Celebrate National Mousse Day on November 30 and Beyond

Ahhh, mousse. It's so popular that it now has a day to celebrate it. The light, ethereal dessert was created in France but pops up on menus all over the United States in versions from traditional to creative, from sweet to savory. While the most familiar is a delicious chocolate mousse, on National Mousse Day we invite you to sample some exciting variations of these whipped-up desserts. 

 

Old-School Chocolate mousse at Olmsted @Olmsted

 

Brooklyn's Olmsted keeps it traditional, but with a seasonal flair. Chef Greg Baxtrom’s vegetable-forward restaurant dresses up their Old-School Chocolate Mousse with caramelized plums and whipped crème fraîche. The fruit changes seasonally but the basic mousse is a staple on the menu. 

Upscale New York City eatery Paisley also includes fruit in their Chai Chocolate Mousse. Here Michelin starred chef Peter Beck mixes in Parle-G cookie crumbs, strawberries, blackberries, blackberry and orange whipped cream with roasted chai spice for a distinctive Indian twist. 

 

Chai Chocolate Moouse @Paisley

 

New York’s inventive Oasis Café offers many types of mousse at their charming café. But, if you can’t make it there, they want you to celebrate the holiday with one of their distinctive mousses at home. Download the app and you can order their delicious Raspberry Mousse or their dressed-up Oreo Mousse.

If you’re crazy about mousse, no matter the flavor, there’s a Mecca for you to celebrate National Mousse Day.  After years of selling his mousses to specialty stores in NYC, Belgium-born Chef Johan Halsberghe invites you to the first-ever Chocolate Mousse Bar in the US, located in Harlem’s café Mojo. Using only Belgian chocolate, Chef crafts small batch mousses, varying the ultimate flavors each month. For the holiday, there is a selection of classics -- dark 70% , white and hazelnut praline – plus two special flavors, passion fruit + ruby chocolate and matcha. Top them with crunchy-candy pieces or fruit, or be a purist and enjoy them straight up either indoors or to go packed in a cup. 

A treat for those of you near one of the country’s 20 Chevys Fresh Mex  restaurants, chocolate mousse gets the benefit of a coffee infusion as Chocolate Kahlúa Mousse. The light and creamy treat is sinfully rich with layers of white and dark chocolate Kahlúa mousse, topped with whipped cream and raspberries. 

 

Chevy's Chocolate Kahlua Mousse @Chevy's

 

West Coasters aren’t left out of the celebration. I suggest you try You & Yours Distilling Co.'s whimsically-named Worms in Dirt that takes full advantage of the products of this San Diego tasting room. The dessert features a mousse made with the distillery's Provisional Gin that is then layered with devil's food cake, Stella Jean's vanilla ice cream, graham cracker, and topped with Y&Y Summer Citrus Vodka-infused gummy worms.

Another mousse variation enlivened with alcohol shows up at Seven Stills’ 100 Hooper Street location in San Francisco. Spiked with Seven Stills Rorschach Test whiskey, the mousse pie is decorated with candied pecans, whipped cream and Michelin chef Joseph Humphrey’s family sugar cane syrup, all atop a graham cracker crust. Pair it with one of the artisanal whiskeys, the Chocasmoke chocolate oatmeal stout whiskey, a perfect chocolate complement to the pie.

At Patty’s Cakes & Desserts in Fullerton, California, the cupcakes are all topped with different types of mousse rather than frosting. You’ll have a hard choice deciding which of the nearly 100 cupcake combinations to order with mousse offerings including Nutella, strawberry, vanilla, chocolate Oreo, chocolate chip, cream cheese and many more. Instead of one regular-sized cupcakes, indulge your indecision with a variety of Patty’s mini cupcakes. 

Miami is also active in the mousse craze. Villa Azur , a popular restaurant in the heart of Miami Beach, has added Nutella Mousse to the menu for National Mousse Day. Topped with fresh berries, this rich mousse combines beautifully with an after-dinner port. 

 

Nutella Mousse @Villa Azur

Classic Italian restaurant Toscana Divino, also in Miami, has introduced Choco Pops for the holiday. The chocolate mousse-based popsicles are topped with a hazelnut crumble and ganache, perfect for a fun ending to your meal.

Adding a British twist to mousse, English-inspired Deer Path Inn near Lake Michigan serves up Divine Banana Nutella Trifle. The multi-layered confection has a mousse center that combines whipped cream cheese and Nutella, topped with sliced bananas. 

Lest we overlook the many savory versions of mousse that appear on menus as appetizers or snacks, I’d recommend trying the very French chicken liver mousse with dark-purple moon drop grapes served at Le Cavalier at the  HOTEL DU PONT in Wilmington, Delaware. Spread its creamy richness on the accompanying brioche.

And, here’s one last one to make at home while you binge on Downton Abbey episodes. From the downstairs kitchen, Mrs. Patmore assured Ethel that she could make a salmon mousse. You can do it, too, as an appetizer or even as an ingredient for a sandwich. All you need is non-fat yogurt, chives, smoked salmon, lemon juice and just a dash of whisky to give it some zest. Now that’s a bloody brilliant way to enjoy National Mousse Day.