We first had double chocolate mousse on a dinner cruise in Seattle on July 4th. It was so good, I finally tried to recreate it. This isn't a bad start, but I will likely be tweaking it as the years go on.

Ingredients

3.5 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3.5 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 tbsp distilled water (any bottled water will do)
1 tbsp red wine (the drinking kind, not the cooking kind)
1 tbsp Kahlua Liqueur
4 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
Pinch of coarse salt

Directions

Crack and separate 4 eggs. Reserve both the yolks and the whites, as both will be used. Do this first so they can come to room termperature while you work on the remainder of the tasks. Doing it half an hour before you start is probably ideal.

Combine the chocolate and liquid in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat until the chocolate is almost completely melted, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the heat, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside and let cool (around room temperature).

Combine the egg whites and the salt in a large mixing bowl. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. They should be thick and smooth.

Stir the egg yolks into the cooled chocolate mixture (see note below).

Fold in half of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate. Fold in the remaining egg whites gently with a spatula just until no visible streaks are left. Don't over-stir or the whites will break down.

Portion the mixture into individual serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3-4 hours. Serve with fresh whipped cream, if desired. Garnish with mint leaves, raspberries, or whatever you like.

Note on the Liquid

You need about 5 tablespoons liquid for 7 oz. of chocolate. How you come up with that volume doesn't really matter. You can use all water, all "flavored" items, or any combination. Experiement to taste.

Note on Egg Yolks

For a lower cholesterol dessert, you can skip the yolks. It does take away an element of the mousse, but it's still tastes pretty good.