Chocolate Mousse with Espresso & Grand Marnier
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A soft and silky chocolate mousse with a gorgeous complexity of flavor
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: Approx 10-12 half cup servings
Ingredients
  • 1 + ½ pounds (680 grams / 24 oz) bittersweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup prepared espresso coffee
  • ½ cup Grand Marnier (orange-flavored French liqueur)
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
  • 8 egg whites
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Be sure to read through instructions before beginning.
  2. You will need 3 mixing bowls and a sturdy pot for this recipe.
  3. Melt chocolate chips in a sturdy pot on stove top over lowest heat, stirring until fully melted; remove from heat.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare espresso coffee.
  5. Add espresso coffee and then the Grand Marnier to the chocolate whisking to combine (the texture may change but shouldn't seize). Allow the chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature.
  6. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate mixture, one at a time, beating briefly after each addition.
  7. Transfer chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl (you will be folding cream/egg whites into mixture and will need room to do this properly).
  8. In a second mixing bowl beat 1 cup of the cream until thickened.
  9. In a third mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until fluffy with soft peaks.
  10. Gently fold the egg whites into the cream using a spatula.
  11. Stir about one third of the cream/egg mixture into the chocolate mixture mixing thoroughly. Then add the remaining cream/egg mixture over the lightened chocolate base and fold together gently using a spatula (using soft broad strokes to maximize air bubbles and volume) until most of the streaks are gone and a uniform color is achieved.
  12. Fill serving dishes of choice with chocolate mousse (ramekins, parfait glasses, tea cups, wine glasses, champagne flutes - keeping in mind that this dessert is very rich and half cup servings are probably ample) - cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set and ready to serve.
  13. Tip: if you want to have etching/swirl designs rather than a flat surface, hold off on filling individual cups and place the mixing bowl in the fridge long enough for the mousse to begin thickening without yet setting - remove from fridge, fill individual cups and use the back of a spoon or a flat knife to create indentations - return to fridge to set. If you plan on topping the mousse with cream or fresh berries, a sprinkle of toasted nuts or chocolate shavings etc. a flat surface may be better.
  14. Depending on the size and depth of the dish used this mousse will take approx 30 mins - 3 hours to set - you can also make it up to 1 day ahead of time keeping it stored in the fridge.
  15. At serving time whip the remaining cup of cream - add vanilla and whip to soft peaks. Top each portion of the mousse with a dollop of cream and garnish as desired (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, mint leaves, etc).
Notes
Make Ahead: this mousse may be made and stored in the fridge 1 day in advance. For leftovers, I don't store raw eggs for more than two days in the fridge. Remaining mousse can be frozen however and thawed to enjoy later (you can serve from thawed or reheat in pot once thawed - very low temp for just a few seconds - and pour again into serving dishes and back into fridge to set).
Raw Eggs: this recipe contains raw eggs which may pause a higher health risk for some individuals (including pregnant women) - consume according to your own comfort levels.
The Order: the recipe is organized in a certain order to prevent the chocolate from seizing and to maximize the aeration capacity and volume of the mousse - changing the order may affect your results.
Heating Chocolate: melting chocolate is a little finicky - coming into contact with small amounts of water or too much heat can cause chocolate to seize - be sure to use a dry pot for melting and melt only on the lowest heat possible.
The Sweetness: the original recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate chips and an additional ¼ cup of sugar which I knew would be too sweet for our taste (particularly in combination with the alcohol). I omitted the additional sugar altogether and found a bittersweet chocolate chip that contained 70% cacao (30% sugar). Bittersweet chocolate will vary in sweetness so if you prefer darker chocolate and less sugar look for a higher % cacao relative to sugar. Bittersweet chips/chunks typically range from 50% - 70% cacao.
The Coffee: it is definitely worth splurging on a good quality robusto espresso coffee for this recipe - I used Starbucks' Espresso Roast.
The Alcohol: the original recipe does not speak to the omission or substitution of alcohol which is unfortunate. While I did not try this particular recipe without the alcohol, my suspicion is that you can simply omit it altogether - the cooling of the chocolate base is what allows mousse to set so the absence of alcohol should not affect this.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2016/12/chocolate-mousse-with-espresso-grand-marnier.html