Classic Chocolate Mousse

serves 4-6
Recipe from Barbara Kafka

This classic mousse is a chocolate lover’s dream. It is base on a Dione Lucas recipe in her first book in America, The Cordon Bleu Cookbook.

This recipe is part of the Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology.

instructions

1. Put the chocolate and coffee in a small pot and cook over low heat until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove the pot from the heat and stir the mixture until it is smooth. Stir in the rum and set aside.

2. Put the egg whites in a large bowl, preferably copper. Hold the bowl at an angle and put the whisk of the mixer into the pool of whites, leaning the whisk against the bowl. Turn the motor on and hold the whisk still until the whites are thick and hold soft peaks, about 2 minutes.

3. Slowly pour in the sugar and keep whisking, moving the whisk a little bit now to be sure the sugar is evenly distributed. In another minute to 90 seconds, the mixture should reach stiff, but not dry, peaks.

4. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Spoon into a serving bowl and refrigerate for 3 hours to set.