Every year for Valentine’s Day, the recipe expectations can reach unrealistic heights, but it doesn’t have to be so complicated. What if there was a dessert easy enough for a beginner to put together, but fancy enough to make you look like a professional? Well, there is! It’s chocolate mousse, and you can make it to impress a date, your friends, or just for yourself.

Chocolate mousse is one of those staples that almost everyone loves and can be topped with just about any fruit. However, if spending Valentine’s Day binge-watching your favourite shows is your go-to event, then chocolate mousse doesn’t judge. It’s just there to support you as a good chocolate dessert should.

For this recipe, you will need a small kitchen scale. If you don’t already have one, the great news is kitchen scales are relatively inexpensive at most grocery or department stores. As for containers, you can get fancy or use any small cups or bowls you might have at home.

There are only two places where this dessert may become a little temperamental, but with a bit of patience and a lot of care, it is just another stepping stone to chocolate heaven.

The first is when melting the chocolate. Chocolate and water don’t mix, so you need to melt it carefully using a water bath or double boiler. First, pick a smaller pan than the bowl you’re using to melt the chocolate in. Fill the bottom of the pan with water and place it on an element, then place the bowl on top so that it seals the pan. Turn the heat on so that the water is hot, but not at a boil. This way, the chocolate should melt without burning and without any water making its way in. Once the chocolate melts, the other tricky part is adding it to the egg mixture. This part is tricky because you don’t want to cook the eggs with the heat of the chocolate, but you also need the chocolate to be melted for it to mix in with the rest. At this point, you want to use some quick, yet gentle folding to get it blended perfectly.

The absolute best part of this recipe is that even if you mess it up, it will be less fluffy and far denser, but will still taste great. So, in reality, it’s a win-win! If you have nothing to lose, why not give it a try? You might just impress yourself!

INGREDIENTS

285 grams semisweet chocolate
40 grams butter
5 egg yolks
5 egg whites
60 grams sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Combine chocolate and butter, melt over a hot water bath.

Whip egg yolks and one-third of the sugar together until egg yolks are fluffy and at full volume.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites with another one-third of the sugar until the egg whites reach full volume with stiff peaks.

Fold egg whites into egg yolks gently.

Take the melted chocolate and butter mixture and mix it so that it cools slightly, then fold it into the egg and sugar mixture.

Add vanilla.

Whip the heavy cream with the last of the sugar until it reaches stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream into the mixture.

Scoop into your favourite bowl or cup and refrigerate.

If you’re feeling fancy, slice up some strawberries and place them on top of the mousse once it is chilled.