Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse
creamy, dreamy, beautiful chocolate mousse
The very first time I can remember eating chocolate mousse was in the 4th grade. We had a Social Studies project where each student in the class was given a country to research and part of the final presentation was bringing a food from your country to share with the class. I have absolutely no recollection of my assigned country, but vividly remember the classmate who had France and brought homemade chocolate mousse.
In this particular case, the “homemade chocolate mousse” was instant chocolate pudding folded into Cool Whip and I’m telling you, we lost our minds. We were little fourth grade animals gobbling up chocolate mousse like it was the most exciting dessert that had ever touched our lips. I made my mom stop by the grocery store on the way home that afternoon to pick up a box of chocolate pudding and a tub of Cool Whip to create my own very authentic French chocolate mousse. Maybe that is where my love of making desserts began.
Sometimes, in an effort to zhouzh up everything and play with all sorts of flavor combinations, I forget about the simple desserts, like a really great chocolate mousse. When done correctly, this luxurious pudding needs nothing but a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil to really shine.
Making homemade mousse is not quite as simple as folding together a package of instant pudding and a tub of Cool Whip, but when you learn the process, it’s not as difficult as you may think.
P.S. If you haven’t yet read last weeks Pastry Deep Dive on whipped eggs, jump over and give that a read as it provides technique and foundational information that will help you when making this recipe.
making chocolate mousse
Mousse is a soft, creamy dessert made up of a base and aerators (aka, whipped things—yolks, whites, cream). Thanks, Erin McDowell for this incredibly concise definition.
In many mousses, a thickener or stabilizer like gelatin is used to help the mousse set, but when making chocolate mousse it’s not needed because the chocolate does all of the thickening for us.
For this mousse, there are four main components:
The chocolate base: dark chocolate, melted, and then emulsified with a fruity olive oil.
Whipped egg yolks: we’ll whip egg yolks and sugar sabayon style in this recipe (aerator #1)
Whipped egg whites: whipped on their own to medium peaks (aerator #2)
Whipped cream: heavy cream whipped to soft peaks will provide creaminess and more air for ultra-light mousse (aerator #3)
That’s it. 4 little parts folded together to create a creamy, dreamy chocolate mousse that will set up in the fridge for a few hours.
I’m not going to lie to you, this works best if you have four different bowls. I said it was simple, I didn’t say it wouldn’t dirty up dishes. Prepping your ingredients before you start will 1) help you move quickly and seamlessly through the recipe and 2) keep your whipped yolks/whites/cream from deflating while you work.
Let’s walk through it:
BOWL #1: Chopped chocolate, set over a double boiler and melted. When it’s smooth, take it off of the heat and whisk in the olive oil and the salt. Set it aside to cool.
BOWL #2: Egg yolks + sugar, whisked and then placed over the double boiler (luckily still warm from the chocolate). Cook it, whisking continually, until the sugar is dissolved and the egg yolks are light and thickened, leaving a ribbon in the bottom of the bowl. Remove from the heat.
BOWL #3: While the egg yolks are cooking, you can begin whipping the egg whites. I find it easiest to use a stand mixer (if you have one) and begin whipping on low until frothy. Once the whites are frothy, increase the speed to medium/high and whip to medium peaks.
BOWL #4: The last thing is whipping the cream. You can do this one of three ways: 1) In a large bowl with a whisk and a lot of arm strength. This yields the softest whipped cream but also requires a little sweat. 2) In a large bowl with an electric mixer. This is good option if your stand mixer is already occupied with whites. 3) In the bowl of your stand mixer after the egg whites. This is my least recommended way because you’ll need to transfer the whites to another bowl, wash and dry the mixing bowl, and then start whipping, but it will work fine. Your choice!
After you have whipped/mixed/stirred all of your components, it’s just folding them together carefully so that you don’t deflate any of that precious air. Start by folding the egg yolks into the chocolate, then fold in the egg whites, and finally the heavy cream. You’ll know when you’re done folding when the mousse is all one color (no dark chocolate streaks or ribbons of egg white remaining) and it’s smooth and without lumps.
Transfer the mousse to ramekins or even just a pie plate or baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until set (at least 4 hours, but it will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours).
recipe: olive oil chocolate mousse
inspired and adapted from chez panisse desserts and nigella lawson
makes: four 6-oz ramekins (or about 24 oz divided however many ways you’d like)
ingredients:
6 oz dark chocolate (I like 60%-66%), finely chopped
4 tbsp (50 g) olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (226 g) heavy cream
more olive oil, whipped cream, and flaky salt, for serving
procedure:
Place chopped chocolate in a large bowl and set it over a double boiler. Cook, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the olive oil and salt. Set aside to cool.
In another large heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Place over the double boiler and cook, whisking continually, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is lightened and thick, remove from heat and set aside.
While the egg yolks are cooking, begin whipping the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip, starting on low speed and gradually increasing, until medium peaks form.
Using a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped egg yolks into the melted chocolate mixture. When the yolks have been mixed in, gently fold in the egg whites in two additions, followed by the whipped cream. Fold gently until the mixture is smooth and all one color (ie. no chocolate streaks or ribbons of egg white remain).
Divide the mixture among ramekins or small dishes, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until set (at least 4 hours).
To serve, remove the plastic wrap and drizzle each serving with a bit more olive oil, a sprinkle of flaky salt, and a dollop of whipped cream.
