I begin by place a heavy glass bowl into the freezer for at least an hour to ensure that it is well chilled, which will help you get a better whipped cream. If you don’t have a heavy glass bowl, you can use a stainless steel bowl, or at times, I have placed my bowl on top of a bag of frozen veggies to give me a cold surface.
Put chocolate in a bowl and create a double-boiler by placing it on top of a small pot with some simmering water. You want to have a bowl that doesn’t stick out over the edge too much and that just fits the pot.
While the chocolate is melting, make your whipped cream. Bring it to the firm peak stage, but take care not to overwhip your cream. It should still look shiny and glossy, not dry. Place in the fridge to keep cold while you are working.
Separate your eggs, taking great care not to get any yolks into your whites, which will inhibit your ability to get a good meringue. You want to make sure that you have a clean bowl that has no trace of oil or grease for your meringue; glass or stainless steel are best. It is very difficult to get a really good meringue in a plastic bowl.
Whip your egg whites into a firm peak meringue. As with the whipped cream, they should still be shiny and glossy looking when you are finished so that you know you have not overwhipped them.
Give the egg yolks a keep whisk and blend in your melted chocolate. You will need to work quickly from this point forward to ensure that everything is properly mixed before the chocolate sets firm again.
Fold you chocolate-egg mixture into the meringue. Take care with your folding so that you can maintain as much air in the mixture as possible. It is the air in the meringue and the whipped cream that gives the mousse its texture.
Once the chocolate mixture has been folded into the meringue, fold this mixture into the whipped cream. Again, take care to fold and not whisk so that you can maintain as much air into the mousse as possible.
Once all parts are combined, place into the fridge for several hours, and up to 3 days. You can also take this opportunity to place into the dessert dish of your choice so that it sets up in the dish. I used small clear glasses, but there are countless options.
