Yummly
Light and fluffy, sweet and creamy — most of us have at least tried the delicate dessert we know as mousse. The most common flavor, of course, is chocolate, but it can take on different flavors like this white chocolate mousse. It's both an elegant dessert and it's easy to execute. If you've never made mousse before, this mousse recipe is a is an excellent introduction to the art of making dessert foam, but there are a few things you should know before you get started. ## Foam Some might call mousse the precursor to [molecular gastronomy](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/molecular-gastronomy) based on its frothy nature. In fact, the literal translation of "mousse" from French is "foam." But this foam doesn't require high tech gadgets like a rotary evaporator — this foam is only fancy in its finished form and uses basic kitchen tools to achieve it along with some key ingredients. Mousse is sometimes made with egg yolks, but this one only uses whipped egg whites and whipped cream to make it light and airy. For both the cream and the eggs, you whip them separately with an electric mixer (either a stand mixer or a hand mixer) on high speed until soft peaks form and then you fold in melted chocolate. It might sound complicated, but once you've made it, you'll understand that there's no sorcery involved in the making of mousse magic. ## Raw Egg Whites This easy recipe does call for raw egg whites which may be a concern for some, despite the rarity of actual [salmonella contamination in commercially sold eggs](https://slate.com/technology/2014/03/salmonella-and-raw-eggs-how-ive-eaten-tons-of-cookie-dough-and-never-gotten-sick.html). If you do want to opt out of eating raw eggs (a must if you are pregnant of immunocompromised), you can use pasteurized eggs or meringue powder in this recipe to eliminate any worry. ## Melting Chocolate This recipe requires melted chocolate. You can use a microwave to melt the chocolate, but the most traditional way to do it is in a double boiler. There are specially made double boilers, but you can put together a makeshift double boiler with a heat-resistant bowl on top of a saucepan filled with a few inches of water. Just make sure the water stays at a low simmer so you don't overcook the chocolate. ## Variations And Inspiration This recipe layers the mousse with strawberries to make a cheerful Valentine's Day dessert or dinner party dessert that will hold its own. But, you can also use the mousse to build other lively desserts: _Cakes:_ This mousse can be used between layers in a layer cake, or it can be used as the filling in a simple icebox cake. _Parfaits:_ This easy white chocolate mousse is versatile enough to pair with many different textures and flavors, making it perfect for layering with crumbled vanilla wafers and strawberry jam for a slightly different version of this individual dessert. _Pie:_ This mousse can easily be spread into a pre-cooked (and fully cooled) traditional pie crust or a cookie crust for a lighter version of white-chocolate cream pie.
