[yuujirou]

This is one of my older notes from Facebook... but applicable nonetheless.
Ingredients:

7 oz. Chocolate (i used 53% cocoa; break down the chocolate into little pieces)
3 tbsp. Unsalted butter
14 oz. Heavy whipping cream
3 Large eggs (separate whites from yolk)
Sugar (optional; to taste)

Directions:

1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and the butter. Stir the chocolate until all is smooth and glossy. Turn off heat.

2. In two separate bowls, separate the yolk from the whites, and pour the cream into yet another bowl. Beat the cream and the whites until stiff peak.

3. Divide the cream into thirds, and w/ a spatula fold each portion into the chocolate. Add the next portion only after the first portion has been incorporated into the chocolate.

4. Do the same with the egg whites.

5. Refrigerate mousse for about an hour or more; store for up to one day.

*Tips and Notes*

*For those who don't know, or are not familiar with, you can make a double boiler by filling a saucer about 8/10th's full with water and placing either another saucer or bowl on top. Bring the water to a simmer over low heat, then add chocolate or whatever your going to melt. A double boiler is the best method for melting chocolate because it allows better control of heat. If you try melting chocolate w/ just one saucer, over direct heat, you will most definitely burn the chocolate.

*Stiff peak stage is when cream or egg whites become foamy and solid. In their more familiar stages, cream is like milk whilst egg whites are a droopy and slimy liquid. To achieve stiff peaks, beat the cream/whites with a hand mixer (electric is preferred, or wire whisk if former is not available) until they become stiff, and when you raise the whisk, the cream/whites form a peak.

*Folding the cream and whites into the chocolate is a way of retaining the fluffiness. If the cream/whites are stirred into the chocolate, the end result will be much denser. To fold the cream/whites into the chocolate, first, w/ a spatula, cut through the middle, and slide the spatula under the chocolate and folding it over the cream/whites. Continue doing this until all has been incorporated.

*If your chocolate is still hot when you add the cream, the cream will become liquid. This happened to me and I totally freaked out, but I kept going and it still turned out great. To avoid this, allow the chocolate to cool a little first (but be careful to not let the chocolate cool too much or else it'll harden when you add the cream.) before adding.

*After all the cream and whites have been incorporated, the chocolate might be a little liquidy. This is okay, simply refrigerate for a few hours and it'll stiffen up.

*As regard to the egg yolks that are left alone, if you don't want to throw them out, or have nothing better to do with them, you can simply add them to the chocolate. To do this, add a little salt and a bit of liqueur (optional) to the yolk and beat lightly. After you've turned off the heat (refer to step 1), and allowed the chocolate to cool a little, stir the yolks into the chocolate. If you should choose to do this by the way, take caution of two things. 1. Ensure that the chocolate is not too hot as so that it will "COOK" the yolk; and 2. Ensure that the chocolate is not too cold as so that the chocolate will harden at the addition of a colder substance. As the first is irreversible, the second can be fixed simply reheating the chocolate a little.

*This recipe serves "6" people.

*To those who make this right, beware~ This, as far as I can tell, is extremely fattening, and my sister, of whom I so lovingly tease, can't seem to get enough of it.