Chocolate Mousse: Recipes, Questions

[Qui]

I use the same chocolate all the time. Chocolate should not be the problem.

Low quality chocolate than the one used on previous times?

Lack of water draining from the gelatin sheets before adding them to the milk? The chocolate+milk+gelatine mix that you add to the whipped cream might have set up more than what was desired?

Try to mix part of the whites with the chocolate mixture, using your mixer, and then mix it over the remaining whites by hand... That's how I do on every mousse I make.

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[SweetSide]

WHAT are the grains? I've made mousse a time or two where my cream was very cold and caused the chocolate to set too fast making little "chips" in the mousse. What filipe was referring to when the chocolate+milk+gelatin sets up more than desired....

But, I never use gelatin in chocolate mousse, so I KNOW mine was the chocolate and not the gelatin.

[Qui]

mine looks like somekind of separation... it has something to do with the cream, I guess... maybe Filipe is right about the mixture set up more than desired... maybe I should whip the cream less?

when I taste it, the flavor is good, it just have a grainny mouth feel. It should have been smooth and melt in your mouth.

WHAT are the grains?  I've made mousse a time or two where my cream was very cold and caused the chocolate to set too fast making little "chips" in the mousse.  What filipe was referring to when the chocolate+milk+gelatin sets up more than desired....

But, I never use gelatin in chocolate mousse, so I KNOW mine was the chocolate and not the gelatin.

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[alanamoana]

Could it be because I overwhipped my cream? or fold in my cream while chocolate mixture is too warm...

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i think the most likely causes are a) overwhipped cream or b) as SweetSide mentioned, the cream being too cold and having the chocolate set up before becoming fully incorporated, causing little chocolate "chips" in the mousse

whenever you're folding something into whipped cream, it is better to whip it a little less because when you start folding it agitates it some more which can cause it to "overwhip"

when whipping cream and egg whites, it is fine to put everything in the mixing bowl at one time, but whip (relatively) slowly to end up with a nice, small, even network of air bubbles=smooth cream or meringue, regardless of soft or firm peak.

[Qui]

Thanks for the info. I will try again, and I will whip the cream less this time.

So, in your opinion, it's better to whip the cream at medium speed, so that it will form even smaller air bubbles.

Could it be because I overwhipped my cream? or fold in my cream while chocolate mixture is too warm...

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i think the most likely causes are a) overwhipped cream or b) as SweetSide mentioned, the cream being too cold and having the chocolate set up before becoming fully incorporated, causing little chocolate "chips" in the mousse

whenever you're folding something into whipped cream, it is better to whip it a little less because when you start folding it agitates it some more which can cause it to "overwhip"

when whipping cream and egg whites, it is fine to put everything in the mixing bowl at one time, but whip (relatively) slowly to end up with a nice, small, even network of air bubbles=smooth cream or meringue, regardless of soft or firm peak.

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[alanamoana]

yes

Thanks for the info. I will try again, and I will whip the cream less this time.

So, in your opinion, it's better to whip the cream at medium speed, so that it will form even smaller air bubbles.

[misstenacity]

What is the most stable of the various kinds of chocolate mousse preparations?

The ideal application is make the mousse in the evening, and then pastry-bag pipe it into dessert cups the next day (up to 24 hours later).

Do any hold up that long, and if not, what is the better solution to my desired outcome (fluffy chocolate inside an edible container)?

Thank you!

Andrea

in Albuquerque

[jackal10]

What happened to the basic chocolate mouse - melted chocolate, butter, egg yolks, whipped egg whites, left to set in the fridge?

Same mixture cooked makes souffle, or roulade; if you don't whip the egg white you get fondant or molten chocolate cake...

[chiantiglace]

The basic chocolate mousse would be basically a stabilized sabayon base. That being egg yolks and sugar, cream, and melted chocolate. You can add butter to the chocolate if you want (depending on the chocolate). I am not a fan of eating straight up eggs and chocolate without some sort of baking.

MissTenacity -

if the mousse is going into a "holding container" then the basic method I just described would probably be best. It really has the best mouthfeelall the forms of mousse have there place depending on what you need or want to do.

Edited August 6, 2007 by chiantiglace (log)

[paulraphael]

a chocolate marquise is a type of mousse - it has eggs, butter, chocolate and cream....

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And it's far and away my favorite type (and my friends' too .... it's the only thing i've ever had people beg me to make).

Not sure how it fits into the regimented 6 types or 12 types ...

My favorite recipe, based pretty closely on Gilles Bajolles' version is here.

[Tri2Cook]

And of course there's also the interesting (and once I got around to trying it, very tasty) olive oil version.

[lilthorner]

good evening all. I just spent the better part of an hour searching the forums (nothing new, I do that daily LOL) I am wanting to make a mocha mousse for a cake. I was considering using PH's mousse but infusing espresso into the milk. Should I add some gelatin to tighten it up?

I also read Wendy's post (with recipe) for mousses using gelatin and got some good information from that.

