The French word mousse simply means foam. Besides describing luscious concoctions such as chocolate, French usage applies the term to certain sparkling white wines, shaving cream, and of course hair mousse.
When applied to a dessert, mousse implies beaten egg whites. And when whipped cream is used in its place, creating a much richer dessert, technically it becomes a creme.
In whipping egg whites or cream you are creating little air balloons. With egg whites, the balloons are made out of protein, and with heavy cream they’re of butter fat. Therein lies the prime difference when it comes to success.
Egg whites: Egg whites whip best when they’re not too fresh and they’re at room temperature, which allows the protein strands to stretch more without breaking. Whipping them in unlined copper helps stabilize the whites, making it hard to beat them too much. (Adding a pinch of cream of tartar and using a stainless-steel bowl is next best thing.)
Whipping cream: Heavy cream whips best when it is fresh and very cold (or the butter cream bubbles will melt). Whipping cream in copper is a no-no: It has no advantage and adds a metallic taste. Use stainless steel instead.
Equipment: Either may be whipped by hand with a large balloon whisk or with an electric mixer.
In both cases learn to recognize the two stages, soft peaks and firm peaks. The moment firm peaks are reached they will remain stiff when a scoop of them is picked up with the beater and turned skyward. No further beating is necessary and can be harmful.
Here are several favorite recipes for what we generically label mousses, all of which are delicious. A note of caution: Some of the following recipes use raw egg whites. Some cases of salmonella have been traced to raw eggs, although this is rare. Chances of finding salmonella in raw egg whites as opposed to yolks is rarer still.
KEY LIME MOUSSE
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Chilling time: Several hours
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
This mousse is wonderful as a topping to fresh summer fruits as well as dessert by itself. See below for variations.
4 large egg yolks (reserve whites for another use)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh key lime or regular lime juice
1 cup whipping cream, very cold
1. Put egg yolks, sugar and lime juice in a medium bowl set over simmering water. Whisking constantly and moving off and on the heat if the eggs begin to scramble, cook the yolk mixture until thickened, about 5 minutes. Immediately transfer the bowl to basin filled with cold water and whisk another minute. Refrigerate, covered, until cold.
2. Beat the cream, preferably over ice, until it holds stiff peaks.
3. Fold the cream into the yolk mixture until just combined. Spoon into wine glasses if serving as a mousse and chill 2 hours. If using as a topping, chill in the bowl before serving.
Lime mousse variations:
– With raspberries: 1 cup whole raspberries cooked with 1/4 cup water until soft, strained to remove seeds and cooled; fold in with the cream.
– With strawberries: 1 cup sliced strawberries pureed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice; fold in with the cream.
– With kiwi: Puree 3 peeled kiwi with 1 tablespoon honey; fold in with the cream.
– With cranberries: 1/3 cup cranberry juice and 1 tablespoon apple juice; cook with egg yolks.
– With espresso: 1/4 cup espresso or strong coffee, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; cook with the egg yolks.
CLASSIC CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Chilling time: Several hours
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
This mousse is about as simple as one can be, perfect for a last-minute occasion. However, as with all very simple recipes, it stands or falls on the quality of the ingredients. Use the very finest chocolate you can find. If you wish, try layering the mousse in individual serving glasses or bowls with fruit or chocolate shavings.
1/4 cup liquid (water, espresso, coffee, a liqueur such as orange, raspberry, etc.)
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
4 large eggs, separated
Pinch salt
1. Heat the liquid to a simmer in a small saucepan. Put the chocolate into a medium saucepan. Remove liquid from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Allow to sit a few minutes before stirring to a smooth consistency.
2. Beat the yolks into the chocolate, place over low heat and gently cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool.
3. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in large bowl to the stiff peaks stage.
4. Fold the egg whites into the cooled chocolate mixture. Spoon into wine glasses and refrigerate 2 or more hours.
CHOCOLATE SEMIFREDDO
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Freezing time: Overnight
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
An Italian-style frozen mousse, this is adapted from Marcella Hazan’s “Italian Cooking.” This mousse needs to be made the day before for easy slicing.
2 cups whipping cream
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, grated
6 egg whites
1. Whip the cream in large bowl of electric mixer to soft peaks and begin adding the confectioners’ sugar a little at a time until stiff peaks form. Fold in the grated chocolate. Refrigerate.
2. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold into the cream mixture.
3. Line a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with wax paper. Pour the mousse into the pan and gently level the top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer overnight.
4. To serve, unmold onto a flat platter and slice into individual portions.
FROZEN CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO CREAM
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Freezing time: Several hours
Yield: 8 servings
This may be the best mousse you’ll ever eat. From Lynn Rossetto Kasper’s “The Splendid Table,” this triple-threat mousse (it uses yolks, whites and cream) is complicated only by the Italian meringue process, which is easy after you practice. This method makes the whites less likely to fall during folding.
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons dry Marsala
2 large egg yolks
5 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
1. Set up a double boiler with a medium saucepan and a medium bowl. Combine the butter and Marsala in the bowl and set it over boiling water. Once the mixture is bubbling, remove from the heat and allow to cool a few moments. Beat in the egg yolks. Set the bowl back over the water and beat with a whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolates. Set aside to cool.
2. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar in large bowl of an electric mxer until soft peaks form.
3. Boil the sugar and water together in a small saucepan until it reaches 248-250 degrees on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Make sure the whites are at the soft peak stage. Then beat at a high speed as you pour in the boiling sugar syrup. Beat at high speed 3 minutes, then at medium speed until the mixture reaches room temperature.
4. Whip the cream with the vanilla to soft peaks.
5. Lightly fold the whites, whipped cream and the chocolate mixture together with all but 3 tablespoons of the pistachios.
6. Turn the mixture into a storage container and freeze at least 4 hours. Slightly soften the cream in the refrigerator several hours before serving. Serve by scooping small balls of mousse in wine glasses and top with the remaining pistachios.
