Question: Two questions concerning a chocolate mousse I recently made: It did not gel properly, being nearly saucelike below the top inch or so, and I noticed some viscous liquid at the bottom. I used the recipe of a well-known chef. Second, the egg whites I used were obviously not cooked. Are they safe uncooked? - K.A., West Palm Beach
Answer: Let's take the easier second half of your query first. The odds of your getting sick from uncooked egg whites are very long indeed. But if you have someone in the family who has a weakened immune system because of recurring illness or advanced age, it is better to avoid uncooked eggs, especially the yolks, which have a far greater chance than the whites of carrying infections. That's true for the very young as well, whose immune system may not be fully developed.
Pasteurized liquid egg whites in cartons can be used in recipes that call for whipped uncooked whites. Use a pinch of cream of tartar, and beat well since pasteurized whites may not beat up as well as fresh egg whites.
You can also opt to use pasteurized whole eggs in shell (Davidson's Safest Choice) available at Publix. Of course, it is possible to sanitize whites in a stainless steel bowl set over gently simmering pan of water while you beat them with an electric hand beater; but the process is a bit tricky.
Now for the other part of the question. For starters, a gelatin-less mousse will not be as firm or as neatly cuttable as those firmed up with some gelling agent. But it should be able to stand up, at least toddler-wise, and leave no residual liquid at the bottom.
However, a mousse like this is iffy in the best of circ*mstances, so you must follow the best of practices for a reasonable chance of success, especially in beating the cream and the egg whites. The viscous nature of the residue in your mousse raises the suspicion that the problem lay with the egg white foams.
Here are some helpful hints: Whites fluff up best when at room temperature. Even a speck of fat will interfere in the process; so use a clean bowl and beat the whites first, then wash and freeze the bowl and beaters for 15 minutes or so to ready them for the cream. Use a pinch of cream of tartar. When mixing the beaten whites into the chocolate-yolk base, do so while the base is still warm, so the eggs "cook" slightly and can hold up the structure later.
For proper inflation and more stable foams, the heavy whipping cream must be very cold. The bowl and beaters must be so, too. Starting at lower speed, beat the cream in a circular pattern, turning the tilted bowl, until soft peaks form, then add the sugar and beat until firm and smooth.
Replacing part of the sugar with confectioners' sugar, or adding a teaspoon of corn flour to the sugar, will help stabilize the foams. Fold in the cream after the whites have already been folded in and the mixture is quite cold; do so gently in two or three batches to keep as much beaten air in as possible.
Also, use a good quality bittersweet chocolate. Despite doing everything prim and proper, however, you can't be absolutely sure of the result as you want it to be. So if you are doing the dessert for a party, and failure is not an option, add a tablespoon or so of gelatin to ensure a happy outcome.
NOTES FROM OUR KITCHEN: POTATO MASHERS
A potato masher is a very handy tool to have around in the kitchen drawer. It is commonly made of heavy-gauge chromed wire. Its flat horizontal mashing surface is a serpentine zigzag of the wire loop.
The tail and head ends of the loop rise vertically to form an arch. At the apex, the ends are encased in a plastic or wooden handle. You hold the handle and press down with the zigzag end on whatever you are mashing. Another kind has a flat perforated disc for mashing, which is similarly attached to the handle.
Although cooked potatoes are what commonly end up under the mashing end - giving the tool its name - you can use it to mash apple sauce, as well as many cooked or uncooked fruits and vegetables. It is also handy in breaking up ground meat as it cooks in the pan; its smooth wire surface won't hurt the pan coating.
Gholam Rahman is a former staff writer for The Palm Beach Post. Send your questions to him at gholam_rahman@pbpost.com or call (561) 820-4550 or (800) 432-7595, Ext. 4550.
