1892 Is The First Record Of Chocolate Mousse In America

There is a dish that speaks of deep richness, a thick creamy substance comprised of that most decadent of flavors, chocolate. This is the day dedicated to this most delicious of desserts. This isn’t a day for delicacy though, this is the day to completely immerse yourself in this dedication to culinary debauchery. Julia Child is known as having created the perfect Chocolate Mousse, including dark-brewed coffee, butter, bittersweet chocolate, eggs, dark rum, and vanilla extract. This Chocolate Mousse day, let your creativity shine!

In French, the word Mousse means ‘foam’, and this is an apt description of this dessert, being light and frothy, or creamy and thick, it all depends on how you prepare this scrumptious treat. Though the origins of this delicacy are largely unknown, it is known that it was a popular dish in the 18th century in France. However the first written record of its appearance is actually from an exposition in New York City in 1892.

The recipe first started appearing in a “Housekeepers Column” in the 1897 edition of the Boston globe. The recipe actually produced a dish with far more in common with chocolate pudding, instead of the more familiar foamy treat of this day. It wasn’t until egg whites were introduced to the recipe, parted from the yellow yolks. It was an art form to create the mousse, as it was necessary to hand whip it at a consistent pace for a long period of time, it wasn’t until the electric mixer was involved that it became common to produce the proper consistency.

There are many recipes for a chocolate mousse, all of them introducing different combinations of flavorings and toppings, all in the attempt to produce the perfect mousse flavor and consistency. The first step of creating the perfect chocolate mousse is of course utilizing the best possible chocolate available to you.

There are many ways to celebrate this day, among them being serving chocolate mousse to your family, or bringing them into the office. A challenge can be laid out to those co-workers to bring in their favorite chocolate mousse, whether it’s an old family recipe, or one from their favorite confectionary shop.

1. Cold dessert mousses are often poured into decorative glasses and garnished with fruit, sweet sauces, or whipped cream.
2. Savory mousses can be made from fish, shellfish, meat, foie gras, etc.
3. There are three key constituents to a mousse: base, binder, and aerator.
4. They may be hot or cold and are often squeezed through a piping bag onto some kind of platform to be used as hors d’oeuvres.
5. Savory mousse dishes were an 18th century French achievement. Dessert mousses (generally fruit mousses) began to appear much later, in the second half of the 19th century.
6. Chocolate mousse came into the public eye in the U.S. in the 1930s, about the time as chocolate pudding mixes were introduced.

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