Chocolate Mousse Torte

Maida Heatter is my favorite dessert cookbook author. She not only has a huge repetoire of desserts, but her recipes are fully reliable, and they are readily reproduced by reasonably competent home bakers. This torte is one I've made for years, both during the year and at Passover (note that it does not require any flour!). The change that I make over the original recipe is that I use 1/4 cup excellent brewed coffee instead of instant coffee and boiling water.

Source: from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, Knopf, 1980.

Ingredients

8 ounces semi sweet chocolate
1 T. dry instant coffee
1/4 cup boiling water
8 eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1.5 cup heavy cream
1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar

Oven Temp: 350° F.

Preheat oven and butter a 9-inch pie plate. Dust it with fine, dry bread crumbs.

Melt chocolate slightly in a double boiler or microwave. Dissolve coffee in boiling water, and pour it over the chocolate. Stir the mixture until smooth, and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks at high speed for 5 minutes until pale lemon-colored and thick. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat at hight speed for 5 minutes more. Add the vanilla and chocolate, beating slowly.

Add the salt to the egg whites and beat (with clean beaters!) until the whites hold a definite shape but are not stiff and dry.

Gradually fold 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate, and then fold this into the remaining whites. Fold only until no white shows. Gently set aside about 4 cups of mousse and refrigerate.

Put the remaining batter into the pie late; spread gently. Bake for 25 minutes, turn off the oven, but leave the torte in the oven for 5 minutes more. Remove to a rack to cool. The center will fall while cooling.

When the torte is completely cool, very gently put the reserved cold mousse in the middle. Refrigerate for 2 hours, and spread with the whipped cream, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar mixture.

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