Make Ahead

Earl Grey Infused Blender Chocolate Mousse

by:
February 19, 2013
3.4
5 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes four 4 oz. servings
Author Notes

A couple of years ago, I was working in a conference center kitchen when the head cook asked me to make chocolate mousse for a special dinner that we were making. I was lost. I had never made mousse before. She flipped through a copy of Bon Appetit's Fast, Easy, Fresh cookbook and settled on a recipe for mousse made in a blender. I was skeptical to say the least. Mousse? In a blender? I may not have been a mousse expert, but I was fairly certain that one did not make mousse in a blender. I went ahead anyway, but made a more traditional mousse as well, just in case. As I poured the liquid blender mousse into ramekins to set, I was even more convinced that this was not going to turn into any sort of self-respecting mousse. Oh boy, was I ever wrong.

Not only was it dead-easy to make, it was the smoothest, richest, and most thoroughly delicious mousse I have ever tasted. And to make things even better, the simplicity of the ingredients makes it incredibly versatile and open to adaptation. The original calls for chocolate chips (which work perfectly well), but I've used chopped good quality semisweet chocolate with great results as well. The original also calls for hot water and espresso powder, but at the conference center we used freshly brewed coffee. Here, I have used strongly brewed Earl Grey tea, orange zest, and vanilla instead. Each of these adaptations has worked well. Feel free to experiment with your own twists on the original!
The original recipe can be found here: http://www.bonappetit.com...k s

Test Kitchen Notes

Kangarhubarb's mousse couldn't be easier to make. It's as simple as steeping tea, chopping chocolate (if you don't have chips), and whizzing it in the blender. This is the perfect quick, easy and elegant dessert when you are short on time -- mine set in less than an hour. It's delicious, light and creamy; I topped mine with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream. Anyone tasting this will think you spent all day making it! —sdebrango

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 6 ounces high quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (about 2/3 cup)
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 Earl Grey tea bag
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
  • 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large egg whites
  • Lightly sweetened whipped cream, mascarpone, or greek yogurt (for topping)
Directions
  1. Bring water to a boil. Add tea bag, orange zest, and sugar. Cover and steep for five minutes.
  2. Place chocolate chips and vanilla extract in blender. Strain steeped tea into blender (you want just the liquid in the blender, not the zest). Let sit about 30-60 seconds to allow the chocolate to begin to melt. Cover the blender and blend on high for 15 to 30 seconds.
  3. Add egg whites to the blender, cover, and blend on high for about 60 seconds.
  4. Divide mousse between 4 small serving containers. (Get creative! Think 1/2 pint mason jars, tea cups, cute bowls, etc.) Cover and refrigerate until set. This usually takes about 3 to 4 hours, but can be done up to 2 days in advance.
  5. Top mousse with a dollop of lightly sweetened whip cream, mascarpone, or greek yogurt, and serve. I used greek yogurt with a pinch or orange zest and a splash of orange juice quite successfully, but play around with your own favorite flavorings!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Amanda Knudtsen
    Amanda Knudtsen
  • Laurie Daiken
    Laurie Daiken
  • Jenna Mae
    Jenna Mae
  • Sean R
    Sean R
  • LeBec Fin
    LeBec Fin

47 Reviews

Amanda K. May 2, 2018
It says that it will keep for two days. Would it freeze and keep for longer? Trying to make ahead for an event and I need it to keep for a week.
 
Laurie D. April 7, 2018
Yeah, nice try Food 52, but like most of the other folks commenting, mine turned out to be chocolate soup. Maybe you should test your recipes a bit more.
 
liz October 16, 2017
I made this without the earl grey tea or orange zest and instead added a drop of lavender essential oil. It was amazing. I used an immersion blender and quadrupled the recipe. The consistency turned out like chocolate pots de creme. I also topped it with lightly sweetened whiskey whipped cream. Easy and awesome!
 
