Basics of White Chocolate Mousse

[Moxiefan]

Hello,

I need to make a large quantity of white chocolate mousse for an upcoming banquet. I'm not doing anything fantastic with it, just piping it into glasses.

Not having made mousse of any kind in a while, I decided to test a little bit. I used two parts cream and one part melted white chocolate, and nothing else. No geletin or eggs or anything. The results need to be a little more "chocolatey," and I'm thinking of going to 1:1 cream and chocolate, but I'm more concerned that the results were too stiff and, worse, rather grainy. I can't find a high-volume recipie that I like, so I'm trying to determine what I should do. Should I encorporate some portion of the cream into the chocolate to make a ganache first? Should I add geletin? I also thought about including some quantity of italian meringue to make the whole operation a little silkier. Any thoughts?


Thanks!

Pete

[oldschool1982]

My experience with Chocolate Mousse is that unless you're using one of those bulk mixes from Swiss Knorr (as an example just can't remember the exact mfgr) I have never found a bulk recipe. I've made it in 48 portion batches but nothing much larger.

From what I remember it's a three part process of whipped cream, well beaten egg yolks with sugar (ribbons) mixed with brandy, melted butter and melted chocolate and finally egg whites whipped to stiff peaks, all folded together and piped into champagne glasses. I have never used gelatine in the process but then again I only used a two day SL for the glasses and one day as a filling/layer in cakes.

It's gotta have been 10 years since I made it so if I missed something please excuse me but this is all from memory right now.

Using the Italian Meringue technique sounds pretty interesting and you may have some success but I'm sure some of the more practiced Pastry Chefs here can be of better assistance.

[Moxiefan]

Hey Oldschool --

I'm doing about 300 portions... I'll probably wind up doing it in three batches.

The reason I haven't been keen of most of the recipies I've read is becuase, like you suggest, they contain uncooked eggs. One recipie claimed the hot chocolate would cook the eggs! Anyway, I don't think they're nessecary, and, serving mostly a clientle "of distinguished years" I'd rather not take any chances.

[oldschool1982]

Sysco sells a pasturized egg yolk (made by Papetti) and as you know you could also buy egg whites. These are also pasturized. I cooked at a retirement village a few years ago and used this product without incident in everything including Caesar Dressing. This may be just what you need to put the worries of uncooked eggs to rest. It is of my opinion that the residual heat from the melted chocolate combined with the chemical reation between the sugar and egg yolks is enough to take care of the egg issue and then again.... It all has to do with your school of thought. (Add the fact that this would be a wholely seperate and highly debated subject. One that I've neither the energy nor desire to mince words about.) I should also add that I guess I never liked doing more than the portion batch I used so I never pursued a larger batch recipe or extended out my recipe. Just more to go wrong since I couldn't be everywhere in the kitchen (try as I may have).

[foodpump]

There are many recipies for white Chocolate mousse, but your biggest challange is to get some kind of flavour, as white choc. doesn't have an assertive flavour. Booze, like brandy or Bailys or a liquor will give a boost, so will things like rosewater, but this is a matter of personal choice, and don't know if rosewater would find favour with mature guests.

A good method is to make a creme anglaise of milk and eggyolks, this would be cooked to a safe temperature, then poured over coarsely chopped white choc. which has a double duty of melting the choc, and cooling down the mix. Although I'm not a big fan of gelatin, it is neccesary for larger batches, especially if it's going to made one day, piped the next day, and served a later on that day or even the next day. Figure on 1 sheet of gelatin per 100 grams of mix and 100 grams of whipped cream.

[momoreg]

Ditto foodpump. You can cook your yolks that way, or with sugar over a water bath. Sugar alone does not make raw eggs safe, and neither does the heat from melted chocolate. Eggs really are an essential ingredient to mousse, and I agree that a small amt. of gelatin would be a good idea.

[panini]

Just my 2 cents,
Like the rest suggest, but, I would cook eggs and make a base. This eliminates thhe first day storage. The day of, fold/air up with cream and pipe. I would also not hesitate to give a dollop to make it seem even lighter.

[oldschool1982]

As I stated I haven't made a Mousse in over a decade and most of what I have said is from memory and as failing as that may be, plus having had the chance to look over my old recipe...

