Chocolate mousse was obviously a big favourite in the world of puds for movie stars. I have recipes by Deborah Kerr, Jack Hobbs, Moira Lister, Raymond Burr, Rose Martin, Wendy Toye, Agnes Ayres, and Carol Burnett. There are possibly more tucked away under other names too, but Vincent’s recipe is SO good I’m not sure I will ever be tempted to try another.
These are ones I made during the Vincentennial Cookblog project
I love the fact that my Treasury of Great Recipes has a big chocolatey fingerprint on the page where this recipe resides. Proof that the person who had this very best of all cookbooks had also made this mousse.
I made this for Mr R on Valentine’s night and the quantities were enormous, so there was enough for six generous portions, 4 of which I popped in the freezer. This freezes really well and you can just take it out on the day you are going to serve it and let it defrost in the fridge for a bit.
Mr R’s verdict was, “I couldn’t ask for anything more in a chocolate mousse” and I concur. It’s absolutely perfect.
Vincent Price’s Pots de Creme Chocolate (Individual Chocolate Mousses)
225g / ½ lb semisweet chocolate bits
1 tablespoon instant coffee
5 eggs
2 tablespoons light rum
In the top of a double boiler heat chocolate, 5 tablespoons cold water and the coffee. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks into the melted chocolate mixture. Beat in the rum and allow mixture to cool slightly.
In a separate bowl beat the 5 egg whites to soft peaks. Fold them gently into the chocolate mixture.
Pour into 8 pot de crème cups with lids (or any small cups that you can cover) and refrigerate 24 hours before serving.
Note: I am guessing that Vincent meant 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules (rather than a tablespoon of instant coffee that is already sitting by the stove ready to be drunk) so this is what I use. Once I made the mousse with Sailor Jerry rum and that was absolutely gorgeous.
I LOVE THIS MOUSSE – thanks Vincent!
He did indeed mean instant coffee granules. Mr. Price himself gave me this recipe, during a chance meeting in the mid-eighties as he was on a lecture tour. Our conversation turned to cooking and I confessed to him that (at the time) I lacked success with gourmet desserts. He said, “Let me share this one with you. It’s foolproof easy and sinfully delicious!” Of course, he emphasised the word ‘sinfully’ with characteristic campy glee. He then wrote out this recipe by hand and autographed it, including a few verbal tips on technique before handing it over. I’ve been making it for special-occasion dinners ever since.
Oh WOW Annice, thanks so much for stopping by and telling us about your meeting with Vincent, how absolutely WONDERFUL. So fabulous that he wrote out the recipe for you. Do you still have that original piece of paper? I would love to see a photo of that, I’m pretty obsessed with Vincent and his food writing! Did you notice that I’m working on a Vincent Price cookbook? I wonder if you would allow me to use some of your story with due credit? Here’s a link to the page about the book, if you fancied testing something that would be great, but no pressure! https://www.silverscreensuppers.com/vincent-price-cookbook Thanks again for this lovely Vincent memory x