Perfecting a beautiful, rich chocolaty dessert doesn’t have to be left to five star restaurants. While chocolate mousse is not as simple as a microwaved cookie in a mug, it is one hundred times tastier and two hundred times more impressive (trust me, I calculated this).
After spending several months living off of Parisian cuisine, I learned that American desserts need to step up their game. When I returned to the States I wandered hopelessly with an empty wallet and a craving for a decadent sweet. The artful desserts were only available at expensive restaurants, not cheaply on every street corner like they were in Paris. The only solution was to create a masterpiece myself. Follow these directions and help bring inexpensive, tasty art back into this country.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: None
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12 bowls
Ingredients:
For the mousse:
16 oz (1 bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup hot water
5 large egg whites
2 T sugar
1/4 t cream of tartar
2 cups heavy cream
For the chocolate bowls:
24 blocks almond bark – chocolate flavored coating
4 blocks almond bark – vanilla flavored coating
1 bag edible pearls/Sixlets
12 balloons
Directions:
1. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl in a microwave. Once completely melted and smooth, whisk in hot water until blended.
Photo: Isabelle Langheim
2. In a mixer or using a beater, whisk egg whites together. Slowly add cream of tartar and sugar. Make sure to add the powder gradually or you will deflate the egg whites. Whisk eggs until they form a firm peak.
Photo: Isabelle Langheim
3. Grab another clean bowl for the heavy cream. Whip the heavy cream to medium-firm peaks. Now you should have three ingredient bowls of rich deliciousness.
Photo: Isabelle Langheim
4. Stir in a small portion of the egg white mixture into the chocolate to lighten it a bit. Then use a spatula to fold in the remaining egg whites. Lastly, fold in the heavy cream. Don’t over mix and flatten the mixture.
Photo: Isabelle Langheim
5. Cover the mixture and place it in the refrigerator overnight until it’s firm.
6. Now it’s time to get fancy. Start the chocolate bowls by melting the chocolate flavored almond bark in a double boiler or in the microwave. If using a microwave be sure to only microwave 3 to 4 blocks to avoid burning the chocolate. Also, almond bark can maintain the same form even when completely melted, so be sure to stir every 30 seconds.
7. On parchment paper, make small 3 inch circles of chocolate to create a base for the bowl.
Photo: Isabelle Langheim
8. For partially blown up normal balloons, or fully blown up water balloons (sans water), cover half of the balloon in chocolate and place on top of the chocolate circles.
Photo: Isabelle Langheim
9. To make the chocolate bowls more artistic, melt 3 to 4 blocks of vanilla flavored almond bark. Dip a fork into the bark and flick the bark onto the bowl.
Photo: Isabelle Langheim
10. Once the chocolate is dry, pop the balloon with a knife and gently tear away the balloon from the chocolate.
11. Using a pastry bag and a tip (I used an open star pastry tip) fill the chocolate bowls with the chocolatey goodness. Start from the outside of the bowl and work your way into the center.
Photo: Isabelle Langheim
12. Top these gorgeous goodies with edible pearls/Sixlets and serve to your hungry guests. Make sure you keep your dishes as proof that you made them yourself and didn’t buy ’em from an expensive store. Yeah, they’re so good your friends might not believe you.
Photo: Isabelle Langheim
Congratulations you’re the Beyoncé of the kitchen, the Bradley Cooper of the pastry world.