Chocolate Mousse Tart

We ate and we ate and we ate, we danced, we sat and of course we had dessert!  These cute little Turkey Sugar Cookies I made, got gobbled up!  There was a lovely pumpkin pie.

There was this tart and sassy Apple-Cranberry Pie, oh my!

I saw Emeril making a Chocolate Mousse Tart the other day on t.v. and I knew it would be mine!  I love pumpkin pie and all the other traditional Thanksgiving desserts, but there has to be something chocolate on my table.  He used a pastry crust, but I wanted all out chocolate overkill.  Served with some fresh whipping cream, oh yeah!  That should quiet the chocolate beast within; she gets a little rowdy sometimes if not fed chocolate on a regular basis.

Filling:

8 ounces dark chocolate

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

3 large eggs, separated

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream

1/4 cup Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur (optional)

Tart Shell:

10-11 whole chocolate graham crackers, crushed (I used 1 packet)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

In a bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter,  and mix well.  Press crumb mixture into tart pan, covering the sides and bottom.  I have one that has a removable bottom, for easy serving.  Bake in 350 degree F oven for 8-10 minutes and let cool.

In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pot of hot water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring.  Remove from the heat and beat with a heavy wooden spoon until smooth.  Return to the heat and add the yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after the addition of each.  Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks start to form.  Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and beat until stiff.

In a third bowl, add the cream, rest of sugar and Grand Marnier, beat until stiff peaks form.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until no white specks appear.  Gradually fold in the whipped cream, reserving about 1/2 cup for the garnish.  (I used all the whip cream in the mousse and made more for on top, because I love lots of whip cream.)

Spoon the mousse into the tart shell and refrigerate until well chilled.

Note:  This recipe has raw eggs, so if you have any concerns about eating raw eggs, this recipe probably isn't for you. You can make chocolate mousse without eggs; it's just richer with it.

Let me just tell you, this tart more than calmed the chocolate beast!  I'm thinking this tart shall become a new tradition over here.  Even though I ate enough last night to induce a food coma, I decided I needed some of this tart for breakfast, what a wonderful way to start the day; I'm floating on Tart 9 right now!

Besides, I needed the energy to go practice my dance moves, my sister and niece think they are so good because they beat me again; they are warned, it won't happen again!

Enjoy,

Gina