Every week, FOOD52's Senior Editor Kristen Miglore is unearthing recipes that are nothing short of genius.
Today, just for you, Valentine: a completely forgiving, undemanding, and lovable chocolate mousse. (At the risk of sounding like a Cathy cartoon, this is probably more than you can say about your date.)
- Kristen
It took a brilliant, adventurous chemist to discover the simplest way to make chocolate mousse at home.
"I invented it — but it was so easy, I'm embarrassed!" Hervé This told Wired magazine in 2007.
He also invented the study of (and the very phrase) molecular gastronomy. But his book of the same name doesn't read like a science manual and, as far as I know, nothing gets spherified.
The book instead is about simple, scientific surprises and improvements in home cooking. He explains everything from getting crisp skin on a roast chicken (don't baste with the juices) to whether gnocchi are truly done when they bob to the surface (not necessarily).
... And how to make a flawless, creamy chocolate mousse out of just chocolate and water. Oh yes he did.
It's just like whipping cream: Heavy cream (itself an emulsion of milk fats and water) froths up readily when whisked in a chilled bowl, right? So all you have to do is aim for a ratio of water to fat (cocoa butter here) that mimics that of whipping cream. (And what of emulsifiers, you ask? The lethicin in chocolate does the trick.)
Melt the chocolate and water together, cool it over an ice bath, and whisk till you have mousse. Still baffled? Watch Heston Blumenthal pull it off in the video below, which was sent to me by two different, equally excited FOOD52ers, Cade and drbabs.
Like other emulsions (vinaigrette, aioli), it works as if by magic. As you whisk, microscopic bits of water get suspended in the fat, thickening it and making it seem creamier. Then still more air is whipped into it and the cooling chocolate crystallizes around the air bubbles to make a remarkably stable foam, a.k.a. mousse.
The best thing about it — aside from its dumb-founding magicalness — is that it tastes like pure, unobstructed chocolate. There's no cream or egg to confuse the issue, like in normal mousses. (It also happens to be vegan, if you use dark chocolate without any added milk.)
You can get all kinds of different textures, by stopping at different points as you whisk:
1) For a mod, flat-topped look, like sexy pot de creme: pour it into ramekins while it's thickened, but still a bit warm.
2) When it gets to the texture of thick pudding, you can spoon it into a glass parfait-style, like little chocolate snowdrifts (as in our photos). At this stage, our Assistant Editor Nozlee Samadzadeh has also used it to frost a cake.
3) Whip it just a bit further for something fluffy you can ball up in an ice cream scoop, if that's what you're going for. Beyond this, and it gets crumbly and dry (though still tasty).
This all happens fast as the mixture cools, so chances are you'll go too far on your first try. But if this happens, Mr. This is unfazed — just return it to the pan, melt it, and start over. (It's even easier than saving overwhipped cream, which he's also figured out.)
Once you have the rhythm down, you can flavor it as you wish with liqueurs or coffee or spices, sweeten it to your liking, or just keep it dark and intense. In all of these scenarios, a little whipped cream up top is never a bad idea.
Hervé This' Chocolate Mousse
Adapted from Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor (Columbia University Press, 2008)
Serves 4
8 ounces chocolate (we used 70% bittersweet — choose a high quality chocolate you love)
3/4 cup (6 ounces) water
ice cubes
freshly whipped cream for topping (optional)
See the full recipe (and save and print it here).
Got a genius recipe to share -- from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at kristen@food52.com.
Photos by James Ransom
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kristen miglore
I'm an ex-economist, ex-Californian who moved to New York to work in food media in 2007. Dodgy career choices aside, I can't help but apply the rational tendencies of my former life to things like: recipe tweaking, digging up obscure facts about pizza, and deciding how many pastries to put in my purse for "later."
Some past articles from this author you'll love:
Anne Dimock's Straight-Up Rhubarb Pie
Daniel Patterson's Poached Scrambled Eggs
Rick Bayless' Chilied Tortilla Soup with Shredded Chard
48 Comments on Hervé This' Chocolate Mousse:
I just made this with my daughter -- lots of fun and excitement.