[AmritaBala]

If you're just adding espresso powder, I don't think there's a need to add more gelatin since it is not a liquid.

With that said, I'm not too sure what PH's recipe is like. I have to add way more gelatin to most recipes since the climate here is so warm and humid...

[sugarseattle]

you shouldn't have to use gelatin with classic chocolate mousse (chocolate, eggs, cream, vanilla)...chocolate is the setting agent. However, if youre recipe is using milk, you're right to dissolve the espresso with the milk...just use like 1T per quart of mousse to start.

you know what's funny, is that living in seattle, if I use the word "espresso" or coffee in any of my desserts, they don't sell...I totally have to use the word mocha. Must be coffee overload

Edited April 4, 2008 by sugarseattle (log)

[lilthorner]

thank you for the responses! I didn't even want to do chocolate mousse, just coffee but I couldn't wrap my brain around it without chocolate.

[bluechefk]

ph's choc. mousse is my 'go to' recipe - no need for gelatin at all, as it sets up quite firmly. hope it works as well for you as it always has for me

[Tri2Cook]

I couldn't wrap my brain around it without chocolate.

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Tell your brain to go watch a movie or something and follow your instincts... coffee mousse, sans chocolate, is tasty. Infuse your cream with some good coffee beans and go to it.

[lilthorner]

I couldn't wrap my brain around it without chocolate.

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Tell your brain to go watch a movie or something and follow your instincts... coffee mousse, sans chocolate, is tasty. Infuse your cream with some good coffee beans and go to it.

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thanks, I wish I could tell my brain to go somewhere, unfortunately at school all I have made is chocolate mousse so I wouldn't even know where to begin to make one without chocolate except that I know the ingredients for mousse

[mrose]

ph's choc. mousse is my 'go to' recipe - no need for gelatin at all, as it sets up quite firmly. hope it works as well for you as it always has for me 

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Which thread is this recipe in?

[QbanCrackr]

My sister found a recipe online that she wanted me to make for her:

My questions are just a couple -- how much water should i dissolve the gelatin with, and wouldn't the chocolate seize up if i put that mixture straight into the chocolate?

1 pound white chocolate

5 each of egg yolks

1/8 cup Bailey's (liquor)

1/4 cup gelatin

1 cup heavy cream

Method of Preparation

1. Cream egg yolks.

2. Whip heavy cream (not too stiff).

3. Melt chocolate in double boiler.

4. Dissolve gelatin in boiling hot water, add to chocolate.

5. Add Bailey's to chocolate, blend well; add yolks and fold in.

6. Fold whipped cream into chocolate.

7. Spray molds inside with baking oil, sprinkle with sugar, put

all on one tray, and store in freezer until mousse is ready.

[cmling]

This is not very helpful, I admit, but I would hesitate to make a mousse au chocolat with gelatine.

[rooftop1000]

Well, White Chocolate has no cocoa solids so it probabley can't seize up, and I have seen mousse recipes with gelatine but I am not sure if you need it, and whats up with Freezing it?

I made Chocolate mousse last week and the instructions were to whip room temperature eggs till very thick and fluffy...add coffee to the melted chocolate, then add the eggs, then add the whipped cream and Refrigerate....

tracey

[jsmeeker]

This is not very helpful, I admit, but I would hesitate to make a mousse au chocolat with gelatine.

I've actually done it before.

Recipe came from Alton Brown. Basically, the process was to melt a bag of chocolate chips. While that was happening, some podered gelatin was bloomed in some cream. then that was heated until it was all "melted" and disolved. The cream went into the chocolate, along with some liqour if you wanted and some espresso. Then whipped cream was folded in. It worked. No eggs, though. I see that QbanCrackr's uses eggs in addition to gelatin. Also, it *seems* like a lot of gelatin to me.

I'm no chocolate pro, but what I do know (more from Alton Brown, again!) is that chocolate seizes when you have a small amount of liquid. But if you have more, it won't.

[QbanCrackr]

well there was another recipe just like that, which substituted the white for dark chocolate, and the baileys for jack daniels...everything else remained the same.

the freezing i'm just guessing is to be able to pop it out of the mold without leaving finger marks in it.

and yeah the gelatin seemed like alot to me--my milk chocolate mousse is just chocolate, cream, and eggs and it comes together real nice no need for gelatin at all in that one

how much water should i dissolve the gelatin in? or should i even just scrap the gelatin all together?

[Tri2Cook]

Whether you choose to use gelatin or not is your call. It makes a great stabilizer for mousse and melts at mouth temp along with the chocolate. Regardless, 1/4 cup of gelatin powder is WAY too much for that recipe. I'm thinking more like a teaspoon at most for that amount of mousse... probably less. I don't generally work with the powder but I think an envelope is about 2 1/2 teaspoons and will set 2 cups of liquid to a "jello" texture. You don't want a "jello" mousse. Somebody either made up that recipe without testing it or likes their mousse on the gummy side.