The water bath would be an appropriate proceedure and is something that I had used in the past, especially when I moved to NY State. This had to be done since the HI would not allow the use of any raw egg in uncooked product, especially Caesar dressing. That is also when I found a suitable pasturized egg product from Sysco. However it's still my belief about the sugar and egg yolks so.... I'll leave it at that.

[Moxiefan]

I'm really suprised you guys think that eggs are an essential ingredient in mousse! I'm quite sure we never put eggs in any mousses we made in any of my pastry classes at school ... and my wife, who actually worked in pastry for a while, doesn't ever remember doing anything of the kind, either. I always kinda thought that was the beauty of mousse. Whipped cream, chocolate, you're done.

I thought about creme angalise vs. meringue, but was concerned that it might seriously yellow my white chocolate mousse.

I defineately agree with momoreg about eggs. I think they can be sufficiently cooked by adding a hot liquid, but chocolate couldn't be heated high enough without burning. Sugar is even trickier, because it will chemically denature and coagulate the eggs protiens, but in the absence of heat I don't think they're really safer. Even though they look and act cooked, the bacteria inside them can still thrive. Unless you're including enough sugar and time to actually cure the eggs, in which case, given enough time, the sugar could dry the yolks out enough to elimate bacterial concerns. Like if you were making lox... you wouldn't want to eat it on the same day you apply the cure. (Well, maybe you would, but not to serve at a retirement home.)

Thanks for all your help and discussion, everybody. I'll try a few more test batches today. I did find a small-volume recipe that appealed to me in Alton Brown's "More Food." Like a said, my primary concern was the graininess of the end result, but I think by making a ganache with the chocolate first it won't set up as hard when it hits the cold cream. And I can make the ganache with liqour and sweet, sweet butter which'll help with the flavour.

[panini]

hmmm?
whipped cream and chocolate seems like chocolate whipped cream to me.
eggs, whites, brings the richness, no?
pan

[HeavyMetal Chef]

Try this and tell me how you like it.....3.5 # white chocolate, 4 qts cream, 500g yolks, 500g sugar, and 14 sheets gelatin (about 28-30g). Bloom gelatin in water (about 140-150g water). Make patebom with yolks and sugar by cooking sugar to softball and whipping the yolks until pale and fluffy. Temper in sugar. Melt the chocolate (double boiler) and whip the cream to medium soft peaks. Once chocolate is melted, patebom is cool and cream is whipped, melt the gelatin and encorperate it into the chocolate. Fold in patebom. Fold in cream. Pipe in glasses or let it cool in the cooler. This recipe is best done within 3-5 hours of service. Give it a test run and tell me what you think.....oh yeah and if it isn't white chocolatey enough add some Godiva White Chocolate Liqour. Godiva makes a wh. cho. liqour that is sexy as f**k.

[HeavyMetal Chef]

if that last recipe doesn't work I have another that you make a ganache and add gelatin and whipped cream

[m brown]

make a white chocolate ganach, combine with Pate a bombe and whipped cream. The bomb would give a rich golden hue to your mousse and add the cooked egg yolk super rich flavor. the ganach ensures no gritty texture and soft whipped cream folded in, light as a feather.


I have often made chocolate mousse with chocolate ganach and cream, never had a complaint or food borne illness issue.

[pjm333]

I have used this recipe for years, its part of a triple chocolate bavarian with less gelatin.

3 Qts Creme Anglaise-Hot
4 3/4 Lbs White Chocolate- chopped or pellets
40 gelatin sheets - soaked & drained
5 Qts Heavy Cream - stiff peak

Add gelatin to hot anglaise stire till melted..pour over chocolate and mix till combined and smooth..cool down till warm to touch and fold in cream 1/3 - 2/3

[oldschool1982]

Originally Posted by Moxiefan

....I'm really suprised you guys think that eggs are an essential ingredient in mousse!.....

Originally Posted by m brown

The bomb would give a rich golden hue to your mousse and add the cooked egg yolk super rich flavor.

Moxie, m brown hit the nail on the head as to why to use eggs. IMHPO there is just something about a Mousse that utilizes eggs as an ingredient. I have never made one without.

With or without eggs, it's all personal choice. But since your

serving mostly a clientle "of distinguished years

I'd like to say that it really doesn't matter. Yet I did learn through my own experience that some of the older folks out there have very discerning palettes and might just appreciate the extra effort.