Photography: Richard Villalon - Fotolia

Even the refined French cuisine of the 18th century considered mousse (French for foam) an exceptionally delicious dish. In his book “Les Soupers de la Cour” (Dining at Court), published in 1755, the French chef and author Menon describes the pleasure King Louis XV (1710–1774) took in sipping melted chocolate in hot water mixed with whipped eggs. The painter and passionate hobby chef Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) was also a fan of the sweet, dark mousse. Maurice Joyant, Lautrec’s loyal companion wrote down the artist’s culinary inventions after his death, publishing them in the book “L’Art de la Cuisine” (The Art of Cuisine), which also includes a recipe for “chocolate mayonnaise”. The “Guide Culinaire” by legendary cook Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935) contains 19 different recipes for mousse.

But it was in the 1970s that this sweet chocolate dream was made truly popular, among others, by England’s first TV chef Robert Carrier when he added whipped cream to thicken the mousse, plus a shot of rum and strong coffee.

Nowadays there are thousands of recipes for mousse, not only for sweet desserts with white or dark chocolate, with espresso, marzipan, fruit puree and juice, but also for more savoury versions using fish, meat, ham, goose liver, cheese and vegetables.