I am so excited to share this easy chocolate mousse with you today in time for Valentine’s day.
I’ve been testing the recipe all week. At one point, when I opened my fridge to discover remnants of various batches in everything from ramekins to wine glasses, it dawned on me that I’ve come pretty darn close to achieving my childhood dream of being a chocolate taster (after a sharp detour through a nutrition degree ).
And I’m also excited to share with you the newest addition to the Vitamix family, the Ascent series.
As you know if you’ve been hanging out here for any length of time, I’ve been a gushing Vitamix fan for years. The first one I owned changed my world. I’ve never had such creamy, beautiful pureed soups and sauces. I own two sizes and use them constantly to make homemade grain and nut flours with barley, oats, wheat, rye and quinoa, almonds and hazelnuts; homemade nut butters like almond and pistachio; homemade nut milks and coconut milk without a need to soak in advance. Pâté like a boss. Boozy snow cones like it’s my job. These high-performance blenders are seriously a dream.
The model you see in the video is the new Ascent 3300. It is gorgeous with its digital touch screen and clear top. Love the new, programmable timer and container detection features. And it’s easier to clean than any other model I’ve had. I’m so happy one has found its home on my counter.
In this recipe, instead of the laborious separating of eggs, making custard, whipping egg whites, whipping cream, gently folding, etc. typically required with traditional mousse (not to mention the back-of-mind concern about raw egg), we make a quick base by heating milk and eggs until thick and then the brawny blender does the work. It blends and melts the chocolate into the custard, then whips the mixture and the cream until the mousse is light and airy. You pour into cups and chill for a couple of hours and you’re done!
And because we’ve heated the base to 165ºF, we’ve annihilated any back-of-mind salmonella concerns.
Note: I typically just put “serve with whipped cream” in the recipe, but if you need a loose recipe, I do about 1 cup whipping cream, 2 tbsp granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or about 1/4 tsp of almond extract – delicious with mousse.
Easy chocolate mousse in the blender
Ingredients
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 6 oz good quality dark chocolate coarsely chopped
- ½ cup heavy 35% or whipping cream
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- Whipped cream to serve (see note in post)
Instructions
- Heat milk and butter in a saucepan until small bubbles appear at the edge. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in medium bowl. Very slowly stream about half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly, then slowly stream the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk. (This prevents the eggs from curdling.) Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 165ºF, about 2 minutes.
- Carefully transfer this custard base to the blender. Add the chopped chocolate and blend on high speed for about 30 seconds. Add the cream and blend for another 30 seconds. Then add the sugar, vanilla and salt and blend again for 30 seconds.
- Pour the mousse into serving glasses and chill for about 2 hours, until set. Serve with whipped cream.
I just made this recipe 13 times over to serve at a special dinner at school. It really is that easy and it really is that delicious. I used 9 oz clear plastic cups and one recipe filled 6 of those nicely. Thanks!
Can you replace the butter and milk with just one cup of half and half?