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White chocolate mousse question.

post #1 of 13
8/17/07 at 8:50pm
Thread Starter 
I recently made two batches of mousse, one white chocolate and the other w/ regular dark chocolate. Although the flavor of each was very nice the texture was quite a bit different, the dark chocolate retained a lot more air than the white chocolate. Now I know that white chocolate isn't really chocolate, but it seems to behave the same in the kitchen as far a melting, etc. are concerned. The only difference I can think of in making it was that I had slightly larger eggs for the dark chocolate and yielded a visibly greater quantity of whipped egg whites. However, the two batches looked to be of like quantities placed side by side in bowls, before chilling in wine glasses. A couple of other things:
1. Yes, I KNOW about raw eggs. I wash the shells before use since this is actually where the harmful bacteria would be. (This was really to appease my brother in law, I'm generally not such a worry-wart).
2. I used 4 tsp. of triple sec in each batch. Could white chocolate behave differently with alcohol? Any physicists on this forum?
3. I just wouldn't do it without eggs. Love that yolky flavor, yes I do.

My mom was in from out of town and it was dessert for our last dinner otherwise I wouldn't go through the trouble of two separate batches of mousse.
Thanks in advance for any tip-
RTF
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post #2 of 13
8/18/07 at 4:35pm

Re white chocolate mousse

Hi Rufus TF,
I would lose the alcohol. It Doesnt need it. Add passion fruit instead. It cuts through the rather clawing white chocolate thing really well
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post #3 of 13
8/19/07 at 5:04pm
Thread Starter 
Do you reccomend that because of the flavor or because of it's effect on the texture? I thought it was quite tasty with the triple sec, and it hadn't occured to me to use fruit actually IN the mousse.
Isn't passion fruit kind of gooey, seedy stuff? I don't understand how this would help it retain more air, which is really what my question was about. The reg. choc. mousse also had the triple sec and was just dandy.
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post #4 of 13
8/20/07 at 9:15am
I don't know if this means anything but white chocolate has a lower melting point.
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post #5 of 13
8/20/07 at 9:32am
Hi RufusTF,

It is very difficult to give you an definite answer to your question other then saying white <chocolate> and regular chocolate are not the same animal and the difference between them is like comparing Latex paint to oil paint i.e similar product but performs very differently giving similar results. Chocolate cannot be substituted 1 for 1 with white chocolate and expected to give the same results other then taste and colour.

the chemistry/physics involved in these 2 products are very different.

Luc H.
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post #6 of 13
8/20/07 at 10:47am
Thread Starter 
I figured that they behave differently as they are not the same thing. I guess the question is really how can one get the white chocolate to retain the air in a mousse the same way dark chocolate does. I know that they're different things, white chocolate not really being a chocolate at all. How does a cook compensate for this? In a mousse?
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post #7 of 13
8/20/07 at 11:07am
Rufus,

White chocolate has more solid fat and more sugar then dark chocolate.
You will find the answer by making trials.

I would add an additional egg for the white chocolate to compensate with being more fatty and having more sugar (or reduce the amount of white chocolate).
If adding sugar, reduce the amount for the white chocolate mousse.

I doubt there is any interaction with the alcohol from the Triple Sec but it is sweet so reduce the sugar instead.

You will find your answer by making successive tries, taking notes then adjusting (if needed) the next time you make the recipe. That's how I develop recipes over many years.

Luc H
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post #8 of 13
8/20/07 at 12:17pm
When making white chocolate mousse, I found that whipping the cream only until fluffy, but still soft, and then folding it in lead to a nicer, smoother texture.
For some reason, no matter what the recipe, if you whip cream until very thick, and then fold it into white chocolate, the texture always winds up kind of grainy and with less volume.

Regarding the use of raw eggs, salmonella and campylobacter are both present in all parts of the egg not just on the outside of the shells where you will also find e coli. Best to cook your eggs in some way when using in mousse.
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post #9 of 13
4/9/08 at 12:05am

lifes a mousse

Folding, air is the key!!, try adding Grand Marniar insted of tripple secs, bet you will never look back:lol:
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post #10 of 13
4/9/08 at 4:35am
ding ..ding ..ding ..we have a winner.!
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post #11 of 13
4/9/08 at 8:06am
When you made the the two batches, did you assemble your ingredients for both batches, then make one all the way through before proceeding with the second? If so, which one did you make first?
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post #12 of 13
4/9/08 at 11:53am
Thread Starter 
It was a while ago, but I did them one at a time, first dark then white. Since I've only got one electric mixer & only one bowl that "fits" it, ity seemed the only way to go.
As I remember, everything tasted fine, it was the texture (the air/mousse ratio) that was different. Each batch took only about 10-15 minutes to make so I don't think that "sitting time" for the first batch was the problem. Besides, the dark chocolate (the "real" chocolate) was the first batch.
As to the liquor, I'm sure that some grand marnier would make a difference. That's where the dessert budget can sometimes rear its' ugly head, though.
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post #13 of 13
4/9/08 at 1:56pm
Luc is right. Let me see if I can elaborate a little.

"White Chocolate" has a higher fat content, and breaks down the egg white bubbles. Consequently, it's not as easy to leaven. Consequently, most white chocolate mousse recipes are leavened with something sturdy like an Italian meringue or with cream only.

BDL
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