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Chocolate mousse with water?


aidensnd2

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Hi Aidensnd,

I haven't tried it myself, but Alice Medrich does offer mousses in Bittersweet where you can use water (or milk/cream).

She states using water will provide the lightest mousse. So, I wonder why you found yours too firm.

Did you perhaps use too much chocolate? Or are you using gelatin too?

I can give you her recipe if you wish.

Edited by yorkshirepud (log)
Adele
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Ahh, I'm guessing that I was using too little water. I was doing a 3/1 chocolate to water ratio and even that seemed pretty fluid in the beginning. It had a nice texture immediately after whipping. I just put it on a machine and let it go until it was cool. I'll try it again closer to a 1/1.

yorkshirepud, that recipe would be greatly appreciated. I love your handle, every time I see one of your posts I get hungry for a big roast and yorkshire puddings... mmm

Thanks

Dan

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Dan, I'd kill for a good yorkshire pud with all the fixings ... mmm ... roast potatoes, onion gravy, stuffing ... aarrgghhh ... thankfully my parents are coming over to Canada (I'm a Brit) next month so my mam will give me my fix.

Back to mousse ... I'll give you her recipe for Albert's Mousse as her intent for this recipe was to use water to allow her brother, that's Albert, to eat it (he can't have dairy). I realise that's more info than you actually needed, but, well, I'm a gabber so what can ya do?

Btw, she uses a 3/1 ratio (6oz chocolate, 2oz water) so it seems you was on the right track.

Albert's Mousse - Bittersweet, Alice Medrich

  • 6 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup water, coffee, or milk, or 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 tbsps brandy, rum or liquor of choice (optional)
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 tbsps water
  • 3 tbsps sugar
  • Whipped cream or Cocoa Bean Cream (page 304) (optional)

Special equipment

  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Six to eight 4 - to 6-ounce ramekins or dessert cups

Add the chocolate and water (or whatever liquid you wish to use) to a medium heatproof bowl. Place it in a wide skillet of simmering water (it should be barely simmering). Stir it until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove the bowl from the water and continue to stir until all melted. If you want to use liquor, add it now. Set aside.

Take another mediurm heatproof bowl, add the egg, 3 tbsps water and sugar. Whisk until blended.

Place the bowl in a skillet of water (you want to water to not be simmering) an stir constantly until the reach 160 on your thermometer. You might want to remove the bowl from the water to take the temp.

Once you reached the correct temp, remove from the water and beat the mixture at high speed for approx. 3 to 4 mins using an electric mixture. You are looking for the texture of softly whipped cream here.

Take 1/4 of the eggs and fold it into the chocolate. Now, fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites and fold until everything is evenly incorporated.

Put your mousse in the ramekins. You need to chill for 1 hour or so. Basically until set. If you going to be holding them for long, protect them with plastic wrap.

About the chocolate

Standard bittersweet or semisweet can be used. Also any marked 50% to 62%.

If you want to use 64% to 66% chocolate, decrease the chocolate amount to 5 1/4 oz and up the sugar to 1/4 cup.

If using 70% to 72% chocolate, only use 4 1/2 oz of chocolate. Up the sugar to 4 1/2 tbsps. You will need to add 1 tbsp of butter in the melting step if you are using water or milk.

Edited by yorkshirepud (log)
Adele
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using the sifon you can make chocolate mousse with water

150 Water

200 Chocolate (Black or white)

120 Egg whites (Alternatively 5 lecithin)

this is my variation on Albert Adria's warm chocolate spumas

tastes great and less filling

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using the sifon you can make chocolate mousse with water

150 Water

200 Chocolate (Black or white)

120 Egg whites (Alternatively 5 lecithin)

this is my variation on Albert Adria's warm chocolate spumas

tastes great and less filling

Are you melting the chocolate with the water or pouring the (hot?)water over the choc? Or melting the choc first?

Just curious, not wanting to have it seize up on me.

The lecithen is for emulsifing?

And the egg whites are not whipped, correct?

Cool recipe!

Thank you, akwa!

2317/5000

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"Are you melting the chocolate with the water or pouring the (hot?)water over the choc? Or melting the choc first? Just curious, not wanting to have it seize up on me. The lecithin is for emulsifing?

And the egg whites are not whipped, correct?"

Make like a ganache, substitute water for cream and egg whites for butter.  Emulsified and strained.

Charge twice.

Im sorry but I dont understand the Horst question--how is your Siphon charged?

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forgive the inverted quote

re recipe, after working for albert I was eager to develop my own product, inspired by, but not imitative of.

for me like water for chocolate was the theme of this line of work,

the goal was the creation of a universal chocolate base that could be used for any technique

this is homage

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I have seen it done by a young pastry chef I used to work with, but I was a lowly commis at the time and never acquired the recipe.

One of my favourite choc mousse recipes uses a substantial quantity of extra virgin olive oil, and it gives a wonderful result. Indelicate, but gutsy.

Allan Brown

"If you're a chef on a salary, there's usually a very good reason. Never, ever, work out your hourly rate."

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What I'm actually after is a mousse that is JUST chocolate and water...

I incorporated the water into the chocolate just like making a ganache and then put it on a machine to whip and cool. I tried whisking it over ice but the chocolate basically instantly hardened on the bottom of the bowl. After it cooled down it was nice and fluffy, just like you would want a mousse to be. The only real problem was that it hardened too much overnight even when left at room temperature. It was great served right away I'm just hoping to find a way where I can save it for at least a full day...

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yes! *smacks forehead*

I remember reading a recipe... it was called chocolate "chantilly" and if you give me a while to plumb the depths of my tortured brain I may remember where I saw it... I remember it being said that it was stable and servable next day.

Allan Brown

"If you're a chef on a salary, there's usually a very good reason. Never, ever, work out your hourly rate."

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You might have seen it here on eG, culinary bear, we've been mentioning Herve This for years. I personally don't like the This chantilly as a working mousse, but more as a technical achievement. Here's a post by Patrice Demers from several years ago:

"This explained how to do a chocolate chantilly with only some chocolate and a little bit of water: You melt some chocolate in a little bit of water and then you wisk the chocolate sauce on ice. when the mixture will become cold, you will have a mousse of chocolate ( not a chocolate mousse...) About 200ml of water ( or fruit juice, or coffee...) for about 225g of chocolate.

You can now do the same thing with foie gras... With Gagnaire, while in his restaurant, they made some tests. With the help of a ''tamis'' they took a piece of Foie Gras and, in a saucepan, they made an emulsion with some ''fond de canard'' (duck jus). When the emulsion is done, you put the saucepan on ice and you wisk until the mixture become a mousse!!! You can also do the same thing with cheeses. At his restaurant, Gagnaire serves an Époisses Chantilly!" (Patrice is the very busy pastry chef and co-owner of Les Chèvres in Montreal.)

Steve Klc

Pastry chef-Restaurant Consultant

Oyamel : Zaytinya : Cafe Atlantico : Jaleo

chef@pastryarts.com

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Herve This Chantilly is the forefather, but to my experience is not as well the next day,

If someone has a storing technique or temperature I would greatly appreciate it.

The Paco Jet is also very useful to make water and chocolate emulsion, stability

improves. According to This essentially any emulsion of water and fat at 40% fat will whip; Gagnaire's website publishes the game between This and Gagnaire, as well, This' website chronicles the "chantilly"s.

For me, the primary problem with this type of mousse is the texture, and that is why I use a flavorless stabilizing agent of some type.

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