I love art and bullet journaling—the idea of them at the very least, though the occasions when I can shut down my perfectionist inner voice and take a chance on a blank page are sadly less frequent than I’d like. (2020 goals yo.)

My hesitation has never stopped me from aggregating content for these endeavors however, and growing up I spent years harvesting pages from various beauty magazines—stripping their articles, advertisements and whatever else in a relentless hunt for beautiful ephemera. From middle school to my first couple of years out of college, I amassed stacks and stacks of assorted clippings and pages, mostly recycled from Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, Lucky Magazine, etc.

The majority of this upcycled stockpile was put aside with purely aesthetic intentions, though some content had been preserved for its ‘real-world’ utility.  At some point in the limbo period between the end of college and the rest of my life, I organized my cache of clippings into 3-ring binders and folders that had once been used for college classes.

About a month ago I worked up the gumption to go through the aforementioned binders and consolidate things, no simple feat for an overly sentimental packrat such as myself.  Sifting through pages of advice on makeup, beauty, boys, and applying self-tanner successfully (lol) a decade later was both an entertaining and nostalgia-filled experience, the relationship advice and style trends in particular being kind of outdated and whack. 

Leafing through glossy sheets that still smelled of perfume samples from years past, the thought process of the young girl who’d put these pages aside was hardly recognizable to me. Who was the person who deemed this worth keeping? I thought more than once, sorting through various blurbs loaded with over-the-top sex tips and designer clothing recommendations that are neither to my current taste nor were ever within the realms of my budget. What value did I see in this when I chose to save it?

Though the majority of these bits found themselves re-situated to the recycling bin, a few gems lay hidden amongst all the silliness.  On a torn out page of Cosmopolitan magazine from 2012, underneath bogus advice about what to text men after the second and third dates and next to a recipe for a DIY olive-oil and sea salt scrub, was a recipe for ‘simple dark chocolate mousse.’  

Of all the material examined, it makes sense that I’d saved this article.  As an avid lover of all things chocolate, chocolate mousse was a constant for me on ‘treat yoself’ days during my junior and senior years of college, an opulent delicacy that I would snag from the bakery section of my college town’s local co-op grocer on particularly trying days.  It represented utter self-indulgence and felt vaguely naughty in its decadence, a sweet companion that aided through the various trials and travails of my senior year. 

Ironically probably about the time that issue of the magazine was published (September 2012) was the peak of this habit. Probably why this particular scrap was salvaged, not necessarily for the exfoliating scrub or romantic advice.

The magical thing about this mousse is that it has only five ingredients, guys—FIVE. From my previous understanding, chocolate mousse—like most French confections—involved a fair amount of meticulous effort, time, and attention to detail. The ingredients list is small and simple, which initially left me a little dubious; but my curiosity was piqued, and I had to try it for myself. 

When I came upon this recipe, Valentine’s Day was quickly approaching, which predictably put me in the mood for all things chocolate; even better, I already had most of the ingredients in my pantry and fridge.  Worst case scenario, I’d have to throw the result of my confectionary experiment gone awry into the compost bin.

The recipe is courtesy of Chef Jakob White, of the recently-defunct Waban Kitchen in Newton Massachusetts.  Although this post is too late for Valentine’s Day, I personally consider chocolate mousse to be a versatile dessert appropriate for any affair, adding a lofty flair to even the most chill and informal supper.  I’ve added it to my list of dishes that are perfect for a dinner party, an impressive dessert that will wow your friends and colleagues with minimal effort.

Simple Dark Chocolate Mousse

• 1 4 oz bar of bittersweet dark chocolate
• 1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• Pinch kosher salt
• Pistachios, blueberries and raspberries for garnish (optional)

1. Add heavy cream to a bowl with sugar, beating until the cream forms stiff peaks.  (This is much easier to do with an electric mixer.)  Set aside in fridge.

2. Add an inch or two of water to a pot and heat to a light boil.  Grab a medium-sized glass or metal mixing bowl to use for a double boiler, making sure that the bowl sits at least an inch above the water in the pan.  Add chocolate to the bowl and melt, stirring with a spatula until smooth. 

3. Once chocolate is melted, remove bowl from heat and mix in the yogurt, creating a pudding-like consistency.

4. Remove whipped cream from fridge and gently fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.

5. Portion chocolate mousse into serving dishes if you’d like, and let set in fridge for a little to get that perfect consistency, at least 15-30 minutes.  When ready to serve, top with a pinch of salt, whipped cream, and whatever your choice of sweet garnish.  (We topped ours with chopped pistachios, blueberries and raspberries, and it was amazing.)

A few notes:

We used plain Greek yogurt, having to add a few tablespoons of sugar and vanilla flavoring to get the right taste, which worked out just fine.  I’d also say that if you can find a larger chocolate bar, go for it!  The chocolatier the better, in my opinion.

Remember—chocolate mousse is exceptionally rich, and you likely won’t want to make portions larger than around ½ to ¾ of a cup, as a rough estimate.  I went a little overboard and made heaping portions for my mom and I after dinner and neither of us could get through our bowls, having to throw a lid on them to be finished off the next day.  The mousse maintained its consistency overnight, and was still equally as delicious the next day too! 

To my estimations, I would say this makes enough for probably 3-4 servings. 

All in all, I couldn’t believe what a quality cheat this was. 

As a chocolate mousse connoisseur, I was thoroughly impressed with this recipe.  The consistency is gorgeous, delicate, fluffy, and almost sinfully rich in flavor.  The whipped cream helps lighten up the intensity of the dark chocolate as a garnish in addition to giving it a beautiful consistency, with the berries and pistachios serving as another brightening counterpoint to the mousse’s rich complexity.

Even if most of the material from my old magazine collection is no longer to my taste, this quick and easy recipe for chocolate mousse stands the test of time. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think!