Mousse au Chocolat Recipe

Hello Low Carb Conversation visitors! I have discontinued this blog but have started another, Low Carb Wisdom. Visit me there!


Mousse au chocolat is a traditional French dessert. I have seen U.S. recipes (like Alton Brown's version) that are nothing like a real French mousse. And guess what? A real French mousse au chocolat is also a fairly low carb treat. Now, this is not a low carb recipe blog, but since I am in Belgium, where I can easily buy 70% or more dark chocolate (which is lower in sugar and high in cocoa butter), I will post one anyway.

The recipe below uses 70% dark chocolate Belgian chocolate (see nutritional information) but you can also make it with 86% dark Belgian chocolate (see nutritional information).  Ghiradelli also sells dark chocolate, if you cannot easily find dark Belgian chocolate. Whatever brand of dark chocolate you use, make sure cocoa butter is listed on the label. It is found only in high quality chocolate. Note also that in authentic French mousse au chocolat, there isn't any added sugar. I have not adapted this recipe at all; it is naturally low carb!

Ingredients:
100 grams (3.52 ounces) of dark chocolate (this recipe assumes 70% dark Belgian chocolate)
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over water that is simmering, but not boiling. Add butter to the melted chocolate. Note: good Belgian chocolate has a lower melting point than U.S. chocolate and the melted mixture should not be too hot, so it won't cook the egg yolks.

Separate the two eggs. Beat the egg yolks then mix them into the melted chocolate until it is smooth, and without lumps.

Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the chocolate mixture.

Divide into three dishes and refrigerate for three or more hours. Each mousse will have about seven net grams of carbs per serving.

I usually consume fewer than 30 grams of carbs per day, so this would be about a fourth of my daily total. Therefore I would not recommend eating it very often, but it is a nice way to occasionally treat yourself to some dark chocolate, which is high in healthy cocoa butter.