Can I make this Mousse more than 24 hours ahead of time?

December 24, 2011 8:59 AM

I'm making a chocolate mascarpone mousse for Christmas. I've never made one before and I've chosen to make this recipe. Will it simply set up and get dense if I make it in the next hour or so for serving tomorrow evening? Or do I need to wait until tomorrow to make it? I figure I'll make a little whipped cream to serve on top.
posted by Jacob G to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

Best answer: I bet it will get denser and possibly acquire a skin. I imagine that light and fluffy is kind of the point of this recipe. If I were you, I would find something else to make.
posted by ottereroticist at 9:35 AM on December 24, 2011

Or, as you suggest, make it tomorrow.
posted by ottereroticist at 9:42 AM on December 24, 2011

Best answer: There's no reason for it to get denser once it sets. If you want to avoid a skin, which might be unlikely with the mascarpone, simply cover it with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap can touch the pudding if you want to be absolutely certain of no skin, but just tightly wrapping it should suffice, especially if you're piping the mousse or doing some creative design with it and the whipped cream.

I would make it today and let the flavors meld nicely overnight if that's more convenient and it's one less thing to do tomorrow.
posted by shoesietart at 10:12 AM on December 24, 2011 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Yup, what shoesietart said. I would whisk 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest into the final mixture before pouring it into serving cups to bump up the fresh orange flavor if I were making it. Leaving the mousse in the fridge overnight would allow the flavors to meld. Grated zest or dark chocolate would look lovely as a garnish on top of the whipped cream. Bon appetit!
posted by sunnychef88 at 10:19 AM on December 24, 2011

Response by poster: Well, unfortunately I don't have a definitive answer on this as I ruined it while cooking and didn't have enough replacement ingredients. :-(

Chocolate got too hot while melting due to distractions of a screaming baby. Tried to salvage it as an orange chocolate fudge, but the sweetness of the honey never really melded with the unsweetened chocolate and it was not really edible, even when smothered in sweetened whipped cream.

Alas, not all was terrible as my homemade cannolis turned out fantastic!!
posted by Jacob G at 5:56 PM on December 25, 2011