Chocolate Mousse: Via Vite Style

Via Vite's Chocolate Mousse

             Good things come in small packages. Recently, at Via Vite on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati I discovered a small petite surprise on their dessert menu – Chocolate Mousse. My taste buds could not get enough of this wonderful chocolate dessert. My whole table was silent except for the many “Oh My God” expressions with every bite.

            The contemporary Italian bistro’s Chocolate Mousse, according to its website, is a dark chocolate mousse with a crema of ricotta cheese and marscarpone with chocolate pearls and pizelle (a traditional Italian waffle cookie).

            Here at Sweet Pairings we are always on the look out for unique and interesting desserts that surprise the palate and Via Vite’s Chocolate Mousse did just that.

Although I can’t offer you Via Vite’s Chocolate Mousse recipe you might enjoy this a Chocolate Mousse recipe I found that David Lebovitz adapted from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”

                                                             Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup dark-brewed coffee
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 tablespoon water
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.      Heat a saucepan one-third full with hot water, and in a bowl set on top, melt together the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over the barely simmering water, until smooth. Remove from heat.

2.      . Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.

3.      . In a bowl large enough to nest securely on the saucepan of simmering water, whisk the yolks of the eggs with the 2/3 cup of sugar, rum, and water for about 3 minutes until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise. (You can also use a handheld electric mixer.)

4.      . Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick, as shown in the photo above. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.

5.      . In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff, then the vanilla.

6.      . Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don’t overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.

7.      . Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl or divide into serving dishes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.

Storage: The mousse au chocolat can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.