On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 216

driedmeringuesdirectlyfromtheoventoan
airtightcontainer,andserveassoonas
possibleafterremovingfromthecontainer.
Cold Mousses and Soufflés: Reinforcement
from Fat and Gelatin In addition to being
servedasisintheformofasugar-andheatstabilizedmeringue,aneggfoamcanalsobe
enrobedinamixtureofotheringredients,for
which the foam serves as a hidden
scaffolding.Thecoldmousseandcoldsoufflé
(essentially a mousse molded to look like a
hotsouffléthathasrisenaboveitsdish)hold
well for hours, even days, and require only
minimal cooking. Instead of being stabilized
when heatcoagulates egg proteins, these
mixtures are stabilized when coldcongeals
fatsandgelatinprotein.
Theclassicdishofthiskindischocolate
mousse.Initspurestform,itismadeby
meltingchocolate—ablendofcocoabutter,
starchycocoaparticles,andfinelyground


sugar—ataround100ºF/38ºC,combiningit
withraweggyolks,andcombiningthis
mixturewith3to4timesitsvolumeofstiffly
beateneggwhites(seep.112).Thewatery
foamwallsarethusaugmentedwiththethick,
yolkychocolate,andmuchoftheegg
moistureisabsorbedbythecocoasolidsand
sugar,whichfurtherthickensthebubble
walls.Whilestillwarm,themousseis

spoonedintoservingdishes,andtheseare
thenrefrigeratedforseveralhours.Asthe
moussecools,thecocoabuttercongeals,and
thebubblewallsbecomerigidenoughto
maintainthefoamstructureindefinitely.The
chocolatethusstrengthenstheeggfoam,and
thefoamspreadsthestodgychocolatemass
intoagossamerstructurethatmeltsonthe
tongue.
Soufflés:ABreathofHotAir

Soufflés—savoryandsweetmixeslightened