La Mousse au Chocolat de Françoise Mathieu

For seven years I was married to a Frenchman (we remain close friends).  In the course of my marriage I learned a lot about French culture. . .and my cooking abilities and repertoire expanded (and improved!) dramatically.  My ex-husband’s mother, Françoise, taught me some of her recipes.  One of them is for “mousse au chocolat”.  You may not realize this, but “mousse” is the word for “foam” in French.  “Mousse au chocolat” is named for its light, airy texture. . .like that of the foam of the ocean. . .Here, with much, much gratitude is Françoise’s recipe:

Mousse au Chocolat

2 eggs
1 1/2 ounces of chocolate (buy the best dark chocolate you can find)
a little less than half a cup of sugar
2 tbsps of unsalted butter

Separate the egg yolks and whites.  Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until they are creamy.  (Mix them very well.)  Melt the butter and chocolate together.  Mix together the egg yolk/sugar mixture and the chocolate/butter mixture.  Allow the resulting mixture to cool.  Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and form soft peaks.  Slowly and carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.  Be very careful not to “break” the egg whites.

Put into the refrigerator to chill; leave the mousse in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.  Makes 4 servings.

Ah, délicieux. . .Enjoy!