With Dia de los Muertos in a few days, this recipe is in honor of the dead- 'mousse muerto'. It is in place of 'pan muerto', which is typically made (although I recognize that 'dead mousse' doesn't have quite the same ring as 'dead bread'. Thank god 'los muertos' have a sense of humor).
This recipe was inspired by my friend Emma, who I made chocolate mousse with a few days ago in honor of her 25th birthday. She doesn't like things too sweet (which I guess you could say is appropriate for Dia de los Muertos), so instead of sweetness, we made it extra chocolaty. Like Emma, this mousse is incredibly rich, a little spicy, and very, very intense.
In honor of Dia de los Muertos, I added a little cinnamon and a dash of cayenne, a reminder of the importance of a little spice and levity. A layer of dulce de leche on top with a sprinkling of sea salt would be divine. Whipped cream is, of course, delicious on its own, but scraping the inside of a vanilla pod and mixing the seeds into the cream as you're whipping it, makes it especially worthy of the dead. Vanilla is the seedpod of the beautiful vanilla orchid, and is, therefore, a testimony to the fragrant, pungent and richly-woven world out of which this ancient holiday emerged.
For more than three thousand years the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America practiced a form of Dia de los Muertos. Originally it was celebrated on the ninth month of the Aztec Solar Calendar, at the beginning of August, and was celebrated for the entire month, during which time, the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as "Lady of the Dead," who was believed to have died at birth, kept an eye on everyone.
Not even the force of catholicism's blow, or the brutality of Cortez could eradicate the scent of vanilla and cayenne from this tradition. The honoring of the continuum of life and death was too deeply steeped in the blood of the people.- The dead refused to die.
The Spaniards did succeed in moving the holiday so it coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2), which is when it is celebrated today. Their hope, I suspect, was that it would soon be over-shadowed and forgotten, which, gracias a dios, didn't happen.
My grandma, Dorothy Mumper (or Grand Mumper as she briefly attempted to have us grandkids call her), died a few months ago at the age of 94. While alive, she had a ferocious sweet tooth and a fairly satanic sense of humor, so this recipe is in honor of her. I trust that, dead, she will appreciate it as much as I think she would have alive.
RECIPE:
8 oz. unsweetened South-American chocolate
3/4 cup cream (you could substitute coconut milk)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne (or more or less)
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/4 cup cream (for whipping)
1 vanilla bean
agave nectar to taste
Chop the chocolate coarsely and mix it with the cream in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir until the chocolate begins to melt. Remove from the heat and stir until completely melted.
Whisk eggs and the sugar in a fairly large bowl and set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir, while scraping down the sides of the bowl until it is hot to the touch (keep testing the temperature). Remove the egg mixture from the the heat and beat with a whisk or a mixer until it begins to get light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Pour the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl. Add the cayenne and cinnamon and stir well. Stir in the egg mixture, adding a little at a time, until it is thoroughly combined.
Pour the mousse into individual cups and refrigerate for a few hours.
Before serving, sprinkle with sea salt. Whip the cream with the agave and vanilla, adding a spoonful (or two) to the top of each cup. disfruta!
