Aileen's Chocolate Mousse

My friend Lewis told me Ailene Martin traveled around the United States in 1973 with Carl Sontheimer doing Cuisinart demonstrations to rapt audiences anxious to see the new piece of equipment "The Cuisinart," which had been adapted from restaurant kitchens in France to the home kitchen. This was a recipe created by Ailene, and the best way to describe it is as a cross between a Pot de Crème and a Mousse au Chocolat.

The original version of this recipe called Mourêmes au Chocolat in Classic Cakes - Great Cuisinart Desserts by Carl Sontheimer and Cecily Brownstone, adds 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee granules to the mixture. I don't do that, but you might want to try it. If I were going to add instant coffee, I would use instant espresso powder, and I would add the powder to the simple syrup.  

Serves 8 but can easily be cut in half. I usually do this and make it in the Cuisinart Little Pro.

This is one of those recipes that can be considered a miracle because before you make it for the first time, you will not believe it will turn out. But it does!

Ailene's Chocolate Mousse
Adapted by Lewis Sowell from his friend Aileen Martin Berrard

When you are ready to put it in the serving vessel, the mixture will be as thin as chocolate milk. Do not be alarmed; this is correct.

 

The eggs in this recipe will not be cooked so make sure they are from a source you trust, and don't feed this to anyone with a compromised immune system, including the very young and the very old.

If your eggs are not at room temperature, put them in warm water until they are. 

I use chocolate between 64% and 70% cacao. Use whatever chocolate you like the best. 

Ingredients

 
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
2 eggs at room temperature
6 ounces of good quality bittersweet chocolate chips or chocolate you have chopped by hand into small pieces 
2 tablespoons Cognac or 4 tablespoons Kahlúa, optional
1 cup cold heavy cream

Whipped cream for serving

 

Instructions

Put ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan, and boil until it dissolves into simple syrup.

Put two room-temperature large eggs and a pinch of salt into your food processor fitted with the metal blade, and whir until blended.

Add the 6 ounces of chocolate to the food processor bowl with the eggs in it, and whir until it's as combined as it's going to get. It may still be a little lumpy; don’t worry.

Next, while the machine is running, pour the still-hot simple syrup through the top of the food processor, which has the chocolate mixture in it. Whir until the chocolate is completely melted, and the mixture is smooth. Pour this mixture into a separate clean bowl, and set aside.

Add 1 cup of cold heavy cream to the unwashed but empty food processor bowl, and turn on the food processor until the cream whips.

Pour the chocolate mixture you have set aside back into the food processor, which has the whipped cream in it, along with 2 tablespoons of liqueur if you are using it. Whir again, and combine completely. It will be as thin as chocolate milk; don't be alarmed.

Pour this mixture into pots de crème, ramekins, small martini glasses, or a pretty glass bowl, and chill. 

Serve with whipped cream.