Mousse memories return after all these years

Just before Mother’s Day, Lori Gerling’s mom started reminiscing about a Dorothy Dean recipe she never tasted.

“My mother was talking about it yesterday, a delicious chocolate mousse that she made but never got to eat because the brother-in-law got to the mousse and ate it all before she could share it with her family,” Gerling wrote in a message. “She lost the recipe and never made it again, but the memory still lives.”

Gerling, of Walla Walla, said her mom made the recipe as a special treat for her father who was sick in bed at the time. She said they also think the brother-in-law was behind the mysterious disappearance of the original recipe.

“We suspect he loved it so much that he took the recipe home for his wife to make more of the same,” Gerling wrote.

I sent the recipe to Gerling in time for her to tuck it into a Mother’s Day card for her mom. Here’s the recipe for Mousse Au Chocolat from the 1963 flier “Continental Desserts.”

Mousse Au Chocolat

4 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate

2 tablespoons water

5 eggs, separated

3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar, divided

Dash of salt

1 or 2 tablespoons cognac

Place chocolate and water in top of double boiler. Heat over hot water until chocolate is melted. Meanwhile, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar until short moist peaks form. Remove melted chocolate mixture from heat; stir in remaining sugar and salt. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Blend in egg white mixture, using beater if necessary to make smooth mixture. Stir in cognac. Pour into 1-quart glass bowl. Refrigerate until set. At serving time, top with whipped cream.

Yield: 6 small rich servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 257 calories, 15 grams fat (7.5 grams saturated, 46 percent fat calories), 7 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrate, 177 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 79 milligrams sodium.