I grew up in a home where my father was the cook and my mother the resident baker/dessert maker. She is always baking batches upon batches of cookies to replenish the ever-diminishing cookie jars, and is known to “whip up ” a chocolate mousse at a moment’s notice.  The latter is a necessity considering she lives with a chocoholic!  You know the type – an individual who has little “stashes” of chocolate in hidden places and when coming back from visiting said secret hiding spots can be seen to have a big fat smile on his/her face and sometimes even a bit of the evidence at the corner of his/her mouth.  The story goes that when my parents were first married my mother made her signature chocolate mousse, only to have my father consume the entire batch in one sitting.  Well, that is what we were told each time Mousse au Chocolat was on the menu at our house, along with the fact that my mother heaved a big sigh when my father was all done… ouf!

Should you decide to make it, here is my mantra again: use the BEST ingredients! Best quality chocolate and fresh eggs from a farm, it will make it worth your time and effort!

MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT

(makes 4 to 6 servings )

• 4oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 fresh eggs room temperature, separate

In a double boiler, melt chocolat and butter until smooth.  Off heat, mix egg yolk one at a time and transfer to a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until stiff.  Slowly fold the egg white into the chocolate mixture until all incorporated and uniform in color. Pour into a large bowl or into individual ramequins.

Refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.  Serve with whipped cream if desired.

NOTE:  Over the years I have used the following chocolate brands: Callebaut, Lindt, Valrhona.  Now I am using Taza Chocolate (a local brand for me) and experiment with their different flavors: ginger, chili, salt&pepper, vanilla or just plain bittersweet.

From my kitchen to yours,

CK, la fille du boucher