Food TV Cooking Club: February

It seems only appropriate that this month’s cooking club recipe contain chocolate. After all, Valentine’s day was mid-month, and many wanted to try this recipe for exactly that. In our household, Rich got me a lovely box of Stubbe chocolates as a Valentine’s gift, so I saved the mousse recipe for later in the month. As an aside… did I mention Stubbe is just down the street from my new office? Between them and Faema, I’m going to have a lot of temptations to resist. Well, that or be spending a lot more time at the gym!

I figured chocolate mousse would be at least slightly difficult to make. In reality it was actually pretty easy! You start with good quality chocolate (I opted for Poulain Noir, which has 76% cocoa) and melt it in a double boiler. Then you whip your egg whites to soft peaks, add in sugar, and then continue whipping to meringue consistency (stiff peaks). After that, take your egg yolks and whisk in your alcohol (I used Grand Marnier, the recipe recommended Cointreau), then add in the chocolate, and finally fold everything into the egg whites. It was actually that last step that was the most difficult; it was hard to get the chocolate folded in without it clumping. But I discovered it just takes a little patience and lots of gentle stirring!

A little whipped cream and shaved chocolate and this was ready for serving. If it were summer and fresh seasonal berries were available, I would have added those on top.

Recipe from the foodtv.ca blog.

Chocolate Mousse – makes 8 small or 4 larger servings

5 ounces dark chocolate
4 x egg whites
2 Tbsps sugar
2 x egg yolks
1 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp Cointreau

1. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler until smooth. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, sprinkle the sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
2. Beat the yolks with the orange zest and Cointreau (or liqueur of your choice, I like Grand Marnier) in a bowl.
3. Whisk the chocolate into the yolks. Then, take a spoonful of the whites and fold it into the chocolate mixture. Pour that into the remaining whites and fold gently to combine evenly. Pour the mousse into a serving bowl. Wrap well in plastic and refrigerate for at least a few hours. Serve topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and orange zest if you desire.