Chocolate Mousse

You know what’s easy? This chocolate mousse recipe. You know what’s not easy? Running a one women catering business. To be clear, this is not a complaint. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the reception of The Bell House from the folks in the area. PEOPLE LIKE US! THEY REALLY, REALLY LIKE US!

There is a part of me that misses a quiet morning when the kids are still sleeping, cup of coffee to the right of my computer, only one other light filtering through the room besides my computer and the ‘click, click, tap’ sound of the keyboard. I suppose the recipe blog has been building up to this moment. All the research and development being put into action. I just don’t have much extra time or energy to play with my food. Trust me, this is a good problem to have. Maybe I’ll find the waistline I lost a few years ago when I stopped being a personal trainer to focus soley on catering.

To think, back in August, when I was presented with the idea of taking over the kitchen I rented by the hour to full time was, needless to say, overwhelming. I went back and forth and back and forth trying to figure out if this is actually what I wanted to do. 78% of me said, “HELL YEAH, YOU CAN DO THIS.” 22% told me to check myself before I wreck myself.

Two months in and some promising work on the horizon, I’m happy to say I am glad I listened to the 78% of me that used profanity to keep me motivated. I assure you, there was a lot more profanity swimming around in this noggin’ than what you just read.

My expectations about the next three years is still tempered. Why three years? That’s when I decide if I renew my lease or well, let’s focus on the small successes right now!

In the meantime, find a night to celebrate your successes and cook your family a delicious meal (or hire The Bell House to cook it for you ;)-

A sinful dessert worthy of every celebration, CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:

5 ounces of Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate

3 cups of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and at room temperature

1/2 cup of sugar

3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Fresh fruit, chocolate shavings, chocolate bowl (see below for instructions) for garnish and staging

Place the chocolate in a medium sized bowl.

In a saucepan, heat up the cream over medium heat just until the edges of the milk start to bubble. Do not let the cream come to a boil.

Pour the cream over the chocolate, slowly while whisking. When the chocolate has been incorporated, add the butter a piece at a time.

Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and salt until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the mixture to a container with a lid and refrigerate for at least 4 hours up to 5 days.

When you are ready to serve your mouse, pull out the hand mixer or whisk (if you want to murder your forearm) and transfer the mixture to a cold bowl. Cream likes cold bowls. Whip up the mixture until it doubles in volume and is light and fluffy.

Spoon or pipe the mousse into 4 ounce ramekins or fun chocolate bowls. I was lazy and just spooned it into each bowl. Top with fresh berries and shaved chocolate. Eat slow and enjoy the deliciousness. This will feed 6-8 people depending on how much you scoop into a bowl. Be warned, this is very decadent.

To make a CHOCOLATE BOWL:

6 Silicon cupcake holders

1 cup of Good quality melting chocolate, such as Ghiradelli

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler until it is almost smooth. Remove and let cool for a minute or two.

Spread the chocolate around the silicon cups and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Refrigerate until the bowls have hardened, about 20 minutes. Peel the silicon cup off the chocolate and store the cups in the refrigerator until ready to fill with good stuff. These cups were pretty small. You could easily stretch the mousse into 12 of these chocolate cups.