2 Ingredient Chocolate Mousse … a simple beginning to a year that appeared out of nowhere, too fast perhaps. A Heston Blumenthal recipe this is, one I’ve made often. It needs all of two ingredients – a good quality couverture chocolate and filtered water! Magically it becomes mousse.
Chocolate and water are enemies but if treated right they become best friends! The recipe was created by Heston Blumenthal who basically combined water and chocolate to create a stable mousse. The underlying concept was invented by a French chemist, Dr Hervé This, whose specialism is the ‘science of cooking’.
The basic recipe for the 2 ingredient chocolate mousse uses 270 ml water to 350 grams chocolate. I’ve reworked mine to make a slightly smaller quantity. Be sure to use a high quality chocolate, at least a 70%+ dark couverture to get good results. Practice makes this better & better!
I’ve made the 2 ingredient chocolate mousse several times with small changes here and there. Sometimes with orange zest, once with instant coffee powder, once with filter coffee instead of water, and then again with orange juice. Oh, and once with a dash of Grand Marnier too!
Treat it right and it surprises you! There are plenty of videos online, so it might be a good idea to see one if you are unsure of how to whisk this etc. The technique is very straightforward, though you need to stop whisking at the right time, and then transfer / pipe the chocolate before it hardens.
I’ve heard that this combination of chocolate with water has been long used by pastry chefs to make piping chocolate. Quite fascinating if you ask me! Intriguing too!
Have a great new year!
2 Ingredient Dark Chocolate Mousse ... here's to good beginnings!
Ingredients
- 270 g 70.5% dark couverture chocolate {chopped/pellets}
- 230 ml filtered water
Instructions
- Place the chocolate pellets and water in a heavy bottom pan. Simmer whisking constantly until melted. Transfer to a glass bowl.
- Place ice cold water in a larger bowl and place the bowl with the chocolate mixture over it. The bottom should touch the cold water.
- With a balloon whisk, whisk continuously for 5-7 minutes until you see the chocolate thickening up like a custard.
- Stop the minute it becomes mousse like, else it will harden.
- Transfer to a piping bag and pipe into serving glasses.
- Best served immediately in cold weather like this!
- In summer, I keep it in the fridge to set. Top with berries if you like. I had a few frozen berries in the freezer!