Mutti's Mousse

This is the mousse recipe my grandmother (Mutti) would make. It's excellent as a mousse or even as a pie filler. Just pour it into a pre-cooked pie crust for an amazing chocolate pie. The original recipe calls for rum, but I prefer to use 1-2 tablespoons of vanilla extract instead. Better chocolate yields better results, so buy your favorite or chop up a quality bar of chocolate rather than using the cheap stuff (unless the cheap stuff IS the good stuff!). Also, you can mix dark and semi-sweet for a richer, darker mousse. After making this recipe many times I find that it pays to have everything ready to go rather than strictly moving from step to step. If you can manage without burning the milk, whip the cream while waiting for milk to boil (and for the ice to melt in the blender if you need more time). If you don't do it all serially, this takes very little time and effort to make for how well received it always is!

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 6-8 small portions

Ingredients

• 1  cup milk
• 6  tablespoons rum or 1  tablespoon vanilla
• 1 (1/4ounce) envelope gelatin
• 1  egg
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  cup  semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3  ice cubes
• 1  cup heavy cream
• 1  cup heavy cream (whipped)

Directions

1. Bring the milk and rum (or vanilla) to a boil.
2. Pour into a blender.
3. Add package of gelatine and blend until dissolved (just a few seconds).
4. Add egg, sugar, and chocolate chips. Blend on high speed.
5. When chocolate fully melts, add ice and 1 cup of heavy cream and blend until the ice melts.
6. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whip 1 cup of heavy cream and fold in the blender's contents.
7. Pour mousse into container(s) and chill until set (usually takes a couple hours). I usually use some fancy votive candle holders, but any small container works great for individual portions. It's a good idea to make the day before.
8. Serve with whipped cream (and a few chocolate shavings if you want that extra bit of presentation).