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1
Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
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2
Place chocolate and 1/4 cup of the heavy cream in a large heatproof bowl.
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3
(Place remaining cream back in the refrigerator until ready to use.)
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4
Nest the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
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5
Melt chocolate, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until smooth and combined with the cream.
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6
Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool slightly.
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7
Place egg whites in a second large bowl and whisk vigorously until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes (make sure the bowl and whisk have no trace of oil or fat, or the whites will not whip properly); set aside.
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8
(Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer.)
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9
Clean and dry the whisk (or your beaters if youre using an electric mixer).
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10
Place the remaining 3/4 cup heavy cream in a third large bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form.
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11
(Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer.)
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12
Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate, then gently stir in the rest (try not to deflate the whipped cream).
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13
Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate-cream mixture just until there are no longer large blobs of whipped cream or egg white (do not overmix).
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14
Spoon the mousse or pipe it from a pastry bag into serving cups and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
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15
Serve with additional sweetened or if desired.