We doubled the recipe and used 8 oz of semi-sweet and 8 oz of unsweetened chocolate.
It's been in the fridge for about 30 minutes and I see fat separating and congealing in the glasses.
What went wrong?
Thanks!
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 16 days agoSorry to hear that -- I'm not sure what might have happened. Luckily, the mixture is pretty forgiving, and can be remelted and whipped up again. You might want to try that, and stop whisking just a little bit earlier this time (since it will continue to set up as it finishes cooling). And you can eat it straight away too, if you like. Good luck -- let us know how it turns out!
I can't wait to try this, it looks so easy!
I tried this for Valentine's Day, but my husband and I do not eat sugar. I got a bar of Organic 100% Cacao UNsweetened, and used that. After I beat it smooth, I added Stevia until it was sweet enough, and it was still smooth. I used this for Chocolate Dip for the strawberries (organic, of course) and it was Wonderful!!! I put the leftovers in the fridge, and it firmed up to the consistency of fudge....Now I am thinking of all kinds of ideas to try with flavorings.
I am in the middle of an epic fail with this recipe -- I used 7 oz 62% (French Nestlé baking choc) and 1 of TJ's Pound Plus 72% -- a tiny speck of salt and a dribble of vanilla...beat it over ice, ice with salt added, and ice with salt and water for 25 mins (!) total, part with a hand mixer. It's no thicker than barely-whipped heavy cream. What the hey? And it's to be V-day dessert...
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 3 months agoButtertart, so sorry you're having trouble. If you click through to the recipe, Herve This has some tips for fixing various issues in step 3. It sounds like you need to re-melt with more chocolate and start again. Good luck! http://www.food52.com/recipes/16044_herv_this_chocolate_mousse
I failed 3 times w/ 70% chocolate. And, I didn't have any more to add as mine barely got thicker than heavy whipped cream.......Giving up for tonight.
Hubby and I just made this for our Valentines's dinner. It is magic. We added a tsp of vanilla and will probably make it again adding ammareto.
I just looked in my pantry after reading this and found 4 oz of semi-sweet baking chocolate, so I jsut HAD to try this recipe now, but could only make a half recipe. I used 3 oz of strong coffee and it worked out beautifully. I heated the coffee in the micro so it was really hot, and added it to the pan with the 4 Bakers chocolate squares and started to whisk right way. The chocolate melted really fast that way. I had the smaller stainless steel bowl waiting in the ice filled bowl before I started, so I could pour the mixture in as soon as it was was melted. Be sure to have a rubber spatula sitting out to get all the chocolate mixture out of the pan quickly.
Loved it! Now I need to buy some good chocolate for next time!
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Incredibly good! I have a new guilty pleasure!
Did you add a sweetner to this recipe? Honey, agape nectar, etc.?
No. I had a chunk of callebaut bittersweet chocolate left over from holiday cooking and used that. I don't really know what the percentage is, but I'd guess somewhere around 70-75%. I cut the recipe in half and used 2 TBS water and 1 TBS brewed coffee. It worked perfectly. I like dark chocolate so it wasn't too bitter for me.
I made it! Couldn't believe my eyes!! I read it thrice and whipped my chocolate to high heavens.
To my amazement, I am in one now as I spoon my last dollop of mouse.
Gotta go get more chocolate tomorrow!
Made it tonight with a few dashes of orange bitters. The bitters really added a lot of dimension :)
Okay, so what would happen if I used, say 2% milk, to take the edge off the intense chocolate flavour, without all the fat of whipping cream?
wow...just....wow! talk about looking impressive on valentines day! and also keeping cost down! amazing!
