This is World Class, and my scratch recipe!

¼ c. good Brandy (if you want good mousse, be sure it’s good!)*
1 round tsp. instant coffee
¼ c. sweet butter
¼ c. sugar
9 oz chocolate chips
4 egg yolks
1 t. vanilla extract
5-6 egg whites (room temperature)
½ pt. whipping cream (cold)

Combine the brandy and instant coffee in double boiler and dissolve over heat. Add and dissolve sugar, then butter, than chocolate chips. Stir frequently and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat, cool a little, and beat in the egg yolks one at a time. (Be sure it’s cool enough not to cook the yolks.)

Cool in a sink of very cold water. Add vanilla extract.

Toward the end of the cooling process, beat cream in a large bowl, and egg whites in a still larger bowl. Fold some of the cream into the chilled chocolate, then the mixture back into the rest of the cream.

Then fold in 1/3 of the egg-whites and fold this back into the rest. Gently. Keep it very light (over-mixing will beat down both the whipped cream and the egg whites, and you don’t want chocolate pudding!)

Put into individual serving dishes and chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on the top, with a little extra brandy whipped into the cream if desired.

(You can also chill it in a common container and spoon out the servings, but it won’t look as attractive. I like to serve it in goblets, or similar sized, stemmed dessert containers.)

*Grand Marnier is especially good, but the cheapest G.M. is made with cheap brandy. Don’t believe it? buy the Centinaire. But, if you make your own you can afford the good brandy which both cooks and drinks better!!

(Tip, make you own orange brandy: begin with 3 cups of good brandy. Wash, then peel 6-7 oranges (try not to get much, or any, of the pith) and add the peels to the brandy and let it stand for a month. The product will be almost as good as the good G.M.)