Chocolate Mousse with Kahluha Whipped Cream
When it came time to put a holiday dessert together for this feature I had a hard time dreaming up something simple and delicious. . . See, my mother has a penchant for decorative cookie trays during the holidays, and she is an incredible baker. I think all her friends would go on strike if she went a year without making Christmas cookies. As much as I would love to share some of those recipes here, I’m afraid I could never do them all justice. (She makes 14 different kinds!)
A lot of people think chocolate mousse is difficult and time consuming to make. But really, it doesn’t have to be. Here is a recipe I created especially for AmericanWinery.com and the holiday season.
7 oz. Bittersweet Dark Chocolate (I love Lindt – in the white wrapper)
3 TBS unsalted butter cut into 3 pieces
3 eggs separated – you’ll need 3 yolks and only 2 of the whites
1 TBS + 1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBS Kahluha
1 tsp Vanilla
- Start by bashing up your chocolate a bit – you can break it into its little pieces or cut it with a knife – just know it is easier to melt in smaller pieces.
- In a heat proof bowl or double boiler add your chocolate pieces and the butter. Place bowl over small pot of boiling water. A good point to make is that you don’t need much more than 2 cups of water boiling in the bottom of the pan to get the chocolate and butter to melt.
- While keeping an eye on the chocolate move on to separating your eggs. Into a mixing bowl separate your egg whites, add the 1 tsp of sugar plus a pinch of salt. Into a smaller mixing bowl go your egg yolks.
- Beat the egg yolks by hand and add 1 TBS of sugar. Beat well.
- Check on the chocolate & butter mixture. Give it a good stir. As it’s melting, continue to blend the chocolate and butter. Once it’s fully melted and blended well, remove it from the heat and let it cool down a bit.
- With a hand or stand mixer beat the egg whites, sugar and salt, until stiff but not dry.
- Add the egg yolks to the cool chocolate mixture. Beat slowly by hand until fully blended. Mixture should be glossy.
- Next fold in the stiff egg whites. To “fold in” means to blend slowly so that not much air gets into the mixture – if you blend it too quickly (and therefore let in too much air) the mousse will become heavy.
- Rinse out the mixing bowl the egg whites were in (and beaters) and use this bowl to whip the heavy cream. Once again using a hand or stand mixer, add the cup of whipping cream, the 2 TBS of Kahluha, and 1 tsp of vanilla and beat until thick and creamy.
- Set aside 1/2 cup of the Kahluha Whipped Cream. Fold the rest of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Once again, do this slowly so that your mousse is light and fluffy.
- Place in serving dishes and refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve with a small dollop of Kahluha Whipped Cream.
