Recipe - Mousse Au Chocolate

4 Egg yolks
One fourth cup Superfine sugar
2 tablespoon Cognac
6 ounce Semisweet chocolate, cut in
small chunks
3 tablespoon Strong coffee
8 tablespoon Butter; soft, unsalted or
Sweet (1 stick) cut into
1/2" pieces
4 Egg whites
One half cup Heavy cream; whipped

Brush the inside of a 1quart charlotte (cylindrical) or ring mold with a
film of vegetable oil. Invert the mold on paper towels to drain.
In a heatproof mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar with a whisk,
rotary or electric beater for 2 or 3 minutes or until they are pale yellow
and thick enough to form a ribbon when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.
Beat in the Cognac.
Set the mixing bowl over a pan of barely simmering (not boiling) water,
and continue beating for 3 or 4 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and
hot. Then set the bowl over a pan of iced water and beat for 3 or 4 minutes
longer, or until the mixture is cool again and as thick and creamy as
mayonnaise.
In a heavy 4 to 6quart saucepan, melt the chocolate with the coffee over
hot water, stirring constantly. When all the chocolate has dissolved, beat
in the butter, one piece at a time, to make a smooth cream. Then beat the
chocolate mixture into the egg yolks and sugar.
In a separate bowl, with a clean whisk or beater, beat the egg whites
until they are stiff enough to form stiff peaks on the wires of the whisk.
Stir about One fourth of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it,
then very gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon the mousse into
the oiled mold or dessert cups and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or
until it has set.
To unmold and serve, run a long, sharp knife around the sides of the mold
and dip the bottom of it in hot water for a few seconds. Then wipe the
outside of the mold dry, place a chilled serving plate upside down over the
mold, and grasping both sides firmly, quickly turn the plate and mold over.
Rap the plate on a table and the mousse should slide easily out of the
mold. If the mousse doesn't unmold at once, repeat the whole process.
With a wire whisk, rotary or electric beater, whip the chilled cream in a
large bowl until it is firm enough to hold it's shape softly. Garnish with
mousse with the whipped cream and serve.

Source: Recipes: The Cooking of Provincial France, Foods of the World,
Time/Life Books (c) 1968 Typed by .\\ichele

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini