Alice's Luscious Chocolate Mousse

Description
This recipe is from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet. This recipe is quite easy, especially if you're not concerned about eating raw eggs (I've made this 3 times now, and I'm still here! LOL). The mousse is luscious and intense - the flavor of the chocolate is the star here so use the best quality that you can find. You may use this as a filling for cakes or tortes as well (enough for 2 thick layers of mousse for a 9" cake).



Ingredients

 * 6 	 ounces   bittersweet chocolate or  semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
 * 1/4 	cup water or coffee or milk or 1/2 cup heavy cream (if you want a creamier, not-too-intense mousse)
 * 1 1/2 	tablespoons brandy or rum or liquor, of choice (optional)
 * 3 	eggs, at room temperature
 * 3 	tablespoons water
 * 3 	tablespoons sugar

Directions

 * Place chocolate and 1/4 cup of water (or liquid of your choice) in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
 * Melt chocolate in the microwave for 30 sec on HIGH, stir.
 * Repeat the zapping and stirring until chocolate mixture is smooth and completely melted.
 * Stir in brandy (or other liquor), if using and set aside.
 * In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk eggs with the 3 TB water and sugar until well-blended.
 * Set bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water, stirring constantly, cook egg mixture until it registers 160°F on instant-read thermometer (remove bowl from the skillet to check temp).
 * Once the temp has been reached, remove bowl from skillet and beat with an electric mixer at high speed for at least 3-4mins, until eggs have a texture similar to softly whipped cream.
 * Fold about 1/4 of the egg mixture into the melted chocolate.
 * Scrape the lightened chocolate mixture into the remaining beaten eggs and fold gently, until evenly incorporated.
 * If egg safety is not an issue, omit the heating step- whip the eggs with the sugar (omit the water, as it's added just to prevent eggs from scrambling) and proceed accordingly.
 * Now you may divide mousse into individual ramekins or glasses, chill for at least 1 hour until set; cover with plastic wrap if you're not serving within a few hours.
 * You may also use the mousse as a cake filling
 * 13. If you're using very high percentage chocolate (70% and above), you may want to increase sugar to 4 1/2 TB.