Milk Chocolate Mousse: COME and GET IT!

This Milk Chocolate Mousse recipe from “COME and GET IT!” by the Pioneer Woman is equal parts creamy, indulgent, and easy… and I’m so glad that I tried it out. You see, my in-laws visited over the weekend and really I wanted to make a new, and “fancy”, dessert for my mother-in-law. After flipping through several Pioneer Woman cookbooks, this recipe* was what I decided on… and guess what? My in-laws LOVED it. So, now I’m sharing the step-by-step recipe with you. But I haven’t even told you the best part yet: this dessert can be made a day in advance, and left in the refrigerator overnight. Score!

INGREDIENTS (makes 4 to 6 servings):
8 ounces Milk Chocolate, plus more for grating and garnish
4 tablespoons salted Butter, softened
2 cups Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Sugar
4 large Egg Yolks
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

INSTRUCTIONS:
If you’re using a chocolate bar break 8 ounces of it into small pieces, for melting. Reserve the rest of the chocolate for grating and serving — and resist the urge to snack on it.

Find a heatproof glass bowl. Put the 8 ounces of milk chocolate and the 4 tablespoons of butter in the bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter; you can melt it on the stovetop in a double broiler*, or in the microwave*.

Stir the melted chocolate and butter to make sure it is well combined, then set it aside to cool slightly.

Now, it’s time to make whipped cream. So, fit an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, and pour in the 2 cups of heavy cream and 1/4 cup sugar into the bowl.

Whip the cream and sugar, with the electric mixer oh high speed, until the mixture thickens up and has stiff peaks… and voilà, pat yourself on the back, because you just made whipped cream.

Separate the eggs, you’ll need 4 large egg yolks* for this recipe… and this is, actually, super ironic. My in-laws gave me these eggs; they are from the chickens on their farm. So, I’m using eggs from my in-law’s farm to make dessert for them. Full circle. Or, should I say “full oval”… because, you know, eggs are oval. Ha ha.

Now, you’ll need to temper the egg yolks so they don’t scramble when you pour them in the chocolate. So, add a spoonful of the warm chocolate to the egg yolks…

… and whisk the chocolate and egg mixture until it is well combined.

Add the tempered egg mixture to the big bowl of melted chocolate.

Followed by the 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract, then gently stir the chocolate/egg/vanilla mixture until it is well combined.

Using a silicone spatula, add seventy-five percent of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture (you’ll be saving the other twenty-five percent for serving). Now, this next part is important…

Slowly and gently begin folding the cream into the chocolate, and I mean SLOWLY and GENTLY. If you stir too fast it will turn into a sticky liquid, not a mousse…

Be patient… while you continue folding… slowly… and gently…

Until it is well combined.

Now, spoon the mousse into serving glasses, bowls, or ramekins; whatever you plan on serving the mousse in.

Store the mousse in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. However, you can make these a day in advance and leave them in the fridge overnight, simply cover them with some plastic wrap. I put my jars on a pan, to keep my refrigerator organized.

Also, place the remaining cream in the fridge, covered, for serving.

When you’re ready to serve, remove the mousse from the refrigerator.

Add a dollop of cream to each mousse.

Get out the leftover chocolate, and grate some over the cream. I used a cheese grater.

Garnish each mousse cup with a piece of the chocolate you used…

Then serve… and Enjoy.

*Milk Chocolate Mousse: This recipe came from The Pioneer Woman’s newest cookbook, Come and Get It!

*Melting Chocolate in a Double Broiler: Put the chocolate in a heat proof glass bowl. Put the glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Carefully stir the chocolate until it is barley melted, then remove the bowl from the sauce pan and set aside. Don’t leave it over the simmering water too long, it might seize.

*Melting Chocolate in the Microwave: Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat it on medium-high for 1 minute. Carefully (the bowl will be hot) remove the bowl from the microwave and stir the chocolate. Repeat the microwave process, but for shorter heating intervals; 15 to 20 seconds, always stirring in between. Continue until the chocolate is at a desired consistency; aka. thin and glorious.

*Egg Yolk Disclaimer: Consumption of raw or undercooked eggs could increase the risk of foodborne illness. Here’s what the Pionner Woman said on her blog, in a post about raw eggs in French Silk Pie; “getting sick from eating raw egg products—particularly if you’re very careful to use very fresh eggs that have been adequately refrigerated and that weren’t cracked in the carton—is relatively unlikely, I have to insist that those of you who are older, pregnant, or those of you with compromised immune systems shouldn’t use this recipe. Kids under three should probably avoid it, too. I care about each and every one of you, ya know.”

Cook Long and Prosper.

Sincerely, the Uncustomary Housewife