A mousse is an ideal idea for dessert, especially given its versatility. Whether it's being used to glaze cakes, fill pies, served alongside fruit and vegetables, or just a standalone dish, a mousse can change lives if not save them at a dinner table. However, this type of food can also be very stressful to make, given its delicate preparation and the varieties that have sprung up over the years.

Fortunately, mousses have come a long way and are much simpler to make these days thanks to modern innovations. Today's recipe is a simplified mousse flavored with a mint chocolate base.

But for those who are especially curious, this post has you covered with the background as well.

WTH is a mousse?

This is a smooth, creamy, and light dessert that can be either be sweet or savory. It can also be served in a number of ways, ranging from that of an accompaniment for other desserts to a standalone one. What makes a mousse complicated is its base. These provide flavor and come in many varieties--each requiring their own form of preparation--that include custards, melted chocolate, coffee, pureed fruit/vegetables, and more.

On the bright side, not all of these bases are difficult to make and the method of turning them into mousses remains the same. Once a base is selected, it must be thickened to make its texture smooth and then aerated to make it light.

Although many ingredients can be used for either case, the traditional ingredients for thickening and lightening mousses are egg yolks and egg whites.

Making a simple mousse

Fortunately, modern recipes don't always require eggs. These days, one can thicken the dessert with alternatives such as cornstarch, gelatin, or Heavy Whipping Cream.

That last one especially can be used to lighten the mousse as well. In fact, heavy whipping cream is the go-to-ingredient for savory types. The recipe below relies on gelatin and heavy whipping cream for thickening and lightening the base respectively. For those who really want a good kick out of this mousse's taste, it includes liqueur as an optional ingredient.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz dark chocolate
  • 8 oz heavy whipping cream
  • 3 gelatin leaves
  • 2 oz caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
  • 1 oz Liqueur (optional)

Directions

  1. In a mixing bowl, soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for 5-10 minutes.
  2. Melt the chocolate, peppermint, and sugar while whisking in a mixing bowl held over a pan half filled with simmering water. Whisk in the liqueur if desired. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Remove the gelatin leaves from the water and wring them for good measure. Whisk the leaves into the melted chocolate until they fully melt and are fully incorporated.
  4. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it smooth and forms stiff peaks. using the spatula, add a 1/3 of the cream to the mixture and fold. Repeat with the remaining cream until fully incorporated.
  5. Serve immediately, or seal and refrigerate.
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