Posted on Friday, 7th January 2011 by Grace

You may not know this but chocolate is like oil.  Have you ever heard the saying, “never mix oil and water”?  Well, the same has been said about chocolate as well.  As a Chocolate Lover I have read countless articles that mixing precious chocolate with water is a big no-no!

A photo of 2 Chocolate Chantilly desserts in glass cups.

They also say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks so don’t call me an old dog because I’m learning some new tricks about chocolate!  I just tried an impressive easy chocolate dessert lovingly called Chocolate Chantilly. Chocolate Chantilly is actually an Easy Chocolate Mousse that has only two ingredients – Chocolate and Water. Mon Dieu!

If you pride yourself on being a Chocolate Connoisseur you may be a bit skeptical.  I know I was.  To quote yet another common expression, I had to see it to believe it. And most importantly, I had to taste it.

A photo of Chocolate Chantilly (Easy Chocolate Mousse) garnished with raspberries and chocolate shavings.

In fact, with precise measurements, good quality chocolate (70% cocoa solids), very little elbow grease and less than 5 minutes of your time you can make a killer Chocolate Mousse.

And I must say, not just any chocolate mousse, but one that is rich and velvety in texture.  Keep in mind with only two ingredients (one of them being WATER) the quality of the chocolate is VERY important.

A photo of 2 Chocolate Chantilly desserts in glass cups.

Your standard run-of-the-mill chocolate chips won’t do for this recipe.  No, this is when you need reach into that special cupboard.  You know the one? – The one where you stash those special ingredients. Reach in and take hold of those exquisite Cadillac bars of chocolate.  The ones you’ve been saving for that especially remarkable dessert.  Those bars of luscious chocolate will elevate this simple, 2-ingredient dessert to a “Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong” top 20 hit!

A photo of fresh raspberries in a colander, used for garnishing a chocolate mousse dessert.

If you’re like me you prefer to try a recipe the first time as written but keep in mind you can experiment with this recipe and add different flavour profiles the next time. I highly recommend keeping your measurements precise for this recipe.  If you want to experiment and add a tablespoon of liqueur make sure to reduce the amount of water by a tablespoon. You can also infuse flavours into your water.

The trick to this recipe is to watch the consistency.  I used a whisk the first time so I could control how much and how fast I whisked and I was able to reach the perfect consistency the first time (Oh, the bliss! Oh do I wish I could be so lucky when it came to pie dough).

A photo of Chocolate Chantilly (2-ingredient chocolate mousse dessert).

But heed this warning.  If you whisk too much the chocolate could become grainy and you’ll miss the desired creamy-dreamy consistency mark.  But have no fear! One of the added benefits of using this method is that you can reheat the chocolate mixture and start the whisking process again.

invented the recipe for Chocolate Chantilly. is French physical chemist with a PHD in molecular gastronomy.  He also discovered the perfect temperature to cook an egg, around 65° C.

A photo of Easy Chocolate Mousse garnished with raspberries and chocolate shavings.

Heston Blumenthal says, “As a Chef you’re always told that water is an enemy of chocolate, seizing it up and making it go grainy – this is nonsense!”

Heston is absolutely correct!  Ready to try your hand at little molecular gastronomy nonsense? Chocolate Chantilly achieved using a that even a child can master.

Chocolate Chantilly – “Easy Chocolate Mousse”

A photo of Easy Chocolate Mousse (Chocolate Chantilly).

(From via Hervé This & Heston Blumenthal – )

Makes 4 X 4-ounce servings

  • 265 grams (9.35 ounces) good quality bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
  • 240 ml (1 cup) water
  • 4 tablespoons caster (superfine granules) sugar, optional
  • 1 tablespoon liqueur (Grand Marnier, Baileys, Frangelico), optional (reduce water by 1 tablespoon if using)
  1. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.  Set a slightly larger bowl on top of this water and ice filled bowl.  The bottom of the larger bowl should touch the iced water, set aside.
  2. In a medium-sized saucepan combine together the chocolate, water, sugar (if using) and liqueur (if using).  Set the saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted.
  3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the top bowl.  Whisk with a wire whisk or an electric hand-held mixer until thick.  Keep an eye on the texture of the mixture as you’re whipping (do not over mix), if you whisk too much you run the risk of the mousse becoming grainy.  If the mixture becomes grainy, transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and place back over the heat.  Heat the mixture until half of the mixture has melted and then transfer back to bowl and whisk again briefly.
  4. Divide evenly among serving cups and enjoy.


