Two-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

My friends Rob and Jen sent me this recipe they recommended from Serious Eats (the article with video instructions is here, and the recipe, here). It’s for a two-ingredient chocolate mousse that seemed not only too easy to be any good, but also somewhat like it was defying the laws of physics. I’ve always been told to never mix chocolate with water, because something happens with the fat in the chocolate that would ruin the consistency once water mixes with it. Yet this recipe achieves a chocolate mousse by mixing water and chocolate, and nothing else. I decided to give it a go, and let me tell you right now: don’t be put off by the 5 minutes of whisking by hand; it’s really not that bad. And the result, surprising as it is, is so worth it! You do need quality chocolate, obviously, since it’s the only thing you’ll taste, and you end up with a very rich mousse that is lactose-free, but also nut-free, gluten-free and vegan (as long as your chocolate fits those criteria, but if you have those food restrictions, I’m assuming your favourite chocolate does). I loved the result and will definitely make this part of my repertoire!

350 g dark chocolate, chopped
270 g water
cold water and ice, for ice bath

Put equal parts water and ice into a medium bowl for the ice bath.

Boil the 270 g water in a saucepan, or in the microwave, and pour it into a second medium bowl. Add the chopped chocolate and stir with a spatula or whisk until all the pieces are melted, about 2 minutes.

Place the bowl with the chocolate over the ice bath and whisk vigorously. Continue to whisk until the mixture has the consistency of stiffly whipped cream (about 5 minutes), and then quickly divide it between individual serving cups or into a serving bowl. Refrigerate.