The Ultimate Chocolate Mousse - From Scratch!

I'd like to start this post off by saying - sometimes you just need a chocolate fix - pure, rich and decadent chocolate. You don't care how many calories or how much fat, you just need chocolate! If this sounds familiar, this recipe is for you - rich, decadent and cloudlike chocolate mousse to the rescue! Serve it out of a martini or margarita glass for a fun effect. One thing to note - the recipe I use states that it only makes 4 servings... WRONG! This recipe should make 6-8 servings (I will make 8 next time I make it) - using 4 servings makes for way too much rich chocolate mousse to consume in one sitting!

This recipe is from my new cookbook Tyler's Ultimate by Tyler Florence. This guy is pretty awesome - his cookbook is full of beautiful pictures, helpful hints and of course delicious recipes! Be forewarned, photo quality for this post is severely lacking - I was way too excited to eat this mousse to take the time to take high quality photos - so please bear with me! This one left me in awe the other week when I made it and I really feel like I need to share it with you! So here we go:

The Ultimate Chocolate Mousse

Recipe from Tyler's Ultimate, p. 230

Ingredients:

• 6 ozs semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• whipped cream and chocolate shavings, for garnish (or whatever you have on hand - i used graham crumbs and fresh mint leaves)

Method:

1. bring about 1 inch water just to a simmer in a saucepan; put the chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl and set it over the pan, making sure it doesn't touch the water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove bowl from heat and let mixture cool slightly. Then grab a whisk and beat the egg yolks into the cocolate one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
3. In a chilled bowl, beat the heavy cream until it begins to chicken up. Add remaining 2 tbsp of sugar and the vanilla and continue beating until the cream holds soft peaks.
4. Now you've got the elements prepared! Stir a spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the rest. Fold in whipped cream, taking care not to overwork the mouse or it will be heavy. Divide the mousse among 6-8 glasses. Cover and chill for several hours. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings before serving.

Take the time to savour every delicious bite of this chocolate mousse! Its amazingly rich and will just blow you away. Honestly - its like the best chocolate dessert ever and satisfies even the most fierce chocolate craving. :)

Happy Baking my Friends!