Chocolate Friday: When the Cupboard is Bare

I found this nifty little site some while ago and bookmarked it for a morning just like this one.  My cupboard is indeed bare.  I need to go the grocery store, but who has time?  Where are the errand-elves when you need them?  Heh.  Not to worry!  Cookingbynumbers.com offers recipe ideas for the items you have on hand. 

This morning, I checked these items:  coffee, eggs, and chocolate.  Guess what?  That's 100% of the ingredients needed to make chocolate mousse:

Chocolate Mousse
(a la cookingbynumbers)

4 eggs
200 g/7 oz chocolate, grated
5 tbsp hot strong coffee

Separate the eggs, whisk whites until stiff.  Grate chocolate and add in hot coffee to melt the chocolate (heat gently if it needs more melting).  Whisk in the egg yolks. 

Fold egg whites into the chocolate mix. 

Decant into a bowl or individual bowls and refrigerate to chill.

Can it really be that easy?  I've avoided chocolate mousse all this time because I thought it was too hard... too much of a 3-dot recipe for this one-dot cook to even try.   But this... well, howleelooya, I'm gonna give this a try. 

cookingbynumbers.com even has a "how-to" skills list, for things like brule, folding, piping and separating an egg.  Unfortunately, there's no description there for decanting, so I'll have to figure that one out elsewhere.  Hey, maybe someday I'll graduate and become a two-dot cook!  Pics to follow.

UPDATE: I can't imagine why anybody in their right mind would actually try to hand whisk egg whites to stiffness.  Your arm could fall off.  You could grow old!  Or both!!  Go electric, that's my advice.  This recipe wasn't bad, I was pretty pleased with it.  A dollop of unsweetened whipped cream was just the thing.  Next time, I would probably use a tad bit of flavoring, maybe almond or orange extract.

I need to pause and say thanks to those folx who emailed and wondered about my blog-absence .  You know who you are, and you're much appreciated! :)

Comments

[The Banker]

ummmm.....chocolate! Bring it on. Your Choclate Mousse recipe sounds like our dessert today....especially like the strong coffee addition great for a Starbuck fan... try Gold Coast with its delicious bold flavor. If you and your readers love chocolate you'll be intrigued by the creative college student baker at http://thestudentstomach.blogspot.com she has some really appetizing chocolate recipes and photos including her yummy Brown-ka-roons! Check it out! By the way...."Chocolateshow" is coming to New York City on November 10-13. You may know that it is modeled after the famous Salon du Chocolat in Paris!

[ReNae Nae]

I certainly think I must have died and gone to heaven. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[Scott]

Awesome! I'll have to give that a shot.

[Bendita]

Hey, so glad you are back. Thought that you had deserted your loyal readers. Missed reading yr stuff terribly.