Wherefore the best chocolate mousse? (SF Bay Area)
February 15, 2020 11:57 AM Subscribe
Where in the San Francisco Bay Area may I consume really excellent chocolate mousse?
Here are my criteria, in order of importance:
1) It must be primarily mousse. Not pot de creme, or pudding, or some other dessert with a dollop of mousse on top. Chocolate mousse cake is acceptable IFF it's composed of at least 50% mousse.
2) It must be primarily chocolate flavored. A chocolate raspberry mousse is acceptable; a multi-layer concoction with only one thin layer of chocolate mousse is sadly not qualified for this position.
3) The closer to Palo Alto, the better, but I'm willing to drive up to an hour for great chocolate mousse.
4) If you manage to find a dairy-free chocolate mousse that I don't have to make at home, I will love you forever. Egg-containing preferred, but a vegan version that can be directly compared to "traditional" chocolate mousse is also great.
Surely someone else lives around here and loves chocolate mousse as much as I do? Give me your recommendations please!
Here are my criteria, in order of importance:
1) It must be primarily mousse. Not pot de creme, or pudding, or some other dessert with a dollop of mousse on top. Chocolate mousse cake is acceptable IFF it's composed of at least 50% mousse.
2) It must be primarily chocolate flavored. A chocolate raspberry mousse is acceptable; a multi-layer concoction with only one thin layer of chocolate mousse is sadly not qualified for this position.
3) The closer to Palo Alto, the better, but I'm willing to drive up to an hour for great chocolate mousse.
4) If you manage to find a dairy-free chocolate mousse that I don't have to make at home, I will love you forever. Egg-containing preferred, but a vegan version that can be directly compared to "traditional" chocolate mousse is also great.
Surely someone else lives around here and loves chocolate mousse as much as I do? Give me your recommendations please!
I'd call these people, who don't offer it, but seem like they would know who does.
posted by rhizome at 4:18 PM on February 15, 2020
posted by rhizome at 4:18 PM on February 15, 2020
Response by poster: To clarify, I'm looking for *personal recommendations* of chocolate mousse that you've tried and loved. Not all are made equal (even in Paris, as I discovered once).
posted by serelliya at 5:32 PM on February 15, 2020
posted by serelliya at 5:32 PM on February 15, 2020
Best answer: This is a little out of your range but if you are ever in Sacramento Magpie Cafe has the most amazing Chocolate Avocado mousse, everyone we’ve taken there who’s tried it has loved it. I can not remember if it’s vegan though.
posted by lepus at 6:53 PM on February 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by lepus at 6:53 PM on February 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Cafe Gratitude (santa cruz) makes an excellent vegan chocolate mousse. I cant seem to find their dessert menu online but I cant imagine they dont serve them anymore. I loathe many things about that restaurant, but their desserts are incredible.
posted by ananci at 7:27 PM on February 15, 2020
posted by ananci at 7:27 PM on February 15, 2020
Best answer: A couple Berkeley suggestions:
The Oaxacan chocolate budin at Comal. This has some heat to it, and I love it.
Mousse cakes at Masse's Pastries. Might fall slightly under your 50% mousse cutoff, but they are delicious. You can get mini-cakes for one.
posted by ktkt at 8:10 PM on February 15, 2020
The Oaxacan chocolate budin at Comal. This has some heat to it, and I love it.
Mousse cakes at Masse's Pastries. Might fall slightly under your 50% mousse cutoff, but they are delicious. You can get mini-cakes for one.
posted by ktkt at 8:10 PM on February 15, 2020
Best answer: Maybe not a direct answer but it’s wicked easy to make traditional French mousse yourself. You just have to be comfortable with raw eggs. You basically melt really good dark chocolate, whip it slowly into egg yolks, and then fold that carefully into pre-beaten egg whites. Then chill for a couple hours until it sets. If done right with good chocolate it’ll be as good as or better than any restaurant version.
https://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_mousse-au-chocolat-facile_13585.aspx
In French but really easy to translate. The “sucre vanillé” is basically a 10 gram packet of vanilla sugar. You could replace by adding a few drops of vanilla to the melted chocolate. The chocolate should be about 60-65% and sweetened. Not the American unsweetened baking chocolate. Here’s the brand we use usually: https://www.latableadessert.fr/
We have this fairly regularly at home. I know you said you didn’t want to but I promise it’s easy! And then you don’t have to drive all over...
posted by ohio at 12:05 AM on February 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
https://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_mousse-au-chocolat-facile_13585.aspx
In French but really easy to translate. The “sucre vanillé” is basically a 10 gram packet of vanilla sugar. You could replace by adding a few drops of vanilla to the melted chocolate. The chocolate should be about 60-65% and sweetened. Not the American unsweetened baking chocolate. Here’s the brand we use usually: https://www.latableadessert.fr/
We have this fairly regularly at home. I know you said you didn’t want to but I promise it’s easy! And then you don’t have to drive all over...
posted by ohio at 12:05 AM on February 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
Just to expand on the use of raw eggs: you can use a sous vide to pasteurize eggs if you want to avoid the use of raw eggs: https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/pasteurized-eggs-68
posted by coberh at 8:40 AM on February 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by coberh at 8:40 AM on February 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Hello, fellow vegan chocolate mousse lover. At risk of going off-ask, I haven't felt the need to buy premade mousse since I heard Hervé This talking about how you can make it with just chocolate and water (and a little salt). This is the most mind-blowing recipe in terms of simplicity and ease. It's definitely a recipe for breaking out the good chocolate. Mmm, I haven't made this since before Thanksgiving but now I know what I'll be making for dessert tonight!
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014542-bittersweet-chocolate-mousse-with-fleur-de-sel
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:52 AM on February 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014542-bittersweet-chocolate-mousse-with-fleur-de-sel
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:52 AM on February 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
« Older Baltic Pagan Resources and Online Communities? | Rapid, seamless syncing of photos from a mobile... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by blob at 3:32 PM on February 15, 2020 [1 favorite]