So have you every had a dessert so amazing it changes you on some level? No? Well friends, that is about to change. This mocha mouse with Sichuan peppercorns found on epicurious will move you. The peppercorns and coffee give the chocolate an earthy spiciness that goes beautifully with homemade whipped cream.  In fact it’s so good I’ve made it twice in the past week. And my vegan friend ate it and loved it (and she’s vegan).

for the original recipe go here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mocha-Mousse-with-Sichuan-Peppercorns-i-Mousse-au-Moka-et-Poivre-i-243637

Here’s my take on the whole situation: First of all, you don’t need Sichuan peppercorns, per se. 1/3 tsp of plain black peppercorns are lovely in the finished product. You do, however, need whipped cream. Here I insist it’s better made by hand. To do this you need: 2 1/2 tbsp of sugar and 2 tsp of vanilla. Then you need 1-2 cups of heavy whipping cream. If this is too much sugar or vanilla for you that’s no big deal, just taste the cream before you start whipping and everything will be fine. What you do need to do is make sure there is enough of those two magical ingredients. Otherwise there is no point to all of this–it’ll just taste like heavy cream.

Next, or perhaps first, you want to chill a glass or metal bowl in the freezer. This is critical for both the meringue you’ll be making for the mousse, and for the cream. An ice cold bowl ensures that your egg whites and your cream will thicken. As someone who employs a whisk and elbow grease to make this dessert, I promise you, this little trick will save you from spending more than twenty minutes staring at your ingredients.

This mousse, if you make your meringue right, only needs about two hours to set. Then you have heaven in a custard cup. I like it best served with frozen raspberries and whipped cream. It would also be great with a hint of chili powder and any fruit you can find.

Happy eating.

Brittany

p.s. I’ll put pictures of this process up as soon as I can upload pictures onto my computer.