The world is split into two teams: mint-chocolate lovers, and the individuals who make faces at us. Usually, I’d say no downside — extra for me! However I actually really feel that mint-chocolate deserves a second likelihood. Possibly you had a foul expertise with a toothpaste-y ice cream, however when it’s carried out proper, mint-chocolate is without doubt one of the all-time best pairings in dessert historical past.
With this mousse recipe, baker Lucie Franc de Ferriere does mint-chocolate so very proper. Lucie now runs an East Village bakery, specializing in beautiful flower-covered muffins. However as a baby, her favourite dessert was dark-chocolate mousse. “Even again then, I cherished the deepest, darkest chocolate,” she writes in her new cookbook, Cake From Lucie (out this week!). “I’d daydream about consuming it. In my very own recipe, I added mint to offer it a lightweight, digestive high quality, very similar to an after-dinner mint — my father’s most popular deal with.”
The key to an awesome mousse, Lucie says, is within the particulars: very darkish chocolate, eggs no multiple week previous, and contemporary mint. “That’s a should. Mint extracts have that toothpaste-like taste, and also you’ll miss out on the true essence of the herb.” Nevertheless, if you’re staunchly anti-mint, Lucie is far more chill about this than I’d be. “You possibly can experiment with different herbs, like rosemary or thyme. Give it your individual spin!” I need to admit, these each sound superb. Mousse is rarely a quickie dessert, however this one is definitely worth the time and egg separating. So, everybody choose a herb, and let’s make some mousse!
Chocolate Mint Mousse
from Cake From Lucie, by Lucie Franc de Ferriere
Serves about 10
1 stick, plus 1 tbsp (128g) unsalted butter, reduce into small items
6 sprigs contemporary mint, leaves roughly chopped and stems discarded
7 ounces (200g) darkish chocolate*, chopped
Distilled white vinegar
8 giant eggs, separated (“Depart them out for an hour, to return to room temperature”)
3 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp effective sea salt
Maldon sea salt, for sprinkling
*Notice: Lucie recommends utilizing chocolate that’s at the least 72% cacao. “That’s what offers the mousse its intense, velvety taste.”
In a small saucepan, soften the butter over medium-low warmth. Take away from the warmth, then stir within the mint. Cowl, and let stand for half-hour. Pour by way of a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl, urgent on the mint to extract as a lot taste as doable. Discard the mint leaves.
Fill a medium saucepan with about 1 inch (2.5cm) of water and convey to a simmer over medium-low warmth. In a big heatproof bowl, mix the mint-infused butter and the chocolate, then set the bowl over the pan of simmering water, ensuring the water doesn’t contact the underside of the bowl. Heat the combination, stirring often, till the chocolate is melted and totally mixed with the butter. Take away the bowl from the saucepan (cautious — it will likely be heat!), and use a clear kitchen towel to wipe any condensation from the underside.
In the meantime, use a paper towel to wipe down your stand mixer’s bowl with about 1/4 teaspoon of white vinegar. Wipe all around the floor of the bowl, ensuring there are not any traces of liquid or fats on it. Match the mixer with whisk attachment, and add the egg whites. Whip on excessive velocity till gentle peaks type (3-5 minutes). In a separate, giant bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 4 teaspoons of sugar vigorously till pale and aerated (2-3 minutes). Pour the chocolate-butter combination over the egg yolk combination, and whisk till totally mixed. Add the salt and whisk to include.
As soon as the egg whites are at gentle peaks, add the remaining sugar and whip on excessive velocity till stiff peaks type (7-8 minutes). (If you happen to’re uncertain if the meringue is stiff peak, take away the whisk attachment from the mixer and flip it so it’s whisk-side up. The peaks ought to level straight up and be very stiff.) Add about one-third of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate and egg yolk combination, and whisk till integrated. Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold with a rubber spatula till totally mixed and uniform in shade.
Switch the mousse to a serving bowl, cowl, and refrigerate for at the least 4 hours, or ideally in a single day. (It can maintain within the fridge for as much as two days.) When it’s prepared, sprinkle every portion with Maldon sea salt, and serve!
Thanks a lot, Lucie! And congratulations in your attractive new cookbook.
P.S. Extra favourite recipes, together with Natasha Pickowicz’s show-stopping tater-tot cake, and in case you’re nonetheless in a chocolate-y temper, right here’s my Parisian-style chocolat chaud (takes solely 10 minutes!).
(Pictures copyright © 2026 by Lucia Bell-Epstein. Illustrations copyright 2026 © Maya Netzer. Excerpted from Cake From Lucie, on sale now from Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group. Copyright © 2026 by Lucie Franc de Ferriere.)
