Friday Chocolate

So to cap off a week of French eating I think it is only fitting we do a dessert. The French are famous for delicious pastries and other yummy desserts but my favorite by far is chocolate mousse sabayon. A sabayon is a dessert prepared with eggs instead of whipped cream.

When I was growing up my dad would make chocolate mousse for us by melting a Toblerone in the microwave and then mixing the melted chocolate with freshly whipped cream. Delicious, or course. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned another, more traditional way to prepare chocolate mousse. Once I tried chocolate mousse sabayon served in the traditional family style way I never went back to plain old melted chocolate and whipped cream.

The sabayon mousse is more intense and rich than a mousse prepared using whipped cream. But it is also lighter than a whipped cream mousse, and in my opinion the flavor of the chocolate comes to the forefront. Should you be reading this on Friday (the day I’m posting it) you won’t actually get to eat the mousse until Saturday. It needs a night in the fridge to set up. Also, skip the cheesy martini glasses filled with mousse and instead set and serve the mousse in your prettiest mixing bowl.

This recipe is technically not one I’ve developed; rather it is from one of my many cookbooks, though I have changed a couple of things. I’m not sure how to credit the cookbook, so I’ll tell you that it is Van Gogh’s Table at the Auberge Ravoux by Alexandra Leaf and Fred Leeman and was published in 2001 by Artisan. You can find it here. It is a great cookbook, especially for art history buffs. I don’t want to do a Jessica Seinfeld here; I just want to share a great recipe. By the way, I often cut the recipe in half because it makes so much and believe it or not but you can get sick of chocolate mousse.

So here’s the recipe:

Chocolate Mousse Sabayon

Serves 8 to 10
1 cup premium dark chocolate, chopped (you can use chocolate chips here too, but make sure the chocolate is of really good quality)
2 sticks cold unsalted butter
10 large eggs separated
1¼ cups icing (powdered) sugar
2 tsp instant espresso (I like this brand which I have seen in local grocery stores)
Chocolate curls to decorate the top

Combine the butter and the chocolate chips and melt them in the top of a double boiler. Stir in the instant espresso and set aside to cool slightly.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, mix the egg yolks and half of the sugar. Beat for several minutes until the yolks are a pale yellow color. Mix the egg yolk mixture in the bowl with the melted chocolate.

Clean the empty mixing bowl and now whisk the egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form.

Now fold in the egg whites into the yolk/chocolate mixture, being careful not to deflate them. Transfer the mousse to your pretty bowl and refrigerate for about 12 hours or overnight. Just before you serve it you can decorate it with the chocolate curls. Enjoy!