French Chocolate Mousse Recipe
There are some classic desserts that are truly worth mastering, and this French chocolate mousse recipe is one of them. Perfect for friends, family, or even just a treat for yourself, this dessert is quick to prepare, requires only a few ingredients, and, best of all, doesn’t involve turning on the oven.
When cooking chocolate desserts that have only a few ingredients, it’s extremely important to use high quality chocolate as it’s the main flavor of the dish. For this recipe we’ll use both dark and milk chocolate from Santa Barbara Chocolate because you can’t beat the quality of those chocolates.
If you want to add some extra texture to the dessert, add a topping like: chopped peanuts, chopped almonds, chocolate syrup, apple slices or even shredded coconut.
French Chocolate Mousse Recipe Ingredients:
- 200 g. of Organic Dark Chocolate 72%
- 100 g. of Alpine Swiss Milk Chocolate
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature
- ½ cup of white sugar
- 1/3 cup of butter, salted
- A pinch of salt
French Chocolate Mousse Recipe Instructions:
- First of all, we need to set our “Bain Marie” to melt the chocolate. Add about 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan, over low heat, and place a heat-proof bowl on top of the pan; the steam will help us to melt the chocolate without burning it. This technique is called “Bain Marie”, also known as double boiler.
- Add the Organic Dark Chocolate into the bowl. Stir continuously using a spatula until half melted.
- When half melted, add the butter and milk chocolate. Keep stirring until completely melted and combined. Set aside to cool down and use later. If you don’t want to use this method, you can also melt the chocolate and butter using a microwave but make sure you heat the ingredients just for ten seconds, stir, and keep doing this process until completely melted. The chocolate is really easy to burn if you try to melt it fast, doing the Bain Marie method will guarantee you that the chocolate will melt without the risk of burning because it won’t be in direct contact with the heat source.
- In a large bowl, add in the egg whites and pinch of salt. Don’t forget that the bowl can’t have traces of oil or the egg whites won’t grow.
- Mix the egg whites using an electric mixer until you get firm peaks. Don’t overbeat.
- Take the bowl with the melted chocolate, it should be a bit warm, and add in the sugar and egg yolks. Stir until well combined.
- Add about two tbsp. of melted chocolate mixture into the egg whites and fold it in. Be gentle while doing this step because we want to maintain the light texture.
- When combined, add half of the chocolate, fold it in and keep doing this until all the chocolate is folded into the egg whites.
- Now, you can leave the mousse in the bowl to chill or you can also spoon it into individual cups to serve. This will depend on the presentation that you’d like to give it later.
- Place the mousse in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to firm, I recommend to leave it overnight.
- When ready, serve and enjoy!!!
Chocolate Mousse French recipe - Classic french recipe From 1955
If you’re searching for the most authentic and perfect French chocolate mousse recipe, you’ve come to the right place. Made in true French style with eggs instead of cream and crafted using high-quality chocolate, this dessert captures the essence of simplicity and elegance.
It’s rich, dense, slightly sticky and deep in chocolate flavours. Simply the best.
In France, this iconic dessert first gained popularity in the early 1800s. And it wasn't before the end of the Second World War that the mousse traveled cross-Atlantic and became a hit in American households too. The New York Times actually published the first recipe for the dessert in 1955.
So what makes it a true French Style French chocolate mousse recipe?
As the French tradition, a Chocolate Mousse uses solely raw eggs. A common American adaptation is to add whipped cream in the mixture to give a light and airy consistency. But traditionally, the French as they are special and different in every way they do things , well... they don't add whipped cream. And although mousse means “foam”, the French actually prefer a mousse that is dense and rich in texture, slightly sticky with a deep chocolate taste and delicate bitter notes.
This recipe, after you make it , you'll see that it is the BEST CHOCOLATE MOUSSE you ever made !
I made the recipe from Julie Andrieu's cookbook- La Meilleure Façon de Manger - she calls it “La Meilleure de toutes les Mousses” (the Best of all Mousses).
Traditionally, a chocolate mousse French bistros serve is presented in a stemmed crystal glass. However, at home, it’s often prepared in a large bowl and served generously by the scoop.
Cooking notes to best results :
- Raw Eggs , the freshest eggs possibile the better ! ( even pasteurized).
- Whisk the eggs procedure between 15 to 20 minutes. I advise using a stand mixer or an electric beater
- The flavour of the mousse relies 99% on the chocolate. Use Top Quality chocolate .
Chocolate Mousse French recipe RECIPE / Ingredients:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
1 3/4 cups heavy cream, chilled
3 large egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
Bittersweet chocolate, shaved, for garnish
Chocolate Mousse French recipe Steps:
1. Temper chocolate, stirring until melted. Turn off the heat and let stand.
2. Beat heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Set aside.
3. Whip egg whites with a hand mixer until soft peaks form, gradually adding in sugar.
4. Using a whisk, fold the tempered chocolate into the egg whites. Once fully incorporated, fold in the whipped cream. Transfer to a baking dish if desired, cover and refrigerate until set (about 1 hour).
5. Serve with shaved chocolate and enjoy!