Yes I'm aware of the fact that Valentine's Day is two days away but I posted this dessert today to lend a helping hand to those who haven't yet decided on what sweet treat to whip up for that someone special. Ain't I a dear? ☺

Chocolate mousse is a classic favourite that is immune to the vagaries of fashion. Richly flavoured, yet light as air, this dessert epitomises sweet chocolatey indulgence. The exact debut of chocolate mousse in France is unknown. Did you know that mousse is derived from the French word mousse which means “foam”? Once only a specialty of French restaurants, chocolate mousse entered into American and British home cuisine in the 1960s. Since then, it has been making waves in the dessert arena.

I don't believe in toying too much with classic dishes in the name of modern gastronomic innovation. Don't get me wrong....I am no purist but I draw a line when it comes to over-the-top, crazy culinary twists. While working on this post, I came across recipes of chocolate mousse that have incorporated olive oil, avocado, tofu, basil, coconut, coca cola, chilli flakes and more such shudderingly odd ingredients. I skimmed through scores of low-carb, sugar-free, vegan, dairy-free, guilt-free, paleo....blah blah fad recipes till I arrived at this one and heaved a huge sigh of relief along with a simultaneous exclamation of 'Eureka'! Thank heavens for the good people who steer clear of grossly adulterated recipes.

With a few rare exceptions, all chocolate mousse recipes have two basic ingredients - 1. Chocolate, which is of course the star of the dessert, and 2. Egg white, which is whipped into a foam and then added to the melted chocolate to provide the light and foamy texture, which is the cornerstone of this dessert. Most recipes I browsed through used cream but I decided to pass on that. Cream undoubtedly give this dessert a softer and lighter texture but for recipes using dark chocolate (which in my opinion works best), this ingredient dilutes the flavour of the chocolate. I have modified the recipe slightly to suit my preference. This recipe calls for two not-so-traditional ingredients namely vanilla essence and coffee. I made an exception to these two since vanilla counters the ‘egginess’ of desserts and coffee enhances the chocolate flavour.

I had kept the major share of this mousse stashed at the back of the fridge for later in the evening when my husband got back from work but I couldn't resist grabbing a spoon and greedily digging into one of the glasses of chocolatey goodness. Rich-creamy, dark-dreamy, velvety smooth chocolate mousse. Perfection!

Seriously....look me in the eye and tell me you don't want to eat that!


This Valentine's Day, indulge in this to-die-for dessert that comes together with just a handful of ingredients  ❤ ❤ ❤