Mousse - a sweet light food

A mousse is a soft prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture composed of a puréed chief ingredient mixed with stiffly beaten egg whites, whipped cream, or both. Depending on preparation techniques, it can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick. A mousse may be sweet or savory.

The base can be a whole host of things: melted chocolate, puréed fruit, fruit curd, or a prepared custard (like pudding or crème anglaise, a "vanilla sauce" of dairy base and thickened with egg yolks made on the stovetop). Mousses are almost always cold dishes, and sweet mousses are sometimes served frozen.

The French, lovers of culinary wonder, were first to discover mousse. It is actually a French word meaning “froth” or “foam.” “Mousse au chocolat” is French for chocolate mousse.

The United States first became acquainted with chocolate mousse at a Food Exposition held at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1892.

Sweet mousses are usually made with whipped egg whites or whipped cream, and they come in numerous flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry.or various herbs and spices, such as mint or vanilla.

In the case of some chocolate mousses, egg yolks are often stirred into melted chocolate to give the final product a richer mouthfeel. Although it isn't known who the inventor of the dish is, the first recipe for chocolate mousse is believed to date from the second half of the 19th century.

Savory mousses are frequently prepared from poultry, foie gras, fish, or shellfish, to be eaten as a first course or light entree. They may be stabilized by the addition of gelatin.
Mousse - a sweet light food