Related posts:

  1. Butterscotch Pots de Crème with Hazelnut Praline
  2. Chocolate-Hazelnut Self-Saucing Pudding
  3. Gordon Ramsay’s Four-Minute Chocolate Mousse
  4. Baileys® Chocolate Pots de Crème
  5. Caramilk® Cream-Vodka Cooler Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Icing

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Posted in Baking Mise en Place, Custards, Creams & Mousses, Fillings, Frostings & Dessert Sauces, Recipes

Comments (22)

22 Responses to “Chocolate Chantilly – “Easy Chocolate Mousse””

  1. Says:

    Interesting recipe!

  2. Marjorie Says:

    This recipe looks so delicious! 4 simple steps is right up my alley. I’m definitely going to try it this weekend. :

  3. Grace Says:

    Never thought it would work but I was more surprised at the taste and texture – spot on!

  4. Says:

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Manuela Durson, Grace Langlois. Grace Langlois said: New Blog Post-Chocolate + Water + Molecular Gastronomy = Chocolate Chantilly #sweets #desserts #chocolate #fbz #yum [...]

  5. Says:

    Wow. I would have never thought it would work with so few ingredients. I will definitely have to try this.

  6. Says:

    Now this is my kind of recipe, quick, less than four ingredients, and tasty chocolaty goodness!

    Happy Weekend!

    Bon appetit!
    CCR
    =:~)

  7. Says:

    Great recipe! I thought it would be so much more complex with the fancy presentation but it looks so simple! I’ll have to keep it in mind when I need to impress.

  8. Says:

    I love heston. some people are intimidated by him and his cookiness :) nice recipe

  9. Says:

    This looks heavenly! Great photos too!

  10. Linda Says:

    I read this elsewhere and tried it immediately – FABULOUS! I have made it 4 times now (since Christmas) – once with an electric mixer – and the whisk is the only way. It is absolutely unbelievable – and all you need to have on hand is chocolate! (It even works with chocolate chips!!!)

  11. Says:

    So interesting and so simple. Sounds like a much healthier version of chocolate mousse, with no eggs, or cream. Thanks for the tip on no whisking too much!

  12. Grace Says:

    I want to try it with milk chocolate, wonder if it will work. I think I will try over the weekend.

  13. Grace Says:

    Thank you

  14. Says:

    I’m no chocolate expert so I’m not skeptical about this recipe. I so so so have to try it for all the times my husband craves for chocolate haha. Great job, Grace!

  15. Says:

    That recipe is so simple and yummy, I’ve go to give it a whirl. Thanks for sharing!

  16. Says:

    Oh wow! It’s so great that all you need is water to create a beautiful chocolate mousse. The pink ribbons on the jars are gorgeous.

  17. Says:

    Your chocolate mousse looks gorgeous!

  18. Says:

    Incredibly beautiful mousse and it looks so simple to put together.

  19. Says:

    Wow, this is a must try recipe!!! YUM.

  20. Nicole Says:

    I didn’t think mine was going to work and doing it by hand was getting exhausting.. I don’t think my water was cold enough, I had run out of ice so I put a frozen pack of veggies in the water and tried a single electric beater.. Still didn’t look promising. I was checking the consistency thinking it was getting somewhere where all the sudden it just got thicker, turned off the beaters and used the whisk to finish it up. The consistency is amazing. However, 70% cocoa doesn’t tickle my taste-buds so I am curious to know if milk chocolate works!!

  21. Grace Says:

    Nicole if you try again run the water for a bit until it gets cold and add a good amount of ice. I would prepare before melting the chocolate so it gets cold. It only took me a few minutes whisking by hand to get to the right consistency. I think it helped because the water was so cold. I am curious too about using milk chocolate and hope to try it in the next few days. I did add sugar to the batch I made because my son doesn’t like 70% chocolate either, a little too bitter for him. I will let you know how it goes, wish me luck!

  22. Says:

    This recipe looks too good to be true mmm.

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