French physical chemist Hervé This invented chocolate Chantilly as part of his pioneering work in molecular gastronomy. The idea is simple: give chocolate a liquid-to-fat ratio similar to heavy cream and it can be whipped into a foam just like whipped cream — no dairy required. I learned the technique from Heston Blumenthal when I worked at the Fat Duck, and I’ve modified my version to use the time-tested pairing of chocolate with coffee to make it a mocha Chantilly.
Bonus: melt the Chantilly into hot water for an excellent dairy-free hot chocolate that doesn’t rely on alkaline cocoa powder. With the mocha version, this makes the best mocha latte I’ve ever had.
Yield
4 servings (about 200g)Ingredients
100g chocolate, chopped
100ml water
For a mocha version, substitute espresso or Cometeer coffee for the water. Regular brewed coffee is too weak to stand up to the chocolate.
Steps
1
Set up a cool water bath. Fill a large bowl with cold water — not ice water, which will chill the chocolate too fast.2
Melt chocolate. Pour hot water over the chopped chocolate and stir to melt. Alternatively, combine water and chopped chocolate and microwave on medium power for a few minutes, stirring until smooth.3
Cool and whisk. Set the bowl over the cold water bath. Whisk occasionally as the mixture cools to room temperature, then whisk continuously until it thickens and reaches an almost soft-peak stage — about the texture of thick yogurt. If it goes grainy, simply melt it down and start again.4
Rest, then serve. Let it sit for a few minutes so the cocoa butter can finish crystallizing and the mousse firms up enough to scoop. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.
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