Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse With Fleur De Sel Food

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH FLEUR DE SEL

Steps:

• Create an ice bath in a large bowl using ice and a little cold water. Nestle a smaller bowl in ice bath.
• Place chocolate and 1 cup water in a small pot and heat over medium. Whisk until mixture is melted and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Immediately pour melted chocolate into the bowl in the ice bath. Vigorously whisk chocolate mixture by hand until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. The chocolate should be fluffy and form a mound when dolloped with the whisk (it should generally have the texture and appearance of mousse). If the mixture does not thicken, add a bit more chopped chocolate and remelt over the heat. Spoon into serving bowls and garnish with fleur de sel.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Remove wire racks from oven and place a baking sheet directly on oven floor. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish. Coat bottom and sides thoroughly with sugar, tapping out excess. For the best rise, make sure there is sugar covering all the butter on the sides of the dish.
• In a medium bowl, melt chocolate and butter either in the microwave or in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Let cool only slightly (it should still be warm), then whisk in egg yolks and salt.
• Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until the mixture is fluffy and holds very soft peaks. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until whites hold stiff peaks and look glossy.
• Gently whisk a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining whites in two additions, then transfer batter to prepared dish. Rub your thumb around the inside edge of the dish to create about a ¼-inch space between the dish and the soufflé mixture.
• Transfer dish to baking sheet in the oven, and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until soufflé is puffed and center moves only slightly when dish is shaken gently, about 25 to 35 minutes. (Do not open oven door during first 20 minutes.) Bake it a little less for a runnier soufflé and a little more for a firmer soufflé. Serve immediately.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Finely chop chocolate; reserve. In a double boiler, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, quickly whisk in chopped chocolate until melted and cocoa until smooth (mixture will be thick). Cool to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Whisk half of whipped cream into room-temperature chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Divide mousse among four serving dishes. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Remove mousse from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Whisk milk, egg yolks, and 2 tablespoons sugar in heavy small suacepan to blend. Place over medium-low heat and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat spoon, about 7 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat. Immediately add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Transfer mixture to medium bowl; cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Beat egg whites and salt in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into cooled chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Divide mousse among 6 goblets or transfer to serving bowl. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 6 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Top mousse with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired.

SALTED BUTTER CARAMEL-CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• 1. Spread the sugar evenly over the bottom of a wide saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium heat. As it begins to liquefy at the edges, use a heatproof spatula to very gently drag the liquefied sugar toward the center. Watch carefully, as once the edges start to darken, the sugar is in danger of burning. Continue to cook, stirring very gently, until all the sugar is melted and begins to caramelize.
• 2. When the caramel is a deep amber color and starts to smoke, wait for a moment for it to smell just slightly burnt, then remove it from the heat and quickly whisk the butter, stirring until melted. Gradually whisk in the cream and stir until the little bits of caramel are completely melted. (A few can be stubborn, so be patient. You can strain the mixture if they simply refuse to budge.)
• 3. Once smooth, add the chocolate, stirring gently until it's melted and smooth. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Once it's no longer warm, whisk in the egg yolks.
• 4. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold one-third of the whipped whites into the chocolate mixture, sprinkling in the flaky salt. Fold in the remaining beaten egg whites just until no streaks of white remain. Divide the mousse into serving glasses, or transfer it to a decorative serving bowl, and chill for at least 8 hours. While it might be tempting to serve this with whipped cream, I prefer to serve it pure, straight up with just a spoon.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate, butter and espresso and cook over simmering water over moderately low heat, stirring, until the chocolate is melted.
• Remove the top of the double boiler and let cool to 75° on an instant-read thermometer.
• Beat in the egg yolks until incorporated.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites at medium-high speed until very soft peaks form.
• Gradually add the sugar and beat until the whites are slightly firm and glossy.
• In another bowl, beat the cream until firm.
• Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in half of the beaten whites until no streaks remain.
• Repeat with the remaining whites and whipped cream.
• Spoon the chocolate mousse into glasses or bowls and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours.
• Garnish with chocolate shavings and serve chilled.
• *Make Ahead: The mousse can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Finely chop chocolate.
• In double boiler, whisk yolks, sugar and salt until sugar has dissolved and mix is warm to the touch.
• Off heat, quickly whisk in chocolate and cocoa.
• Cool to room temperature.
• Whip cream until soft peaks form.
• Whisk half of cream into chocolate. Fold in rest.
• Divide mousse into 4 ramekins and chill overnight.