2000s Recipes + Menus

Mousse au Moka et Poivre (Mocha Mousse with Sichuan Peppercorns)

Serves 4
  • Active time:15 min
  • Start to finish:4 hr (includes chilling)
RECIPE BY RAQUEL CARENA
September 2008
In an intriguing play on the combination of chocolate and chiles, this rich mousse gets its faint tingle from Sichuan peppercorns.
  • 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coffee beans
  • 4 oz 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • Equipment:

    a mortar and pestle or an electric coffee/spice grinder; 4 (4- to 5-oz) serving glasses or ramekins

  • Accompaniment:

    lightly sweetened whipped cream
  • Grind peppercorns with mortar and pestle.
  • Bring cream, coffee, and pepper to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 30 minutes. Strain cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids.
  • Melt chocolate in a large bowl. Stir in cream. Cool slightly.
  • Beat egg whites with sugar using an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture gently but thoroughly.
  • Spoon mousse into glasses and chill at least 3 hours.
Cooks’ notes:
  • The egg whites in this recipe are not cooked.
  • Mousse can be chilled up to 3 days.
  • We’ve also got a web-exclusive recipe using the leftover Sichuan peppercorns.

Photograph by John Kernick

Keywords
raquel carena,
buy this make that,
dessert,
chocolate,
coffee

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