Frozen Chocolate Mousse

What does one do when they have so much chocolate mousse leftover, well freeze into ice cream of course! On its own this is by far one of the best chocolate mousses I’ve ever eaten. This dessert was actually my favorite as a child, yet when I grew up, it became just a bit over indulgent for me, yet it always was and still remains a staple at family holiday spreads. It’s been years since I made chocolate mousse, come to think of it I’m not sure if I’ve even ever made mousse on my own, other then in culinary school.

So when earlier this year I received an order for chocolate mousses, the search for the perfectly rich, yet delicate mousse was on. And the search led me to none other then one from the best, Julia Child. Actually when I think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever made one of her recipes either, maybe in high school, but I KNOW how could I!! There was no more searching, I had to go with the icon’s classic chocolate mousse. The texture of this mousse might surprise you too. It’s actually sticky, the kind of stick that hits you with an intensely dark and rich chocolate flavor and then lingers on your tastebuds.

Now, I will warn you that this chocolate mousse recipe isn’t the quickest or easiest. It’s not difficult but it does require a lot of whipping. A lot! But these multiple whipping steps are what makes this mousse so delicious, so it’s worth it. Plus, just look at it as a workout for your arms, but use a handheld mixer to save you valuable time and energy. Another thing most might not be aware of, is that classic chocolate mousse uses raw eggs. They do get heated over a double broiler, but they aren’t fully cooked, just like sabayon cream or swiss buttercream. {Before making this recipe make sure eggs you use are always pasteurized!}Essentially, mousse wouldn’t be mousse without the chocolate of course, so this is no time to skimp on quality. Go ahead splurge on great quality dark or bittersweet chocolate, you will be thankful. Seriously, make it with regular old chocolate chips, and any chocolate lover will know the difference. With a bit of rum and espresso, this mousse’s flavor is undeniably delicious. It’s seriously a dessert to impress. Obviously, everything it takes to make this dessert is impressive already, but it’s its heavenly taste that make this chocolate mousse so addicting.

You do taste the espresso, so if strong coffee isn’t your thing, use decaf coffee or replace it with half the amount in water. Now I wouldn’t recommend removing the coffee liquer, well because you know me and my love affair with booze in desserts, but if you really don’t want to use it, then simply swap it with one teaspoon of vanilla extract. But please try it with the liqueur at least once!

So now to the ice cream part. Well, there’s not much to it. Once your chocolate mousse has set, and you’ve had your fill of that, then simply place it into the freezer. After a few hours you’ve got yourself ultra smooth and soft ice cream that trumps any slow churn. It’s beyond creamy. Seriously, it’s like heaven in your mouth. Warning, if you don’t like chocolate, don’t come anywhere near this ice cream, leave more for the rest of us. 

And can I add that I’m quite impressed with my self control, because how I haven’t finished this quart of ice cream yet I don’t know. But that’s what I love about this, two or three spoonfuls of this mousse ice cream, and all your sweet chocolate cravings are left feeling happy and content. My only regret was to having marshmallows on hand to toast and create a rocky road version. Oh, I’m on my way to get those fluff balls and topping my mid afternoon chocolate mousse ice cream break with them and some candied walnuts. If you need me I’ll be staying cool with ice cream and most likely covered in chocolate…

---

Frozen Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients {Makes 6 to 8 servings of mousse – 1 Quart Ice Cream}

6 ounces – Bittersweet or Dark Chocolate {chopped}

6 ounces – Unsalted Butter {cut in small pieces}

1/4 cup – Espresso or Dark Brewed Coffee

4 large – Eggs {separated}

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon – Organic Cane Sugar

2 tablespoons – Coffee Liqueur, like Kahlua {or replace with Vanilla Extract}

1 tablespoon – Water

Pinch of Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon – Pure Vanilla Extract

Recipe {Adapted from David Lebovitz}

In a medium bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.

In another medium bowl set over the simmering water, whisk the egg yolks, by hand or with a handheld mixer, with the 2/3 cup of sugar, coffee liquor and water, until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise {about 3 minutes}. Remove the bowl from the heat and onto the bowl of ice water and beat gently until cool and thick. Gently fold the room temperature chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.

In a separate bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape, then add in the 1 tablespoon of sugar and continue to whip until slightly stiff peaks and shiny. Slowly add in the vanilla, and stir until combined.

Fold one third of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder of the whites, just until the mixture is incorporated. Don’t over mix it or the mousse will lose its volume.

Transfer to an air tight container, and refrigerate until firm {at least 4 hours}. The chocolate mousse can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

To freeze the mousse base, place the set mousse into your ice cream container and freezer until set {about 2 to 3 hours}.