Kit's Chocolate Mousse

Total Time: 8 hrs 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 18 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
• 6 eggs
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons creme de cacao
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 melt the chocolate over hot water.
• 2 let it cool until only warm.
• 3 while the chocolate cools, whip the cream until it forms medium-stiff peaks.
• 4 do not overbeat or the mousse will lose some of its smooth, light texture.
• 5 separate 4 of the eggs and set the whites aside.
• 6 combine yolks with the 2 remaining whole eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer.
• 7 beat until eggs are thick and lemon colored, around 5 minutes.
• 8 while the yolks are beating, place the 4 egg whites in a clean copper or stainless steel bowl and whisk, preferably by hand, until the whites start to stiffen.
• 9 sprinkle on the confectioners' sugar and beat until you have firm peaks.
• 10 working quickly, add the cooled melted chocolate and a scoop of the whipped cream to the egg yolks.
• 11 stir until smooth, then add the remaining cream.
• 12 when it is fully incorporated, add the liqueur and vanilla, then fold in the whites until just blended.
• 13 this mousse can be poured into small individual serving dishes or into 1 larger dessert dish.
• 14 chill at least 4 hours before serving. (chilling it overnight intensifies the flavor.) the mousse may be frozen for up to 2 weeks.
• 15 remove from the freezer and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
• 16 variation: make a brownie cookie crust from the brownie cookies recipe, then fill it with the mousse.
• 17 chill for 4 hours, then pipe whipped cream on top.