France—Chocolate Mousse

French Dessert

Chocolate Mousse
Mousse au Chocolat
(Serves 1...maybe 10-12)

Step away from the table...step away from the table...and no one will get hurt. Let others have their share.

1/2 lb. bittersweet chocolate
6 eggs (separated)
3 T water
6 T sugar
2 C heavy cream

Chocolate: chop chocolate into small pieces and melt in a microwave. Put egg yolks into a double boiler set over barely simmering water, add 3 T water, and beat vigorously. (Make sure to maintain a very low heat so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs!) Continue beating yolks, over low heat, till they turn thick and creamy. Fold melted chocolate into egg mixture and turn combined mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in sugar.

Assembly: whip the cream till stiff (forming soft peaks) and gently fold into chocolate-egg mixture. Beat whites till stiff (forming soft peaks) and gently fold into chocolate-egg-cream mixture. Spoon into a glass or crystal bowl and chill for at least 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream, grated chocolate, or raspberries.

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Tips & Glossary

Bouquet Garni: (boo-kay gar-nee) bundle of herbs tied together with string or wrapped in cheese cloth square; usually parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Flavor is released during long cooking.Remove before serving.

Chervil: (sher-vil) related to parsley but has a delicate anise flavor. Long cooking kills flavor, so add at the last minute.

Cornichon (kor-nee-shon) teeny-tiny pickle, served with pates & smoked meats; found in specialty food stores.

Fines Herbes: (feen-airb) mix of finely chopped herbs: parsley, chives, tarragon, & chervil. Not as strong as a bouqet garni. Buy it at most grocery stores.

Fromage: (fra-mahj) Cheese! The French eat more than any nationality, 45 pounds per capita per year; and the country makes more cheeses than any other country, about 400.

The three great pedigreed French cheeses are:
• Brie (East of Paris)
• Camembert (Normandy)
• Roquefort (Southwest France, from sheep’s milk)

There are also wonderful lesser-known cheeses:
• Beaufort (Rhone Alps, hard, yellow Gruyere-type)
• Chevre (Loire Valley, soft, goat’s milk)
• Comte (Alps region, hard, yellow Gruyere-type)
• Emmental (Alps region, “Swiss” cheese with holes)
• Gruyere (hard, yellow cheese—originally French, now most is Swiss)
• Tomme (means “cheese”; soft, many varieties, all from skim milk)

Herbes de Provence (airb-duh-pro-vonce): mix of dried herbs, usually thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, & bay leaf Can be found at most grocery stores.

Mutarde: (moo-tard), mustard. Most famous:
• Dijon ( from the town in Burgundy)
• Meaux (from Meaux, east of Paris; whole-grained; made by Pommery).

Nicoise Olive: (nee-swaz- oh-leev) small, purplish-black olive with a mellow, nutty flavor; used primarily in Salade Nicoise. The Picholine variety is a green, medium-sized olive with a light, nutty flavor.

Roux: (roo) paste-like mix of melted butter and flour, into which liquid is gradually added. The basis of every classic French sauce.
Basic Roux: 1 part butter to 1 part flour. Melt butter and add flour, stirring vigorously, till it becomes a paste-like consistency. At this point, add slowly whatever liquid your recipe calls for