Chocolate Mousse

I was invited to my friends’ for dinner and wanted to make a relatively quick and simple dessert to say thank you. So I happened upon this wonderful article in the Guardian and followed the fantastically simple Elizabeth David recipe.

Sadly, being a dessert novice, no-one told me the difficulty I would have in whisking the eggs “into soft peaks”. People subsequently said to me, “Oh yeah, that’s really hard work with just a hand-held whisk!”

To which I responded, “But I don’t even own a whisk!”

So, in case you’re as much as a novice as me, trying to use a fork will prove impossible, unless you’re built like Popeye.

The result was wondrously chocolatey, but it was more a dense, chocolate mixture than a mousse. I enjoyed it nonetheless, but I felt a little sorry for my friends who graciously accepted it…

Makes 4

4 medium eggs
120g chocolate (at least 70% cocoa – I used Green and Black’s because their chocolate is fabulous in my opinion)
3 tsp sugar (or to taste)

1. Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a bowl over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. When the chocolate begins to melt, turn the heat off. Separate the eggs.

2. Whisk the egg whites into soft peaks, add the sugar, and whisk briefly.

3. Mix the egg yolks quickly into the melted chocolate and then whisk in a third of the egg white. Fold the rest very gently into the mixture until just combined (be careful not to overmix), and then put into bowls and refrigerate for at least four hours until set

If you’re feeling fancy, grate some chocolate on top to make it look pretty.

Oh, and don’t forget to continuously sample the chocolate in the process.

Author: Phoebe Amoroso

Phoebe Amoroso is a Tokyo-based reporter, multimedia journalist and storyteller. Hailing from the UK, she moved to Japan in 2014 and has since been shouting about the country to all who will listen. She divides her time between covering breaking news and producing feature stories for TV; writing about everything from business and tech to food and travel; and guiding hungry visitors who want to sample the best of Japanese cuisine. When not working and/or eating, she can often be found running up a mountain or cycling by the sea. View all posts by Phoebe Amoroso