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1
Place chocolate and 1/4 cup of water (or liquid of your choice) in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
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2
Melt chocolate in the microwave for 30 sec on HIGH, stir.
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3
Repeat the zapping and stirring until chocolate mixture is smooth and completely melted.
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4
Stir in brandy (or other liquor), if using and set aside.
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5
In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk eggs with the 3 TB water and sugar until well-blended.
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6
Set bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water, stirring constantly, cook egg mixture until it registers 160u00b0F on instant-read thermometer (remove bowl from the skillet to check temp).
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7
Once the temp has been reached, remove bowl from skillet and beat with an electric mixer at high speed for at least 3-4mins, until eggs have a texture similar to softly whipped cream.
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8
Fold about 1/4 of the egg mixture into the melted chocolate.
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9
Scrape the lightened chocolate mixture into the remaining beaten eggs and fold gently, until evenly incorporated.
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10
If egg safety is not an issue, omit the heating step- whip the eggs with the sugar (omit the water, as it's added just to prevent eggs from scrambling) and proceed accordingly.
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11
Now you may divide mousse into individual ramekins or glasses, chill for at least 1 hour until set; cover with plastic wrap if you're not serving within a few hours.
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12
You may also use the mousse as a cake filling- I've done this with success, using a cake ring (or a springform pan).
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13
If you're using very high percentage chocolate (70% and above), you may want to increase sugar to 4 1/2 TB.
