Mousse

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For other uses, see Mousse (disambiguation).

Mousse is a form of creamy dessert typically made from egg and cream usually with other flavors such as chocolate or fruit. The ingredients are beaten separately and then folded together carefully to produce a light and fluffy yet extremely rich confection. It is then chilled to maintain the fluffiness.

Once only a speciality of French restaurants, chocolate mousse entered into American and English home cuisine in the 1960s. Mousse-like desserts in middle America commonly go under designations like "whip".

Depending on how it is prepared, it can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick.

Due to usage of raw eggs, eating mousse may lead to food poisoning, caused by salmonella bacteria. Note that in the UK most eggs are routinely pasteurized and are therefore safe to eat raw. These eggs are marked with the Lion Mark. Most food service establishments in the U.S. use pasteurized eggs whenever raw eggs are called for, so food poisoning should not be a concern there except in home cooking.

A "Bavarian" (Fr. Bavaroise) is also similar to mousse.