream is incorporated.
Here is the final mousse. It’s quite loose here, but still has body. It looks like a very thick chocolate drink. Pour it into ramekins or glasses and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow it to set up.
Diggin’ in..
Milk Chocolate Caramel Mousse
makes 6 servings
recipe can be doubled
1/3 cup (2.5 oz.) granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups cream, divided into 1 cup and 1/2 cup
4 oz. high quality milk chocolate
1. Start by making the caramel: sprinkle a thin layer of sugar in a lightly colored-pan set over medium-high heat. ( A light pan will help you gage the color of the caramel.)
2. Sprinkle in more sugar. The heat of the already melted sugar will start melting the new addition right away.
3. Keep adding until all your sugar is in. This may take 2 or 3 additions. It will melt quickly and the edges will color faster than the center. Swirling the pan around helps get the sugar to caramelize more evenly. In a few minutes, the sugar goes amber.
4. Now you must work quickly to avoid burning the sugar. Sprinkle in the butter lumps, and whisk them in.
5. Now, add the 1/2 cup of cream, but GRADUALLY, in 2 or 3 additions. The cream will sputter and roil when it comes in contact with the hot sugar. Some of the sugar will seize and harden a little, but keep whisking. It will dissolve. Once it’s smooth, remove pan from heat and let it rest until we get to it.
6. Meanwhile, take the remaining 1 cup of cream, and whip it to soft peak. Keep chilled in the fridge while we proceed with the recipe.
7. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and rest a bigger bowl filled with your chocolate over said pot. This is our faux double boiler. If you have a real double boiler that’s been waiting for this special occasion, use it now! Don’t let any water get into your chocolate or you will witness a grainy mess. Gently let it melt, stirring occasionally to help it along.
8. Once it’s completely melted, remove from the heat, and stir in the caramel. Grab a whisk, and work up some elbow grease. You’re trying to create an emulsion. Whisk in a rapid, circular motion like you’re trying to rev up an engine. Start from the center and whisk outward, in concentric circles. The mix should end up glossy and very smooth. This will make the texture of the mousse luxuriously creamy.
9. Make sure this chocolate mix is lukewarm or cooler before folding in the cream. (A chance to taste test, in my book.) If the mix is still hot, let it sit until it’s cool enough. If you try to fold in the cream while it’s too warm, it will all turn soupy.
10. Scoop about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the bowl and gently fold it in. This will help lighten the dense chocolate and ensure better incorporation of the whipped cream. Add the rest of the whipped cream and gently fold that in too, just until all the cream is incorporated. It will still be quite loose, but should have body. It will look like a very thick chocolate drink. Pour it into ramekins or glasses and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow it to set up.
11. Dig in.
72 Responses to “Hello Again, Chocolate Mousse”
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ABOUT ME
I had a career going in advertising when one day I got the crazy idea to start over and become a pastry chef. Now I'll show you what I learned working in fine dining restaurants all over NYC right here with step-by-step photos. So grab your rolling pin and join in.
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you are soooooo good at this. you deserve a HUGE audience because your use of verbs, your energy, your knowledge, your just plain vigor jumps right off the monitor. sorry i have to go and cook now. thanks.
Hi Irina – your recipes and photos are amazing. Need a taste tester? 🙂
That looks absolutely decadent. I think I’m going to give this a whirl this weekend and maybe, just maybe sprinkle a little fleur de sel on it!
Looks phenomenal!
O.M.G
Thanks…I’m drooling now. I have to make this. No questions…have to. Seriously that looks so fantastically light and fluffy and melt in your mouth good. And if I ever see chocolate mousse on a menu again, maybe I won’t be so quick to jump to the next item…maybe I will actually order it.
Thanks!
I. WANT. THIS. NOW!!
I’m also often totally bored by the prospect of chocolate mousse, but you just MAY have convinced me here… you sound like you meant it! I think I’ll really have to have a spoonful or two before I change my mind – how about it?
This looks and sounds delicious! Lovely photos. They’re brilliant!
p.s. THANK you for the photo directions for the caramel.
*picking up jaw off the floor* – amazing, is all I have to say. Thanks for the step-by-step tutorial!!! I am definitely making this. Love the incorporation of caramel! It looks dreamy.
Oooh I’m drooling. what a great combo! What a beautiful airy mousse. Yum!
Just in time!!!!
! have my kids for late lunch – dinner today, and I’ve planed to make chocolate mousse – their favorite dessert.
I will make your recipe – never did it with caramel – i am bad in making caramel sauce.
