5 Ingredients or Fewer

Chocolate Mousse with Cointreau and Chocolate Shards

by:
January 28, 2010
4.3
3 Ratings
Chocolate Mousse with Cointreau and Chocolate Shards
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

This recipe was adapted from one given to me by the pastry chef at Anthos, an excellent Greek restaurant here in New York, for a piece I wrote for the Times. It couldn’t be simpler to make, but the results are spectacular -- you use nothing but good quality dark chocolate, a little milk and some heavy cream, ending up with essentially a whipped ganache.

Back when I used to make chocolate mousse a lot for dinner parties and catering gigs, I often folded in a splash of Cointreau and some chocolate shards, which I thought gave it some extra oomph. I hope you enjoy it! —Merrill Stubbs

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 10.5 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate (Valhrona, etc.)
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions
  1. Roughly chop 7.5 oz. of the chocolate and put it into a medium, heavy saucepan. Refrigerate the rest of the chocolate until you're ready to use it. Add the milk and salt to the saucepan and gently heat the mixture until the chocolate melts, whisking until smooth. Set aside to cool completely.
  2. Meanwhile, grate the cold chocolate so that you have coarse shards and return them to the fridge in a small bowl. Stir the Cointreau into the chocolate mixture, combining thoroughly. Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks, and then gently fold in the cooled chocolate and the chocolate shards, just until combined. Spoon the mousse into 8 individual cups or glasses and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until set. Serve with a sip of Cointreau or Grand Marnier on the side if you like.
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16 Reviews

NakedBeet
NakedBeet March 2, 2016
Hi Merrill, I remember this recipe when it was first posted, and am eager to check out the texture. I've done a baine-marie version of mousse and maybe the egg yolk one, but I'm hoping this simpler one will be the the winner. Would you say this sets similar to those or the ganache description makes me think it's more like a truffle?
 
giuia.grady
giuia.grady June 6, 2013
Absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to make. I omitted the cointreau as it formed part of a dessert table where kids were able to partake from. I served in on little teaspoons as part of a sampler plate. Just perfect.
 
Nikki S.
Nikki S. September 14, 2012
Chocolate and orange, what an awesome match every time
 
BavarianCook
BavarianCook June 13, 2012
This was so good and so easy!!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
 
Mother_of_plants
Mother_of_plants February 19, 2012
what other brands / varieties of chocolate have people used for this recipe? would something like a bar of cholocolate (e.g., Lindt) be suitable?
 
allicat
allicat February 14, 2012
I just made this for tonight and am so surprised at how ridiculously easy AND delicious this is! Definitely keeping this recipe, thank you! :-)
 
Iris9
Iris9 January 1, 2012
Made this last night as part of a New Year's bash -- I had three Food 52 recipes on my menu and all of them were hits. Only change: I prefer the mousse right after it's made -- it's so light and fluffy and so damn delicious! Will be making it again real soon. If you like a denser, truffle-like texture than leave this baby in the fridge overnight.
 
wssmom
wssmom April 30, 2011
Had no Cointreau on hand, so subbed in howtocookabear's cardamom blood-orange syrup from her Bloodhound recipe; spectacular!
 
healthierkitchen
healthierkitchen February 18, 2011
Made this for a belated Valentine's dinner this week. Just delicous! One question - is there a better way to grate the chocolate than a box grater? Even on the largest holes the pieces seemed too flimsy to hold their shape in the mousse.
 
zingyginger
zingyginger February 26, 2011
I shaved the chocolate with a bread knife and that worked quite well.
 
ellen-watermelon
ellen-watermelon February 14, 2011
man, oh man. made this today for the first time. 8 servings? i.don't.think.so. not if one of those served is me. :-)
 
zingyginger
zingyginger February 26, 2011
It is soooo rich. Like digging into chocolate truffles. I couldn't finish it even if I tried (and I consider chocolate a basic food group).
 
chelsea0919
chelsea0919 February 14, 2011
Can this desert be made 1 day in advance? If so, can i put the mousse into a larger dish so it is more portable?
thanks!
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. February 14, 2011
Yes to both!
 
Megan H.
Megan H. February 14, 2011
Made this for Valentine's Day and we couldn't get enough! It was delicious!
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. February 14, 2011
So glad you liked it. Can't wait for your wedding!