Jenna M. May 23, 2017
Has anyone used a food processor to make this? I haven't had a blender in years.....
 
k S. May 23, 2017
I haven't tried it, but suspect that it would be difficult to incorporate enough air into the mix.
 
Melanie April 1, 2017
What kind of blender did people use for a successful outcome?
 
Sean R. April 1, 2017
I used my Ninja's single serving blender cup (http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/62/23/56/53/0062235653518_500X500.jpg) and see that Michelle J used a Magic Bullet.
You'll just need enough liquid in the blender to actually get it whipping around. If there's too little liquid, the blades will just push stuff around and not create any vortex action. ;)
 
Michelle May 17, 2016
This was a quick, easy and deliciously chocolate-y treat. What more could one want? I omitted the orange zest as I'm not a fan and I think that let the Earl Grey flavour really shine through more. I didn't have a problem with soupiness like some others. Blended the whole thing in my Magic Bullet for a bit longer than instructed and it set in about an hour, a bit firmer than expected. Somewhere between mousse and cheesecake. Still delicious!
 
Sean R. March 17, 2016
Looking in the comments, I noticed that some people ended up with chocolate soup, sadly. Could this be due to a weight/volumetric error in the ingredients list? It states that "6 ounces [ ] chocolate chips (about 2/3 cup)".
However:
6 ounces of chocolate chips is a bit less than 1 cup (with tiny chips).
4.2 ounces is the weight of 2/3 cup, roughly.

Just finished making this with 6 oz. of chocolate chips and the citrusy aroma is heavenly! While my mousse had thickened a little, the chocolate seized and the texture is granular and weird. I moved through the steps as recommended using a timer. kangarhubarb, is there anything else I could do to avoid the seizing?
 
k S. March 21, 2016
Hey Sean- not sure what could have caused the seizing. Typically seizing occurs when a small amount of water comes in contact with melted chocolate, but in this case it's more than enough water to prevent that. What kind of chocolate chips did you use? Many chocolate chips contain stabilizers, and I'm beginning to wonder if that contributes in part to the stability of the mousse and if chocolate chips without (or with less) might be the culprit behind soupy mousse?
 
Sean R. March 24, 2016
No emulsifiers (you're thinking of soy lecithin?), I use Enjoy Life chocolate chips which consist of cane sugar, chocolate liquor, and cocoa butter.

I spent some time thinking over the recipe and concluded that the blender is the most significant variable. My Ninja doesn't handle small amounts of liquid very well, so I switched to a single-serving blender with the blades located at the bottom (versus the Ninja's central tower of death blades). SUCCESS! Same chocolate, different blender. Creamy, thick texture that set up in about 2 hours. I can't wait to make this again. :)
 
k S. March 24, 2016
Awesome! So glad to hear that it worked- and thanks for your persistence in figuring out what's behind the chocolate soup!
 
LeBec F. January 23, 2016
kangar, the lack of egg yolks is not a typo? and no butter? so all this is is chocolate, water and egg whites? my head can NOT make sense of that!
 
k S. January 23, 2016
Not a typo- I promise! It looks crazy and I had the same thought the first time I looked at the recipe. But it works. It works so well. Pinky swear.
 
Anna February 18, 2015
I made a double batch and it worked very well. There was nothing left for dinner - and yes, people thought I slaved over it all afternoon :)
 
MichelleL2 February 6, 2015
Has anyone tried making this using Splenda or Stevia instead of sugar?
 
BurntCream July 5, 2014
Unfortunately I also ended up with chocolate soup! It's absolutely delicious but has not set at all. I will try to sorbet it as suggested, if I don't just eat it as it is!
 
Christina M. January 11, 2014
Can this be doubled, or would you recommend making it in two batches?
 
k S. January 11, 2014
It can definitely be doubled! When I used to make it on a larger scale at the conference centre I would always do double batches (several times over...) with no problems at all. I would just increase the blending times slightly to ensure that everything is well-blended and aerated.
 
Christina M. January 12, 2014
Thanks very much for answering!
 
