Super Awesome Ideas

Sometimes, when I'm just sitting around or chatting with friends, these dessert ideas pop into my head. Usually, these ideas are what I like to call 'Super Awesome Ideas' - because if I were to see them in front of me, I would probably say "These are super awesome!" Ok, maybe not, but I would at least be thinking it!

This past Thanksgiving, another idea popped into my head. Recreate a cup of espresso in dessert form! The way I envisioned it was to make an espresso cup out of chocolate, then fill it with an espresso mousse, and top it with a little white chocolate mousse (to recreate the foam!) How super awesome would that be? You get your espresso, but you can eat the cup too!

Before I go any further, I should probably mention something. These Super Awesome Ideas are usually a lot more difficult to execute than I imagine. That's the case with these espresso mousse cups! Here's the recipe for the mousse, cause at least that worked out:


Espresso Dark Chocolate Mousse
Adapted from Bobby Flay's recipe for Dark Chocolate Mousse
Makes about 4 big servings (or 10 smaller servings)

5 1/4 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
14 oz cold heavy cream
1 tbsp brewed espresso (or you could probably also use instant espresso/coffee mixed into hot water and allowed to cool), optional
3 large egg whites
3 tbsp sugar

Directions

1. Mix the espresso into the cream. Beat the cream mixture over ice until it forms soft peaks. Set aside and hold at room temperature.
2. Place chocolate in a large bowl set over a bain marie or in a double boiler at a low simmer. Stir chocolate until melted. Turn off the heat and let stand.
3. With a mixer, whip egg to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and continue whipping until firm.
4. Remove the chocolate from the bain marie and using a whisk, fold in the egg whites all at once. When the whites are almost completely incorporated, fold in the whipped cream. Cover the mousse and refrigerate for approximately 1 hour or until set.

I was actually surprised with how simple the recipe was. I always imagined mousse was difficult to make. Yes, you need to make three separate mixtures and combine them all so that takes some time, but it isn't too difficult. I just suggest you keep your chocolate warm, because if it starts to cool when you mix in the egg whites, you might get little flecks of solidified chocolate in your mousse (I got a couple).

I really enjoyed the taste of the mousse, but that's probably because I love dark chocolate and espresso. If you aren't a fan of either of those flavours, it may not be for you, but it does have a nice mousse texture. The recipe was originally for a Dark Chocolate Mousse, but I added in the tablespoon of espresso. So, if you don't like espresso, you can simply leave it out. Obviously, the taste of your mousse is going to depend on the ingredients you choose so if you want to impress, get the best chocolate you can.

What kept me from turning my Super Awesome Idea into reality was time. I know how long it takes to form chocolate moulds, and giving myself an hour to make 10 small chocolate cups was not enough! I might try to make these again, because the mousse (which I thought would be the hardest part) turned out great. I'll just have to wait until I have the time to do it properly and then I can have my Super Awesome Idea come to life!