We’ll see how it goes. Although we are dark chocolate lovers, so it will be the same recipe but dark chocolate.I use Lindt Swiss Couverture 56% or Callibat gourmet -also 56%.
Everything is great – your stories, pictures, step- by- step explanation- amazing.
You are very talented and creative girl.
Keep on writing and cooking!
What a perfect texture! Usually I’m not a chocolate mousse fan, but… I want this one !
ahhh…always use good chocolate! They look incredibly rich !
Wow, I’m definitely bookmarking this to try it. I usually make two types – one with eggs, so this looks a lot simpler.
That looks like some wonderful, creamy mousse.
Nothing beats caramel or milk chocolate in my book and if you combine both well….hello! I’m here!!
Heavenly!!!!
Thanks, everybody, for all your enthusiastic comments! If anyone tried this dessert, let me know how it worked for you.
Charlotte– fleur de sel is a great idea. I love the salt and chocolate combo and makes me think of salted peanuts, which I would love too. Let’s face it, what wouldn’t I love?
I just found your blog and love it! That mousse is to die for!
Wow, this mousse looks amazing! I will love to give it ago, you make it look so easy!
Why hello my lovely chocolate mousse. OMG This mousse looks soo lovely, fluffy and light, I soo want some. I can empathise with you regarding the Jivara Valhrona chocolate. I had my first experience with is a couple of weeks ago, despite the hefty price, it was soo worth it. The thing I love about your mousse is that it’s a 2 in 1 dessert. It’s not any plain old chocolate mousse, it has caramel incorporated in to it, yum!
I tried this today, it was superb. My entire family loved it and my young cousins were so enamoured with the caramel and chocolate mixture they could barely contain themselves whilst having to wait as it set. As a student and a complete amateur at anything culinary, I really loved the step by step instructions and the photographs. Such an informative, witty and highly entertaining blog and I will definitely be attempting more recipes soon!
Christine– Boy, would I have had egg on my face if the recipe failed you. I’m so glad you had a success with this and thanks for letting me know. I’m eager to see what else you’ll whip up.
Thanks for the delicious recipe. Great pictures!
I am so excited to have found your blog! I have a lot to learn about pastry-making and you’re writing and tutorials are wonderful.
Thank you for the great recipe and superb directions. Everybody at the party enjoyed the chocolate mousse. http://food4wibowo.blogspot.com/2009/08/caramel-chocolate-mousse.html
Oh my oh my! Fantastic! And thanks for the step by step photos so I can do it too! Gorgeous gorgeous mousse!
Wonderful! I am diabetic and think my blood sugar is rising by just rading this
I’ve been very bored with chocolate mousse as well, and I hadn’t made it in ages! That is, until I found this recipe. I made it today, and it looked like this:
http://i30.tinypic.com/97lena.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/o6w3n4.jpg
I used a certain type of milk chocolate by Cote d’Or that has an almost spicy taste, and it worked really well with the caramel. All in all, it was lovely! 🙂
Anyway, I really love your blog, and I’m looking forward to your recipes!
Greetings from The Netherlands! 🙂
Ilona, Thanks for trying out this recipe. It looks just right. The idea of spice is interesting and I might try adding in some ground chili next time I make it. Even cinnamon might be great. And is that a little liqueur with your mousse? You know how to live it up.
I made it but it was an epic fail xD
Everything was good until the chocolate, maybe it was that I didn’t melt it enough, or that I used bittersweet chocolate, but the caramel and chocolate combined into a clumpy mess, and began to seperate with a watery substance.
It tastes superb, but is very very unmixed and clumpy.
I’ll try it with milk chocolate next time!
Thanks for the recipe.
Oh, Ashley, I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you! Using bittersweet chocolate is okay. From what you describe, it sounds like your chocolate seized. This happens if a tiny drop of water or condensation makes its way into the bowl. Everything becomes a grainy mess! I hope you’ll give it another chance and if you want to email me with more details, I’ll try to help.
I tasted it this morning and the texture is off but it tastes extremely delicious.
I figured out what went wrong.
When I was measuring out the cream, a tiny drop of it splashed into the chocolate chips, that must of caused the chocolate to seize. As you said, it became a grainy mess, then started to seperate xD
I’m planning on trying it as many times as it takes to get it right because it was super delicious!
I love you blog and step by step directions a lot!
I can’t wait to try it again!
Ashley–I’m so glad you were able to pinpoint the problem. No doubt, you’ll never let another drop get in your chocolate bowl again 😉
I made this the other day and it was SUPERB! I absolutely adored it. It was surprisingly easy, too…. once I got over the initial “OMG” of making dry caramel, it was a breeze. I even ended up sticking one in the freezer so it would set up faster and had frozen mousse! Delish.
