Chocolate Mousse is one of my very favorite desserts to serve for a dinner party. It has so many things going for it. First, it’s a crowd pleaser, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like chocolate mousse. Second, it has a bit of wow factor because people think that it is more difficult to make than it really is. Third, it can be rustic (served in scoops from a big family style bowl) or fancy (individual servings in cocktail glasses with berries and a sprig of mint). Finally, and this is the important one, it is made ahead of time. This is key because the last thing I want to do be doing when my friends are over is slaving away in the kitchen.
Dorie’s recipe, and this past week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, is chocolate mousse at its most basic. No fancy additions, just chocolate, eggs, and a hint of sugar. Sounds easy enough right? And yet I messed it up the first time I tried to make it last weekend. Actually, it was a procurement error and not a cooking error. I was in a hurry while shopping and accidentally bought chocolate with some kind of chunky bits in it. I didn’t even notice my error until I couldn’t get the darn stuff to melt properly. Doh!
So yesterday I headed back to the store to buy the right kind of chocolate and today I tried the mousse again. This time my chocolate melted beautifully and the mousse came together quite quickly. I did add a bit of kahlua, because, well, why not really. But otherwise I did as I was told.
Verdict? Delicious! A bit heavier than my usual recipe, in fact, it really needed a hit of cream on top to lighten it up a bit. But still darn tasty.
one expat's life 
When it comes to Kahlua – why not, indeed!
Your dessert looks like the perfect end to any meal.
Kahlua sounds like a great addition! We felt like the whipped cream was necessary on top too. I really like the way yours looks in those glasses.
This looks fantastic! Kahlua and whipped cream! Great combination!
Very pretty in those glasses!
Adding a little bit of Kahlua sounds so good. Glad you tried it again. It looks beautiful served in the tall glasses with the thick layer of whipped cream.
This was my first mousse ever. I’m thrilled to discover such a great new dessert recipe for all the reasons you listed. I can’t wait to make it again. (And I’ll add Kahlua when I do, great idea!)
What a great idea – I think I may add Kahlua or something to it as well. Why not? No kids around this week-end. As you know, I am making mousse this week because I made a recipe error last week. After reading your Post, I just checked my chocolate again. Don’t you hate, just hate, when you buy the wrong, really the wrong ingredient. Oh, well, in the end, your mousse deux looked fabulous. Wish me luck.
Your glasses of mousse look like delicious chocolate beers with foamy tops.
Oooooh Kahlua…such a wonderful idea! I’ll have to give that a try next time! Your mousse looks luscious!!