Mousse is a soft, light, and airy dish that is well-blended and incorporates air bubbles to give it a specific texture.

Mousse

What is a Mousse?

Mousse is a soft, light, and airy dish that is well-blended and incorporates air bubbles to give it a specific texture. In general, this dish can be light and fluffy or creamy and thick, which would depend on the type of mousse. Both sweet and savory versions may be prepared with similar techniques.

  • Sweet mousses are quite popular as a dessert dish.
  • The word itself means ‘foam’ in French, a tribute to its French origin and its airy texture.

Some popular French desserts include:

  • Macarons
  • Éclair 
  • Soufflé
  • Crème brûlée 
  • Mousse
  • Profiterole
  • Madeleines
  • Riz au lait

Origin of mousse

This dish was originally a savory concoction. It made an appearance in France in the 1890s, and was used for preparing fish and vegetable dishes. When the Spanish conquistadors colonized South America, they discovered chocolate and introduced it to the French. It was the post-impressionist painter, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, who first created the chocolate mousse, the most popular variety consumed today. 

Nutrition

Nutritional profile for chocolate mousse (100 g):

Mousse is a rich source of micronutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, magnesium, selenium, folate, vitamin A, retinol, carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein zeaxanthin, and essential fatty acids. 

Commercial production

To prepare a mousse commercially, a flavoring agent such as chocolate, berry, fruit, vanilla, is required. in addition, a fatty protein base and an emulsifier and a gelling agent are also added. Also, sugar may be added. The ingredients are blended by whipping until it becomes creamy and light. 

In most restaurants, this dessert is handmade and requires the flavoring agent, butter, eggs, sugar, and heavy cream. If using chocolate, it is preferable to pick dark chocolate meant for baking. The first step is to separate the egg yolk from the whites and beat the whites with sugar until it becomes foamy with soft peaks. The heavy cream should be whipped separately and then combined with the egg yolks and chocolate (or other flavor) and blended well. The foamy egg whites are then blended in lightly. The dish is then chilled before serving. 

This dish can remain edible for up to five days if stored in the refrigerator. When not kept chilled, it can spoil within six hours.

Recipes

This dish is frequently sweet and flavored with chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and fruits. Savory versions may also be prepared. Here are a few recipes:

FDA regulations

There is no available standard of identity for mousse.  However, the FDA does have serving recommendations for this dish. 

References

Jim Chevallier, A History of the Food of Paris: From Roast Mammoth to Steak Frites

How Long Does Chocolate Mousse Last? [And Can You Freeze It?], KitchenSeer, https://kitchenseer.com/how-long-chocolate-mousse-last/