Chocolate Mousse of Utter Joy

There are a lot of chocolate mousse recipes, and I have tried many.  The older recipes often call for raw eggs, so I've found that newer recipes tend to triple the whipping cream content in place of the eggs.  Personally, the texture is infinitely better with the raw egg versions, and considering it's a mousse, texture is sort of the point!  I think they taste better too, and they're nowhere near as heavy as some of the pure whipping cream versions.

But I am also a wimp.  I avoid eating raw egg, which is a problem since I LOVE ice cream with raw eggs, mousse with raw eggs, cookie dough, etc.  What's a salmonella-fearing girl to do?  Answer - pasteurized eggs.  They're more expensive, and I know some regions have limited availability.  Still, if you don't have problems finding them, they whip and beat and taste just like their unpasteurized cousins.

P.S.  Some of the pictures are from the semisweet chocolate version I made and some are from a white chocolate version (my poor grandmother can't have real chocolate).  The white chocolate works, but it doesn't work well.  It's a lot harder to melt and doesn't cooperate as much as the real deal.

Chocolate Mousse - Tweaked from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1989 edition
Difficulty: Hard (mostly because it's time consuming, and whipping egg whites can be a pain for the inexperienced)
Time: Depending upon your skill level, expect at least an hour (I had to wash bowls a couple times between steps).

Serves: The original recipe says 6, but it's small servings for 6.  It's large servings for 4.  Take your pick.
Requires: Mixer (stand preferred)

• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I really like the Nestle baking bars cause they're thin and easy to chop)
• 2 eggs, separated with yolks beaten.  For whipping egg whites, make sure the yolks are intact when you separate; even the slightest bit of oil or yolk in your whites will spell your eternal doom.  Well... maybe not that bad, but you'll at least have to separate new eggs!
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
• 2 tbsp. sugar 
• 1/2 c. whipping cream

1. In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the 1/4 c. sugar and water.  Continuously stir over medium-low until the sugar dissolves.  Add the chocolate and stir over low heat until the chocolate completely melts.  Now, you CAN use chocolate chips, but chocolate chips have a higher wax quantity and it's much harder to get the chocolate to COMPLETELY melt.  If you don't completely melt your chocolate, you won't get as smooth a mousse.
     
2. After the chocolate is melted, slowly add it to your egg yolks in a separate bowl.  This is why it's important to melt the chocolate over low and to stir the egg yolks as you mix them together - too hot, or too fast without stirring, and you'll have strings of cooked yolk in your mousse!  Return the mixture to the pot and bring to a gentle boil for two minutes.  Set aside and cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.  Seriously - don't forget to stir it.  I'm warning you.
   
3. In a bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on high speed till soft peaks form.  The level of humidity affects the amount of time it takes to get egg whites to soft peaks, so a stand mixer is invaluable in the humid parts of the South (and nice everywhere else).  Once you have soft peaks, add the 2 tbsp of sugar slowly and beat until stiff peaks form.  The last time I made mousse, it was hot and raining outside, and I never QUITE got stiff peaks.  Get as close as you possibly can and then beat the whipped cream below to stiff peaks to compensate.
    
4. Pour the lukewarm chocolate mixture over the beaten egg whites and fold the mixture until completely smooth.  Don't scrap the sides of the chocolate mixture when you're pouring it; you may get hardened, unstirred bits of chocolate in your mousse.
   
5. Beat the whipping cream till soft peaks form (hard if you're in a humid climate with wimpy egg whites or just enjoy a more stiff mousse).  Add to the chocolate/egg white mixture and fold till consistent.  Spoon into dessert dishes and garnish with whipped cream, fresh fruit, chocolate curls, etc.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours; I usually make this recipe the night before I plan to serve it.  I was so excited to be done... I forgot to take a picture of it.  Ha!