(Recipe slightly adapted from NYT Cooking)
My favorite restaurant in Portland (Wayside Tavern) only has two desserts and one of them is chocolate mousse and it’s the best chocolate mousse I’ve ever had – extremely chocolatey with a very light yet dense texture. So I asked them how they get it so fluffy and they explained to me the method.
So I did some research and found this NYT recipe that sounded very similar and tested it out for our Thanksgiving dessert. Needless to say, it was a huge hit! I knew then and there that I wanted to share it on this year’s Valentine’s Day menu. I only made one tweak to the recipe – a bit less sugar. Enjoy!
P.S. The mousse should sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours but ideally 24+ hours, so make it the day before you plan to eat it (or up to 4 days before)
Ingredient highlight
Chocolate! Chocolate and cocoa powder are made from the beans found in the fruit of a cacao tree that are roasted and ground. The darker the chocolate, the lower the sugar and the more cacao (I always look for 70-80% dark). Cacao is high in minerals like iron, magnesium, and zinc. It’s also high in antioxidants like flavanols, polyphenols, and theobromine.
Servings 8
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- ½ cup (120g) heavy cream
- 12 oz (340g) 70-80% dark chocolate, coarsely chopped*
- 8 large egg whites
- 3 tbsp (42g) cane sugar
- 4 large egg yolks **
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- *Use a high quality chocolate bar rather than baking chocolate – the better the chocolate, the better the mousseI used the Tony's Chocoloney 70% dark chocolate bar – two of those were almost the perfect amount for this recipe.
- **You’ll be left with 4 egg yolks, which is the exact amount you need to make a batch of hollandaise sauce. You could also just add them into scrambled eggs or stir them into soup at the end to make the broth velvety (slowly whisk ½ cup hot broth into the yolks, then stir them into the soup).
- Note: ~ one batch of this is the perfect amount for a week of desserts or to share with a group. If you don’t want that much leftovers, you can cut the recipe in half.
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add an inch of water and bring it to a boil.
- To a large heatproof bowl, add the cream and chocolate. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low so the water is barely simmering or just steaming (you don’t want it too hot). Place the bowl over the pot and let the chocolate melt, gently stirring occasionally so it melts evenly.
- Meanwhile, in a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer or stand mixer to whisk the egg whites on medium speed until the whites become foamy. Add the sugar in a slow stream while continuing to beat the whites.
- Beat until stiff peaks form and they look glossy but not dry. When you lift the beaters from the mixture, a peak should form and hold.
- Once the chocolate has melted completely, turn off the heat. Holding the bowl with a kitchen towel if it’s too hot, add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking after each one. If the mixture looks broken, don’t worry, it will become smooth later on. Whisk in the vanilla.
- Add a quarter of the beaten whites to the chocolate mixture and stir gently with a rubber spatula until mostly incorporated. This makes it easier to fold in the rest of the whites.
- Add the rest of the whites and use a rubber spatula to carefully fold them in, making sure to scoop up/fold in the chocolate on the bottom. Continue folding until the last streak of white disappears and the chocolate is mixed in. It’s okay if there are a few lumps of whites left. It’s better to not deflate the batter by folding too much.
- Place in the fridge uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or ideally 24 (it gets better the longer it sits). You can make this up to 4 days ahead.
- Scoop the cold mousse into your serving cup and top with whipped cream, some flaky salt, and a generous drizzle of your best olive oil.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Coarsely chop 12 oz dark chocolate
- Make the mousse
Substitutions:
- This cannot be made vegan. For a vegan option, make my Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse!
- To make dairy-free, you should be able to substitute the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- This mousse is best served chilled right out of the fridge.
- Scoop it on top of ice cream for an extra decadent treat.
- Serve with some sliced strawberries on top.
- Top with toasted chopped hazelnuts along with flaky salt and olive oil (that’s how they serve it at Wayside).
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