indulgence

Being back at MIT has been reminding me of the end of last semester, and in particular, a dinner I made for eight freshmen advisees while really I should have been writing a paper or another. But it was finals' week, and I had promised them, and I wanted to chop and stir and dirty pots more than I wanted to compose thoughts on a page. Writing has its own irreplaceable rewards, but not in a void--those rewards, for me, are in competition with others'. Besides, why not move with desire rather than a sense of duty? So I put together a menu (and I quote):

"tomatoes & chickpea sprouts tossed in a vinaigrette
pumpkinseed toast with rosemary and olive oil
salad of roasted beets, various citrus & field greens
brown rice & ginger soup with root vegetables
...and almost-vegan chocolate mousse!"

The recipe I'm sharing today is for the mousse. Two ingredients: water and chocolate. What can I say but that science saves the day. Mousse is basically an emulsion, a mixture of two liquids that can't be dissolved in each other (like water and fat, which is what chocolate is mostly). Using water instead of milk or cream or eggs, makes the chocolate taste loud and clear. I used a 85% cacao, but I imagine 60% would do just fine. A word on melting chocolate: instead of a double-boil, I just put a bowl of chocolate near the radiator earlier in the day. Just another shortcut.

I know we're all supposed to be eating healthier for the new year. But what's the worth of a resolution kept unless there are temptations to be resisted along the way?

Ingredients:
water
chocolate (preferably a good one, with high chocolate content)

Directions:
Melt the chocolate & add equal volume of water. After mixing them so that there's no visible separation between water and chocolate, let it chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. When it's cool to touch, whip the mixture with a whisk (I suppose if you have an electric one, it might speed up the process). It's important to whip really fast--I put the whisk between by two palms and rubbed the palms as though I were trying to make fire with a stick. You'll know it's done when the mixture gains stiffness. Keep in the refrigerator until serving.