Christina M. January 12, 2014
I am very sorry to report that this recipe didn't work for me doubled. I have chocolate soup. I used 10 oz. Ghirardelli 60% chips and made up the difference with Vahlrona 70% and 85% dark chocolate. Not sure why...going to try to convert to mix into brownies.
 
k S. January 12, 2014
Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm not sure what would have gone wrong. Another option if you haven't already started turning it into brownies would be to try sorbet (a la David Lebovitz: http://food52.com/recipes/17877-david-lebovitz-s-chocolate-sorbet)
 
Elissa March 23, 2013
Not sure why the mousse is not firming up and stays liquid. The first time I made it it turned out fine and made 2 times after that and it has stayed liquid both times, even after overnight refrigeration. I used a good quality chocolate and followed your recipe exactly. Could it be my blender( not powerful enough)? But one batch did come out ok. The taste is delicious! Thanks
 
k S. March 25, 2013
That's so strange! I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not sure why that would have happened! I don't think that the blender should be the culprit (did you use a different one the first time?) I hope that if you try it again it works for you!
 
Elissa March 26, 2013
I used the same blender. Thank you for answering and I will try it again as it so easy and the flavor so good.

 
bonbonmarie March 17, 2013
I love this recipe! A bit too much, probably...
I first made it as published, but grapefruit peel instead of orange, which I didn't have. It was delicious, but the bergamot/tea flavor was overpowered (by other delicious flavors!). Second batch I made with cold filtered coffee, and it was superb. I can imagine so many combinations to try, I think I will have to devise a reward system so I don't congratulate myself with mousse too often. If I am very good, next will be with matcha, to up the tea profile a bit.
 
k S. March 18, 2013
I love the matcha idea! I'm glad that you're enjoying the recipe!
 
Premshree P. March 12, 2013
Does the flavor of the earl grey come through?
 
k S. March 13, 2013
It does come through, but it's not overpowering. If you wanted a really strong Earl Grey flavor you could try steeping more tea bags, or try steeping them for longer.
 
lmikkel March 11, 2013
Congratulations on the CP. It is well deserved, this is a wonderful recipe. I can see making it with all sorts of different tweaks, maybe even leaving the grated orange rind in. This is going to be a go to recipe for us - my guests are already wrangling for more. Thank you for sharing it.
 
k S. March 12, 2013
Thanks! I agree that there are all kinds of great adaptations that you could try!
 
lfree March 11, 2013
Any worries here about the raw egg consumption? Does it essentially cook when added to the (presumably) still warm/hot tea/coffee?
 
k S. March 12, 2013
It's not really hot enough that it would cook the eggs, so they would still be raw. It is something to consider if you are more susceptible to salmonella (very young, elderly, immunocompromised, etc.). I have heard, however, that for the average healthy person, the chances of getting salmonella from consuming raw eggs is so rare that you would have to eat a raw egg every day for 50 years before you contracted it (don't quote me on that though).
 
NakedBeet March 8, 2013
Love the simplicity here, looking forward to trying it out. Congrats on the CP!
 
k S. March 8, 2013
Thanks, I hope you enjoy it! The simplest recipes are usually the ones that end up being my favorites.
 
Grace N. March 7, 2013
sounds very intriguing- how does the chocolate not seize when you add the tea?
 
k S. March 7, 2013
Thanks! I think that it doesn't seize because of the ratio of chocolate and water, as well as the heat and blending (though if someone out there is more knowledgeable, feel free to correct me). It's a similar idea to Herve This' chocolate mousse and David Lebovitz's chocolate sorbet (both are Genius Recipes). I've made this upwards of 100 times (no exaggeration), and it's never seized, so I don't expect you'll have a problem.
 
Kitchen B. March 7, 2013
Superb - I'm going to have to be the mum who makes it for her kids! Congrats on the CP
 
k S. March 7, 2013
Thanks! It's one is so easy, your kids could almost make it themselves (almost)!