
Title: A Simple (yet delicious) Synthesis of Chocolate Mousse
Abstract:
This is procedure results in the synthesis of a smooth creamy mousse made with three food ingredients that trace their origin to the ancient Aztecs (1). The end result is more impressive than the simplicity of this procedure (recipe) might suggest. The symbiotic combination of these South American ingredients (2) produces a dessert with superb oligolectic properties. See the notes and appendix for additional information.

Introduction: This procedure utilises the millennial's favourite ingredient, avocado (3), combined with chocolate (4) and vanilla (5). These three ingredients can be traced to the pre-Columbian Aztecs of South America. Avocados are not an expensive ingredient if you purchase them when the seasonal yield offers a corresponding reduction in the retail price. With the correct timing of your avocado purchase you can have your mousse and still accumulate the deposit for your mortgage (6).
The earliest known reference to chocolate mousse comes from 19th century France (7), with an intriguing link to French painter Toulouse-Lautrec (8).

Literature review. The word mousse comes from the French word for 'foam'. It refers to a light food that incorporates air bubbles, giving it a texture that is pleasant on the palate. A mousse can range from being light and fluffy through to creamy and thick. It may be sweet (as in this recipe) or savoury (for example in salmon mousse). The most popular mousse is of course, chocolate.

Rationale for the chosen synthetic approach. This recipe incorporates avocados as a means of providing a natural creamy texture. The fats in avocados are considered to be ‘good’ – a non-specific and therefore very unscientific term. The fat in avocado is primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which can help lower so-called bad cholesterol levels and is beneficial to heart health when consumed in moderation (9). Like all plants avocados are cholesterol free.
Synthetic Prerequisties (Ingredients):
2 ripe persea Americana, (avocados)
180g dark chocolate
60 mL (¼ cup) milk (naturally from a cow or manufactured from a plant)
60 mL (¼ cup) sucrose (sugar, (10))
5 ml (1 teaspoon) Vanilla planifora extract (vanilla extract, 11)
An optional sprinkle (~0.2g) of sodium chloride (salt, (12))

Procedure:
Remove the flesh from the avocados and put it in a blender together with the rest of the synthetic requirements (ingredients), other than the salt.
Pulse the blender at approximately 20,000 rpm (full speed) for 60 seconds and check that everything is well combined. Hint: You should see no lumps. A small amount of the product pinched between your finger and thumb should be smooth, indicating the sucrose (sugar) has dissolved.
If the mix is too stiff add a small amount (~5mL) of milk.
Pour the mix into the vessels that you wish to serve it in. I like to serve the mousse in squat 250mL beakers, but you might prefer ramekins or small bowls.
Cover with Parafilm® (12) or a thin polythene membrane (GladWrap) and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Serve directly from the cryogenic cooling cabinet (refrigerator) at four degrees. It can also be served closer to room temperature (nominally 23 degrees plus or minus 1 degree).
Just before serving, add a small amount of sodium chloride flakes to the surface of the mousse. The sodium chloride enhances the chocolate flavour.
Characterization: Avocados, chocolate, vanilla and milk are natural products whose quality can vary considerably. The amounts to produce a perfect mousse may need to be adjusted accordingly.
A ripe avocado is indicated by a slight softness, yielding to light pressure around where the fruit has been attached to the stem.
Yield Calculation: This synthetic method above should produce approximately 800g of mousse or four standard serves.

Safety Precautions: Appropriate work health and safety (WHS, sometimes referred to as OHS, occupational health and safety) procedures should be employed in this synthesis. Hazards include the use of a blender and cryogenic device (refrigerator).
Excessive consumption of any dessert product may lead to unsatisfactory weight gain is repeated over a long term..
References and Additional Information:
1. The Aztecs were the Indigenous Native American people who dominated northern Mexico until the time of the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century. The Aztecs settled on several small islands in Lake Texcoco where, in 1325, they founded the town of Tenochtitlan, modern-day Mexico City.
2. A significant amount of the fruit and vegetables we now commonly use, originally came from the Americas. These include the avocado, cacao (from which chocolate is made), pineapple, chillies, potato, corn, green beans, capsicum and vanilla.

3. The word "avocado" comes from the South American Nahuatl People’s word āhuacatl, which was used by the Aztecs to describe the fruit. The word āhuacatl is thought to have been used as a euphemism for ‘testicle’. The Aztecs may have believed the fruit was an aphrodisiac because of its shape and associated it with fertility. The word was then transliterated into Spanish as aguacate, and eventually into English as avocado.

4. Chocolate originated in Mesoamerica, in the regions across present-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Ecuador and Honduras. The cacao tree, which produces chocolate, was first domesticated in what is now southeast Ecuador over 5,000 years ago. The ancient civilizations of the Olmecs, Mayans and the Aztecs revered chocolate. The Olmecs used it in rituals and as medicine. The Maya considered chocolate to be the food of the gods. They made a thick, foamy drink called xocolatl, which literally means "bitter water". The Aztecs used cocoa beans as currency and believed chocolate was a gift from the god Quetzalcoatl (the inventor of books , the calendar and sometimes, death and destruction) . The Aztecs drank chocolate as a refreshing beverage, an aphrodisiac, and to prepare for war.

5. Vanilla originated in the jungles of Mexico and Central America. The Totonac people, who lived on Mexico's Atlantic coast around 600 CE, were the first to cultivate the vanilla orchid. European discovery of it dates to 1521, by Hernando Cortes' soldiers on reconnaissance in south-eastern Mexico. The origin of the word vanilla comes from the Spanish meaning "little pod." Today to refer to something as ‘vanilla’ is derogatory and refers to it being boring, middle-of-the-road or bland.
6. The "avocado toast theory" is a narrative that suggests that millennials could afford to buy homes if they stopped buying avocado toast. The theory originated in 2017 when Tim Gurner, an Australian real-estate development millionaire, said that young people should cut back on their “$22 a pop avocado toast and coffee” to save for a home. Linking millennial prosperity to avocados was a light-hearted gibe that gained international attention.

7. Chocolate mousse was first described by the French as "mayonnaise de chocolat" with the first documented reference occurring in 1750 in Menon’s book “La Science du Maître d’Hôtel Confiseur”. I think the literal translation of 'chocolate mayonnaise' sounds tastier than chocolate mousse.
8. Count Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa, to give him his full name, was a French painter, printmaker, alcoholic, draughtsman, caricaturist, brothel-frequenter and amateur chef (1864-1901). He is best known as a painter of contemporary Parisian life and for his posters advertising the Moulin Rogue (Red Windmill). His recipes were published posthumously in, The Art of Cuisine (1966).

9. To label some fat good and some bad is not scientific, but it has entered common language and even some of the grey literature. Fat is as essential to your diet as protein. It and other carbohydrates fuel your body and provide energy. Certain bodily functions also rely on the presence of fat. For example, some vitamins require fat in order to dissolve into your bloodstream to provide nutrients. Some types of fat, including saturated fat and trans-fats, may have negative health effects, especially when consumed in excess.
Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat may have benefits such as lowering the likelihood of heart disease. However, the excess calories from eating too much (calorie-dense) fat of any type may lead to weight gain.

10. Use vanilla extract rather than essence. Vanilla extract is produced from the vanilla bean, while essence is often a synthetic biosimilar compound of the active ingredient in the plant. Both ingredients are difficult to tell apart, as they both contain vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde). Spectroscopic techniques can be employed to determine if the extract is derived from the plant or adulterated. The final test for the success of this synthesis should employ a sensory evaluation and gustatory test (taste test).

11. Sugar is a generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates. Simple sugars or monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides, are larger molecules made of two bonded monosaccharides; common examples are sucrose (glucose + fructose), lactose (glucose + galactose), and maltose (two molecules of glucose). In the body, compound sugars are broken down (hydrolysed) into the simpler sugars. White sugar is a refined form of sucrose. Most white sugar consumed in western cultures comes from sugar cane (with some sugar derived from beets in the northern hemisphere). Many foods, including fruits and vegetables, naturally contain sugars. Fad dieters claiming to be eating ‘sugar free’ are deluded. They may mean that they are not eating added or refined sugar, but if they are eating, they are consuming sugar.
It is well established that high sugar consumption may damage human health. Excessive consumption is known to be linked with dental caries, type-2 diabetes, higher risk of heart disease and obesity. The science on what constitutes 'excessive' is vague, however an estimate of more than 50g of refined sugar per day may be used as a guide.

12. Sodium chloride (commonly referred to as salt) is an ionic compound of sodium and chlorine. Sodium chloride is just one of thousands of ‘salts’. Sodium chloride has been used as a food additive and flavour enhancer for millennia. Although people are familiar with sodium chloride (salt) in their kitchens it is used in much greater amounts in the chemical industry. Large amounts are used to de-ice roads in extremely cold climates. Sodium chloride is the raw material used to produce chlorine gas (for water purification, bleaching), sodium carbonate (essential for the production of glass), hydrochloric acid and many other uses. It is important to note that the compound sodium chloride has no chemical properties in common with its two reactive parents sodium and chlorine.
Solid sodium chloride is found as the mineral halite, but the majority of sodium chloride is produced via the evaporation of water from sea water.
The pink colour of ‘Himalayan’ salt is due to impurities of iron compounds (like rust), and has little nutritional or culinary benefit. The successful sale of Himalayan salt is largely due to its pleasant colour and marketing spin. The vast majority of Himalayan salt comes from a single mine in the Jhelum District, Pakistan.
There is no scientific evidence that supports the use of salt or other crystals for 'crystal healing'.

13. Parafilm is a semi-transparent, flexible film composed of a blend of waxes and polyolefins. It is a ductile, malleable, non-toxic, tasteless, odourless, and self-sealing thermoplastic. It predates the more popular (and cheaper) polythene films in common use such as Glad Wrap. Parafilm is not suitable to microwave and does not resist organic solvents.

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