Cupcake Kelly — I’m so glad you can vouch for how easy dry caramel is. And I know the feeling of not being able to wait for a dessert to set up. I’ve been known to “drink” a few sips before filling the glasses.
Oh my goodness. This looks delicious, and I tried to make it.
But, it turned out terribly.
I figured I would be amazing and use white chocolate, but it just ended badly. When I combined the chocolate with the caramel, instead of making a smooth, glossy liquid, I made a dull, lack-luster solid block of gook. Delicious gook, but gook. I kept on going though, seeing this to the end. When I combined the mess with the cream, everything separated.
It was still delicious. I was ‘taste-testing’ it. But it just turned out ugly.
Next time, MILK CHOCOLATE.
Chrissy—Talk about an experiment gone awry! I appreciate your willingness to experiment in the kitchen 🙂 I’m thinking that the white chocolate may not work the same way because white chocolate is not technically chocolate. It’s composed of cocoa butter and some other ingredients and may give you trouble when you try to make an emulsion with this particular mousse recipe. It’s possible to make mousse with white chocolate, but perhaps the ratios need to be adjusted.
I made this recipe twice in two days, both times extremely successful….it is amazing!!! Thank you so much for the play-by-play recipe. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes 🙂
Again I imbarked on the journey to make this mousse!
And it was ALMOST another epic fail.
Everything was going okay until I added the caramel to the chocolate!!
It seperated…again…. 🙁
But I was unwilling to accept my defeat and I drained all the seperated liquid from the mush, and then added about a tablespoon of the already whipped cream and used my hand mixer to combine the drained choco/caramel mixture and tablespoon of whipped cream, and magically it combined!
So I whipped in another tablespoon, then folded the rest in like the steps stated!
So It turned out great, but ehh, I must just really suck at the art of chocolate mousse making! ha
(kinda like how it took 5 attempts at french macarons, before I made some good (but not perfect) ones!)
Thanks for the recipe! If it every seperates, I now know what to do!
Ashley — I applaud you for being so persistent. And you did EXACTLY the right thing. A tablespoon of cold whipped cream will sometimes bring a chocolate emulsion back together. (Though I wish we could figure out why it separates to begin with.) I’m really glad you got to try it out and enjoy this dessert after all.
That looks wonderful! And I love mousse recipes that don’t rely on gelatin. Thanks!
That looks delicious! I should try that out soon :]
My husband has been begging me to make him chocolate mousse but I haven’t been able to find a good recipe until I saw yours. I just made it today and followed the steps as you laid out. I could not find the chocolate that you were referring to but I did use Bernard Callebaut instead, its the best one we have in the city and it turned out so well. The texture was silky smooth..and it just melts in your mouth.I don’t usually make anything like this but you inspire me to try more things. Thank you!
I want to make this as a filling for cake, hope it works out well. Thanks for the recipe
[…] Pete’s luxe caramel apple crumble pie. Then using the same caramel I was going to make some caramel milk chocolate mousse. And before I go ahead and tell you how I epic failed, I still highly recommend you try the […]
I’ve used this recipe twice now, first i made it without the caramel, and it came out so silky smooth. I used it as part of a filling in the most amazing cake I’ve ever made. It was a layer of chocolate mud cake, layer of caramel sauce, layer of chocolate mousse(see recipe above), layer of cake, thin layer of chocolate fudge sauce, layer of white chocolate mousse, another layer of cake, Chocolate ganache on top, with a chocolate caramel ganache around the sides. it was so good. The chocolate mousse made what could have been a very heavy cake into something you could enjoy and wanting to go back for more.
I’ve since done a smaller version of this cake, and used the original mousse recipe. I also opted the white chocolate mousse for sweetened whipped cream. Everyone loved it. And once again the mousse was a big winner. thank-you so much for bringing a simple dessert back to life.
Good job !:D
Fabilous pictures, I really <3 them !!
Just tried this recipee out, Tastes really great!!! (infact best ive ever tasted) flavours go so well!!! thanks for this wonderfull recipee it worked perfectly turned out just like the photos a big hit with the family will be making this one often!!! youve got to try this out if u get a chance u wont b dissapointed
What type of cream is used in your mousse recipe? Whipped, Heavy or Light? I am teaching a chemistry of foods class and thought your recipe would be fairly easy to make in the classroom.
Thank you in advance for your help.
eleni