As a kid, I used to be fascinated with mousse. I mean, I seriously just couldn’t get enough it – how could something that sounded like a big fat deer taste oh so good?

Mousse originated in the culturally rich country of France, which I’m not entirely surprised to learn. The fashion, the cuisine, the style, the Eiffel Tower, le Tour De France, the language and well, the mousse. You name it, those French have got it. Surprisingly, mousse only made its entry into North American cuisine during the 60’s, only to be replaced by the name we’re more familiar with: ‘whip’.

The main ingredient used in mousse is raw eggs; as unappealing as it sounds, it’s the true essence of this dessert. That’s how the light, fluffy texture of the dessert formulates. However, I’ve come across many chefs who find that whisking eggs tends to be a tedious task – my very own experiences are quite similar. What’s the right texture? How much is too much? – I get totally confused. And so, I discovered this recipe which entirely eliminates the use of eggs but still gives mousse its renowned fluffy texture.

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa powder
• 3 tbsps butter/margarine
• 2 tsp powdered instant espresso dissolved in 2 tsps hot water
• 2 cups (1 pint) cold whipping cream

Combine sweetened condensed milk, butter, cocoa and coffee in medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until, stirring constantly until butter melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, cool. Beat whipping cream in large bowl until it forms stiff fluffy peaks. Be careful not to over-whip the cream, it becomes liquidy. Gradually fold chocolate mixture into whipped cream. Spoon in to dishes and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Garnish with grated chocolate.

Do note that the quantity of cream used gives an extremely rich texture and feel to the mousse. To make it more light and fluffy, increase the amount of cream used. I usually make the mousse with around 4 cups of cream.