A light-as-air dark chocolate mousse scented with clementine zest, with candied peel and a few fresh segments for a lift.
Chocolate mousse is the dessert everyone thinks they know by heart, and yet it's rarely as light as it could be. At Christmas, clementine zest gives it a festive scent, and the candied peel echoes the chocolate mendiants and oranges of the season.
It all comes down to two temperatures and one move: chocolate melted gently, then lukewarm when the yolks go in; whites that are firm but not dry; and folding by lifting, never stirring. The rest is fridge patience.
Good to know · This mousse is made with raw eggs: use very fresh eggs (laid less than 9 days ago), keep it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours. It is not recommended for pregnant women, young children, older people or anyone with a weakened immune system.
Chop the chocolate and put it in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Stir gently until melted and smooth (it shouldn't go above 50 °C / 122 °F), then remove the bowl. Add the zest of both clementines and let it cool for 5 minutes: it should feel lukewarm on your finger, around 35 to 40 °C (95 to 104 °F).
Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a large, very clean bowl. Add the yolks to the lukewarm chocolate one at a time, stirring briskly with the spatula after each: the mixture thickens and turns glossy.
Add the salt to the whites and beat on medium speed. When they're foamy and white, add the sugar in two goes and turn up the speed. Stop when they're firm, smooth and glossy, forming a soft, curved peak on the end of the whisk.
Take a third of the whites and mix them firmly into the chocolate, with a whisk or spatula, without worrying: this first third is only there to lighten the chocolate so it takes the rest without knocking the air out.
Add the rest of the whites in two goes. With the spatula, cut down through the middle, scrape along the bottom and bring it back up, turning the bowl a quarter turn with each movement. Stop as soon as there are no white streaks left.
Spoon the mousse into the glasses or dish, cover with cling film and leave to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Just before serving, peel the 2 clementines with a knife (removing the peel and the white pith) and cut out a few segments. Cut the candied peel into thin sticks. Top each mousse with peel, two segments and a few chocolate shavings made with a vegetable peeler.
Check off every step to celebrate.
It keeps for 24 hours in the fridge, well covered, and no longer: it's made with raw eggs. Make it the day before or in the morning, and add the decoration at the last minute. It doesn't freeze, and shouldn't sit at room temperature for more than an hour.
The whites weren't whipped enough, or they collapsed while folding (chocolate too hot, mixing too long). It may also need more time in the fridge: 4 hours minimum.
The chocolate was too cold when the whites went in, and it set into tiny flecks. Keep it lukewarm, around 35 to 40 °C (95 to 104 °F), right to the end.
Yes, with aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas, 150 ml) whipped like egg whites and no yolks: the mousse is a little less rich, but suits everyone.
Add this recipe to your meal, then come back for appetizers, a drink, cookies with coffee: Popotam brings them together, with the shopping for your whole table and the timeline up to dessert. Free, no account.
