Valrhona Chocolate Mousse
Bonjour! Our recipe today is another inspired by travel. This mousse is definitely not too much of a bite for a novice chef to chew — with only four ingredients, this one’s a breeze and can be whipped up in 10 minutes!
Many years ago, our friends took us to Chez Omar, a wonderful Moroccan restaurant in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. Our friend Tom ordered by saying, “Mousse au chocolat seulement pour moi,” which means "I’ll have the chocolate mousse only for me!" Of all French phrases that I've heard, this one has stuck with me over the years!
While I am biased toward Swiss and Belgian chocolate, for this mousse, I like to use French Valrhona cocoa, which is premium chocolate made in the small town of Tain-l'Hermitage in the northern Rhône wine region of France. As you can imagine, when you are only using four ingredients, the better they are, the tastier the result.
Add the coconut milk to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Set aside until the chocolate is ready.
In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Set a glass bowl over the saucepan to create a double boiler and reduce the heat to a simmer. The bowl should not touch the water. Add the grated cocoa butter and stir until melted. Remove the glass bowl from the saucepan and place it on a kitchen towel. Add the agave nectar and whisk until combined. When the agave nectar is fully incorporated, add the cocoa powder and whisk to combine.
Pour the melted chocolate into the high-speed blender and blend on high for one minute. Pour into small glasses or ramekins and chill overnight. Serve with coconut whipped cream and garnish with shaved chocolate, if desired.
serves 6 - 8
MOUSSE
- 1 cup grated cocoa butter, packed
- ⅓ cup agave nectar
- ¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, such as Valrhona
- 1 – 13.5oz can full fat coconut milk