1 lb white chocolate
1 cup whipping cream
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup hot water
1 tbsp vanilla
2 oz sugar
Directions
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat. It's a
good idea to stand over the chocolate while it's melting and stir
until it has melted completely; take it off the heat immediately.
Whip the cream and set aside.
Pour the brandy and hot water slowly into a bowl with the egg yolks,
whisking briskly as you go until completely mixed. Whisk in the melted
chocolate. Keep whisking even after the mixture is completely
combined; this will help cool the chocolate.
Whip the egg whites and the sugar, adding the vanilla as you beat,
until peaking but not dry. Fold the egg-white meringue into the
chocolate mixture carefully with a wooden spoon. Fold in the whipped
cream. This is the most critical part of the recipe. The key to a
great chocolate mousse is incorporating cooled chocolate into whipped
cream. The chocolate must be cool to the touch or the cream will
separate. Lightly blend the two mixtures until uniform.
The mousse is actually at its best texture as soon as mixed.
The Times-Picayune, December 22, 1994
Servings: 1 serving
Andrea's White Chocolate Mousse Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chocolate; Dessert
The History of Recipes
Recipes as a concept can be observed way back into distant history, at least as far as the ancient Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, these, old recipes were just primitive hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing food.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe found, according to experts are a few tablets in Sumerian describing the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel exhilarated and blissful. Progressing into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a number of documents describing recipes enjoyed by the Romans. In his works, Apicius recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into appetizers, entrees and dessert, a style of dining still practiced today. He also tells us how the Roman cooks used a wide range of aromatic flavours, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens like bay, fennel and asafoetida. As our culinary historical trip moves to more modern times there were two interesting books dating from the fourteenth century ; a recipe book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. Despite their titles, these two books have no connection with the curry that is popular today, but rather descriptions of the types of food prepared by the chefs of the rich and powerful of the time. In the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many spices and herbs from the East, including basil and coriander. The introduction of these new culinary ideas led to an outbreak in manuscripts on food, many of which are now in academic collections. Over the following few centuries, the upper-class families of the West competed with each other to serve the most exotic banquets, and as a result the best cooks and their recipe collections became highly prized. Even so, it wasn`t until the 1800s that cooking and recipe publications became popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated their lives to collecting, verifying, and writing down recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. When we get to the twentieth century, cooking books were greatly in demand mostly due to more people being able to read, people having more free time and a general increase in wealth. The TV revolution brought us TV chefs and the accompanying recipe books. And that brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, permitting everybody to search through thousands of recipes such as those found on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Andrea's White Chocolate Mousse recipe.
