Classic French Chocolate Desserts

The French love chocolate and French chocolate desserts can be delightful and delicious.

French Chocolate Desserts

Often when people think of desserts they think of French desserts. Nothing complements a fabulous meal like some chocolate and when it is in the form of a French dessert, your guests are sure to be impressed.

Chocolate Mousse

Mousse is light, fluffy, tasty, and not only good-on-it's-own but also a great addition to a multitude of French chocolate desserts.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 3 ounces sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 ounces of water
• 14 ounces heavy cream

Instructions

1. Melt the chocolate in a Bain Marie.
2. Using a whisk, whip the cream to soft peaks and then chill in your refrigerator.
3. Place the egg and yolks in the bowl of your stand mixer.
4. Mix at high speed using the whisk attachment until the mixture is thick and fluffy. When you lift the whisk out of the mixture, it should fall in a ribbon.
5. In a saucepan, cook the sugar, corn syrup, and water until it reaches the soft ball stage, 240 degrees.
6. With the mixer running at low speed, pour the syrup into the eggs and continue to mix until the bowl of the mixer is cool to the touch.
7. Fold in the melted chocolate.
8. Fold in the whipped cream.
9. Pour into cups.
10. Let chill for at least 3 hours.
11. Top with shaved chocolate.

Chocolate Sablé Cookies

Sablé means "sand" and it describes the texture of these delicate cookies. Sablé goes great with coffee or tea. You can also serve them along side of another dessert, like chocolate mousse, to add a textural counterpoint to the dessert. Often, French chocolate desserts will have different textures on the same plate to make the dessert more interesting.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces butter
• 2 ½ ounces confectioners' sugar
• 6 ½ ounces cake flour
• 1 ½ ounces cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Using your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix all the ingredients together.
2. Mix until smooth.
3. Place the dough on a smooth surface and roll into a tube shape about 1-inch thick.
4. Wrap with parchment paper and seal the ends.
5. Let the dough rest in your refrigerator for at least one hour.
6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
7. Unwrap the dough and slice into ¼-inch thick slices.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
9. Let cool on a rack.