A Safe Chocolate Mousse

Lately, I have been lax in my blogging. As I write this, there are only a couple of more days left before we leave for our annual trip to Turkey, and it is clear that I will not be able to post all those recipes that piled up in the past few months. I'll do the best I can before we leave; and after we come back, I hope to dedicate the rest of the summer to Our Patisserie so that it catches up with my Turkish blog.

These days, you may be tempted more with fruity and light desserts, but I offer you chocolate instead. I don't mind eating a good chocolate mousse any time of the year, and I hope that you feel the same way as well. This recipe (adapted from Alice Medrich's A Year in Chocolate) can be a good alternative for those of you who are concerned about consuming uncooked eggs.

• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
  
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 2 tsp hot water
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbs plus 3 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Dissolve the coffee granules in 2 tsp hot water. Bring 1/2 c of cream to a simmer, add the chocolate pieces and the coffee mixture. Stir continuously until the mixture is smooth.

Whisk the eggs with 1 tbs of water and 2 tbs sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl in a skillet of close-to-simmering water and whisk continuously (to prevent the eggs from scrambling) until the eggs register 160F on an instant thermometer. Remove the bowl from the skillet, and beat the eggs on high speed until they reach the consistency of softly whipped cream. First lighten the chocolate mixture with one quarter of the eggs; then scrape the rest into the chocolate mixture and fold just until evenly incorporated. Divide into 6 ramekins. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Whip the remaining 1/2 c cream with 3 tsp sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Serve the mousse with dollops of whipped cream and chocolate curls.