8 ounces good imported semisweet chocolate (Baker’s sweet chocolate will do)
1 tablespoon Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur), brandy, or white rum
1 tablespoon heavy or light cream
3 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, coarse or fine
Powdered sugar
Melt chocolate with liqueur and cream over low heat (use a double boiler or microwave on low to be safe). Remove from heat when melted.
With electric mixer, beat egg yolks about 3 minutes until thick and lemon-colored. Add sugar, flour, salt, butter, and hazelnuts. Mix well. Add chocolate mixture to batter. Mix thoroughly.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Stir 1/4 of whites into batter to lighten mixture. Carefully fold in rest of whites. Spoon mixture into 8 to 10 small fluted foil baking liners (paper cupcake liners in a muffin tin, a well-buttered muffin tin, individual ramekins, or individual soufflé dishes may also be used).
Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool slightly, then dust tops with powdered sugar from a small sieve. Serve in foil liners on dessert plates with small dessert spoons. Good warm or cool. Freezes well.
Makes 8 Individual Baked Mousses
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes
From “Quick Cuisine: Winter’s Bounty,” originally featured in Domain, Winter 1987
