I'm currently writing a book on pudding, so as you might imagine, I am intensely interested in all things mousse and pudding at the moment. I'm always on the lookout for unusual new recipes, and the most interesting one I've seen lately is this two-ingredient mousse that breaks the cardinal rule of working with chocolate — and yet somehow it makes amazing mousse in just five minutes! How?
Cenk of Cafe Fernando shares this highly unusual recipe from Hervé This, the French chemist and food scientist. This recipe breaks all the rules — especially the first rule of working with chocolate: Don't get it wet. We all know this, right? Don't get chocolate wet or else it will seize, clump, and become grainy and useless.
But here chocolate is melted with water and then whisked while warmed, and it becomes light, creamy, and the best whipped chocolate mousse you've ever put in your mouth. That's right — there's not even any dairy in this mousse! Like I said — all the rules.
• Read more: The Best Chocolate Mousse of Your Life at Cafe Fernando
Have you ever tried this? I know it's next on my own list of recipes to try!
Related: Recipe: Chocolate Mousse with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
(Image: Cenk of Cafe Fernando)
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I saw this yesterday and thought the same thing- water...in chocolate?!! Next time the need for mousse strikes I'll definitely be trying it though.
I can't open the link at work so are the two ingredients just chocolate and water? No cream???
As a big fan of your casserole book, I am very excited that you are working on my favorite topic - pudding! This is definitely something I will try.
I remember reading on this on another food blog some time ago (maybe late last year?). Love that it's a two-ingredient recipe and all it requires is the right technique and high-quality chocolate. Yum!
I am so making this for Valentine's Day. My honey is lactose intolerant.
A whole book all about pudding!?! I can't wait for the movie version!
@rosebud: Yep, just water and chocolate. The trick is:
You get a big bowl of ice, and set a medium-size empty bowl on top of it, touching the ice. Then you melt the chocolate and water together, and when it's melted, you pour it into that medium-size bowl and start whipping like crazy until it's the right texture.
That photo got me all drooly, I must make this at the weekend!
I also love the idea of a book on pudding! It reminded me of that place called iCream in Chicago where they make hot pudding in front of you, in any flavour you ask for. The concept seemed a bit funny at first, but after a few hours of wandering outdoors in the Chicago winter, it was actually a wonderful thing.
I want to get those glass containers for the mousse - they are gorgeous!!
Paerin - Those are actually glass yogurt containers. I had one every day during my Paris trip, washed them all and brought back with me to use as props.
Wow! It's not very often I come across a recipe that completely blows me away but this was one. I would love to know the science of how this works. Melted chocolate, water and a little bit of sugar whips up into the most chocolatey, smooth, delicious mousse in minutes. I think I slightly underwhipped it as I was worried about it going grainy but a little while in the fridge helped it set well. Hervé This and Heston Blumenthal deserve a medal for this one and thanks to Cenk for passing it on.
I was first introduced to this trick when making Marcel Desaulniers's Death by Chocolate. If Marcel does it, it's kosher :)
The website isn't working? Is there any way you could give us the recipe?
Here is the recipe:
INSTANT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (CHOCOLATE CHANTILLY)
Recipe by Herve This & Heston Blumenthal
Ingredients
4 servings
9.35 ounces (265 grams) bittersweet (%70 cocoa solids) chocolate, chopped (preferably Valrhona Guanaja)
1 cup (240 ml) water
4 tbsp sugar, optional
Method
Place a large mixing bowl on top of another slightly smaller one, filled with ice and cold water (the bottom of the large bowl should touch the ice). Set aside.
Put chocolate and water (also sugar and/or liquor if you’re using) in a medium-sized pan and melt the chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl sitting on top of ice and water, and start whisking with a wire whisk (or an electrical hand-held mixer) until thick. Watch the texture as you whip and make sure not to over-whip as it will make the mousse grainy. If the mousse becomes grainy (which is possible at your first try), transfer it back into the pan, reheat until half of it is melted, pour it back to the mixing bowl and whisk again briefly.
Divide into four serving cups and serve immediately.
Help! I can't access the recipe either, and I'm really curious!
Sorry for the glitch. The site is back up and running now.
LOL @ LolaDanger! :)
Another very happy reader here. Saw this post, salivated, grabbed my whisk. After my arms fell off, I had delicious, intense chocolate mousse! So intense that 1-2 T was plenty for a bedtime dessert.
I wanted to note for others that I mixed two chocolates (one 72%, one 56%) to get a slightly lower cocoa solids percentage (roughly 65%) and used only one Tbsp of sugar.
Also, it seemed especially important that the bowl be submerged as much as possible in the ice/water. You will have to whisk for much longer if the chocolate mixture takes longer to cool (as mine did before I put more ice and water into the larger bowl).
Finally, Cenk and others are NOT KIDDING when they say the mixture sets rapidly. Mine went from single cream to double cream consistency in a minute, and from double cream to firm peaks in what felt like 25 seconds! It is truly incredible to witness. Because it's so intense, a batch will go a long way.
I just tried this recipe tonight. I figured since chocolate comes in 100g bars you need roughly 100ml of water or a little bit under half of a cup. It worked out beautifully.
OK, I made this. And I made a colossal mess. Did no one else experience chocolate EVERYWHERE from putting a hand held mixer into what is essentially a bowl of water? I used a BIG bowl, too, set on top of the ice water. Also, it took about 11 minutes of beating before the mousse changed (and changed suddenly) from liquid to mousse. It was delicious--but I had to take a shower and devote quite a bit of time to scrubbing the walls, etc. If I ever try this again, it will be with a whisk and a team of whisk-ers (because I think it would take a good 20 minutes of vigorous whisking to achieve).
I tried this many times with various degrees of success as a mousse, but even the mistakes were delicious. When it was a mousse, it was so airy and creamy it could have fooled any palate into thinking it was made with cream. Once I over-beat it and used it to frost cupcakes. I also used milk chocolate for the kids, and they loved it more than any conventional pudding recipe I've ever made. But, yes, use a whisk. It changes in an instant.