Hi - this looks delicious! I would like to flavour it, maybe with a little peppermint essence, or with some coffee and rum. Will this work with this recipe?
yes absoluetly! I'd add flavorings after taking off the heat and before whipping. add a moderate amount, taste, and decide if you need more....
the one downer is that you can let teh mixture cool too much while you are mucking around with flavorings-or it wont com eout right cause there wasnt enough whipping.....
thanks orlenda
Note the original hinted that you can swap some of the liquids out for a flavoring - I used brewed coffee as part of the "water" requirement. He also talked about brewing tea and using that (cooled down) as the water element - his example cited Earl Grey. I'd be more inclined to make mint tea for this. So I think you can put the liquid flavors in from the start - just watch your proportions...
People have asked about going with a lighter chocolate, but I'm curious about going with a darker chocolate than 70%. Has anyone used, say, 80 - 85% with this recipe? My husband and I prefer the darker chocolates.
Is it ok to refrigerate after putting in the serving dishes?
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 3 months agoYes! It'll be a bit firmer when cold than at room temperature, but it al depends on how you'd like to serve it. You can also refrigerate to store, but take it out to come down to room temperature a couple hours before serving.
Much thanks. Sounds right to me.
OMG. You may have blinded me with science. Trying this out tomorrow.
A little grammarian nit-pick here: nonplussed actually means the opposite of what you seem to intend in the article. It comes from "non plus" in French, as in the straw that broke the camel's back.
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 3 months agoOh dear, I was contributing to the lazy (wrong) American tendency to use it to mean "unperturbed" -- we can't have that. It's been changed. Thank you!
Question- maybe a stupid one but here goes - instead of breaking my wearing out my wrist, can I use a mixer? Would the speed impede the chemistry or aid it?
this does look amazing and I can't wait to try it.
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 3 months agoYou can, and I would in fact advise it if you're whisking in a bowl that doesn't readily chill down over the ice bath (like the ceramic ones I first used!). But in stainless steel bowls, the mixture cools down so quickly you're better off whisking by hand, and your wrists will still be fine!
Oh Kiraten - one of my fave recipes. I've made it with a variation - using coffee liqueur instead of the water - recipe is on food 52. it makes a GREAT frosting too. Perfect for V-day.
I called it Science chocolate mousse
Do you do anything different if you're making it as a frosting?
Just be careful not to overwhip so it stays spreadable -- I wouldn't take it past what you see in the photos.
i remember reading about this in cafe fernando's blog back in december (link below) and my mind was blown. kristen, i do have a question about the science. when i read about it on cafe fernando, he suggested that the 70% cocoa solids in the chocolate used was important since the ratio of cocoa to water is why it works. While someone on the blog mentioned in the comments section they used 54% and had a success...is there anything in the actual cookbook that mentions this?
http://cafefernando.com/the-best-chocolate-mousse-of-your-life-under-5-minutes/
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 3 months agoIn the book, This is actually very relaxed about the method, and doesn't mention specifics on the chocolate at all. However, he does give fixes for if the proportions of water to fat are off, so you can experiment without fear (see step 3 on the recipe page). So far I've only tried with 70%, but milk chocolate is next on my list.
This is a great trick and I am sure it's delicious but besides being a whipping agent, the heavy cream serves another purpose - tempering the strength of the chocolate. This is basically eating chocolate straight up. Nothing wrong with that since people eat bars of chocolate but it sounds a little too much for me.
I agree with sygyzy. I think I'll save this recipe as a resource if I ever have trouble with seized chocolate, but for me, I love both the cream and the chocolate in mousse. I wouldn't want to trade that for water.
So funny -- I was thinking of suggesting this recipe! But of course it's perfect for this week's pick, what with National Chocolate Day (aka Valentine's Day) coming up! Thanks, Kristen!
Jaw-dropping. Totally.
Oh my goodness. My head is spinning just from looking at this! Apparently chocolate makes me woozy...
I am in awe as well, especially because I am often searching for a vegan dessert to serve vegan friends.
That's a great book! I got it for Christmas. Excellent choice for this week's genius recipe, Kristen!
wow. Just, wow.
The simplicity of this recipe has me speechless. I am in total awe!
Amazing!
My daughter and her friend have already made and eaten this tonight! It is very rich, but definitely has the right consistency.
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