Adapted from The Joy of Cooking 'Chocolate Rum Mousse'
This makes 3-4 cups of mousse.
Time: about 45min (some of it waiting for cooling) and 2 hours of chilling the mousse.
For chocolate I prefer Guittard or Ghirardelli. I've used 64% before but currently I like 70%.
| 6 oz | semi or bitter sweet chocolate |
| ¼ C | granulated sugar |
| 1 C | whipping cream |
| 2 ea | eggs |
| 2-3 Tbs | rum, brandy, or water |
You'll need 4 bowls, 2 microwave safe - one for the chocolate and one for the sugar, and 2 suitable for beating egg whites and cream. The bowl for the cream will be the one to hold the final mousse, so it needs to hold at least a quart.
Starting with the sugar, put it into its bowl and add the rum/brandy/water. Microwave to create a sugar syrun with all the granules disolved. Put aside to cool to a warm temperature. While the above is cooling, put the chocolate into its bowl and microwave at normal power until melted. Stop it every 30 seconds to stir. Don't heat it beyond just melted. In my microwave this only takes about a minute and a half total. After 60 seconds you might want to stop and stir every 10-15 seconds to avoid overheating. At this point I separate the eggs with the whites into their bowl and I stir the yolks into the chocolate - note that they aren't getting cooked, so if that makes you uneasy, save them for something else or toss them. When the sugar syrup is hand warm, stir into the chocolate. Allow this mixture to cool to room temperature.
While the above is cooling, pour the whipping cream into its bowl and whip to stiff peaks. Then put it into the refrigerator to chill. Wash off the beaters (the fat in the cream will interfere with proper beating of the whites).
When the chocolate has cooled, beat the 2 egg whites to stiff peaks. Slowly and gently fold the beaten egg whites into the chocolate and sugar syrup mixture. When the whites are all incorporated, take the whipped cream out of the refrigerator and fold the chocolate/white mixture into the whipped cream. When totally incorporated, you're done and can either leave it in the bowl or portion it out to ramekins, dessert glasses, or whatever your fancy. In any event, the mousse will need to be refrigerated for a couple of hours before serving.
Note: I use a hand mixer but if you're using a stand mixer, you'll need to change the order slightly unless you have two bowls for the mixer. Leave the whipping of the cream until after you've folded the whites into the chocolate.