Chocolate Mousse

I wanted to serve something rich and elegant for the surprise party, and immediately a chocolate mousse came to mind. The only difficulty I ran into is that a lot of mousse recipes contain raw eggs, which is not something my pregnant friend is supposed to consume. So I dug around until I found a suitable recipe, though of course I couldn't resist altering it a bit.

Chocolate Mousse

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream
2 oz. softened cream cheese
3 tablespoons sugar

In a double-boiler, melt chocolate chips over simmering water; stir until smooth. Stir a small amount of hot chocolate into the egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool, stirring several times. 
In a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Beat in softened cream cheese. Fold in cooled chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Yield: 4-6 servings 
(recipe adapted from here)

Mousse photo by Olivia Griffin

I chilled my mousse overnight, then piped it into small serving glasses. If you're doing mini-portions, as I was, it'll serve 10-12. I sprinkled the mousse with gold sanding sugar (so pretty).

I also garnished it with some chocolate curls, using Pioneer Woman's tutorial. For the most part, it was very easy, except that my chocolate seemed to soften way too quick, so I had to do a small section at a time, then re-chill the chocolate.

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Annie has posted her photos from the party! Here are a few of my favorites: