Easy Chocolate Mousse

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I looked at this recipe and thought, this is easy. Negative reviews were due to the chocolate being overheated. To microwave or not to microwave. Mine has been acting strange so I thought, double boiler. Easy enough. Chocolate was melting fine but in a split second, it went from smooth to grainy. I work as a business development manger at a food brokerage and needed this for part of a presentation so I had to make this work. So, if this happens to you, don't panic. Here's how you fix it. Take a chunk of butter, warm it up by squishing it through your clean, dry fingers and add it to the chocolate (very theraputic, using your rubber spatula, start mixing it in. The consistency will start to change.
Then, taking a deep breath, reach for the heavy whipping cream and pour a little around the edge and over the top, again working with the spatula, folding it in, this should bring it back to a smoother, glossier, consistency. Not quite looking like the perfectly melted chocolate just prior to the disaster. Make your whipping cream, fold it into the chocolate and it will be awesome. No one will ever know, unless you believe confession is good for the soul or your ego!

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Let me preface this by saying that I registered for a membership to this site solely so I could tell others how terrible this recipe is.

I googled "easy mousse recipe" and and came across this one, I like Michael Chiarello, I like mousse, what could go wrong? I was probably distracted by the handsome display picture of Michael, clouding my judgment and pushing me to opt for this recipe...big mistake.

After analyzing the steps involved, it confused me that the instructions suggested microwaving the chocolate rather than using a double boiler. My experience with microwaving chocolate has never proven successful, so I was a bit apprehensive but still trusted Michael's expertise, he was the professional, right? However, after microwaving the butter and chocolate, the mixture turned out exactly as expected, a dry, immalleable brick. In an attemept to salvage this concoction that I knew was destined to fail, I added heavy cream to thin the chocolate/egg yolk/butter disaster. It seemed to work, it was still thicker than expected, but had promise.

I then constructed the whipped cream that I must say, was made flawlessly (with no help fro, you, Mike. It then came time to fold the whipped cream into the now rock hard chocolate. WHAT? What sort of food science principles has Michael been taught? Upon folding, the whipped cream began to break as I relentlessly tried to create the mousse that some how received four stars. Through a grimace, I set the beater as low as possible to try and whip air back into the cream and combine the chocolate uniformly. Predictably, the mousse became a soupy, chunky, unmousse-like mess. Needlessly to say it was discarded and a new dessert needed to be constructed. THANKS FOR RUINING MY CHRISTMAS MICHAEL CHIARELLO!

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I wasn't so sure about making this recipe after reading some of the reviws, but I am so glad I tried it!I followed the diections to the letter (something I rarely do and it was awesome.I created a cheesecake type dessert.I first made cheesecake in a 13 by 9 pan then topped it with melted chocolate and cream mixed,then put the chocolate mousse on that then home made whipped cream Yummy!

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I've tried this twice, convinced I did something wrong the first time. Not so. The yolk (even when allowing the chocolate to cool first, when added to the chocolate, turns it into a thick glob of chocolate. The result is delicious, but definitely clumpy and not smooth, chocolate glob. For a much better mousse recipe, try Wolfgang Puck's. Smooth as silk.

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I dont know how some previous reviews said this was awfull, i have made this recipe at least 5 times in the past year, and everytime, it came out terrific, i use white chocolate chips, for white chocolate mousse, and semi sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate mousse, it has come out perfect every time!! thank you Michael Chiarello!!

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I couldn't wait to try this recipe after seeing Michael's show. Before I invest my time and effort into any recipe, I think about who is going to be eating the dish. For me, I don't care for dark chocolate so I decided to use bittersweet but at the same time I didn't think 2 Tablespoons of sugar would be sweet enough for my taste so I added 4 Tablespoons. I used the microwave to melt the chocolate which worked great. You do have to be careful not to overzap in the microwave. The last time I used the double boiler method I got in a hurry and got moisture into the bowl which caused the mixture to seize so I guess the message is, watch carefully and timely with either method.
If I had been preparing the mousse for my husband, dark chocolate would have been preferred. I think it is a must to analize any recipe and adjust to one's own personal preference. I often make substitutions when I know someone who will be dining at my table doesn't care for a spice or ingredient. All our taste are different so make adjustments as necessary. I personally do not care for cilantro so when I see cilantro as an ingredient in a recipe I substitute half the amount with parsley. Cooking is easier than one would expect, one just has to learn to make small adjustments for personal taste.

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Something is seriously wrong with the amounts called for in the ingredients. This is the WORST supposed to be mousse there is. You basically end up with a really expensive yet crappy chocolate pudding.

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i love it every seen mylyshia freeport

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This is the worst recipe ever.

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MOIST AND FULL OF FLAVOR A+++++++++++++++++++++++