2-Ingredient Mousse and Overweight Benefits

White Chocolate Mousse

"I invented it — but it was so easy, I'm embarrassed!" 

Hervé This, Wired magazine, 2007.

Hervé, a French chemist, is considered the father of modern gastronomy and apparently he is the source of inspiration for Heston Blumental. Hervé invented a mousse recipe, calling it chocolate chantilly. His recipe contained just two ingredients, chocolate and water. Recipes don't get too much simpler than this. You only need to buy (or borrow or steal) chocolate. 

Mousse made this way has a much stronger chocolate flavour since there is no cream used. Water has a neutral taste and does not dilute the chocolate flavour. 

You probably think that you should not mix chocolate and water. Water makes chocolates seize, becoming grainy or lumpy. That’s correct but if water and chocolate are heated together, it becomes a simple and delicious chocolate sauce. If this sauce is whisked over ice it becomes mousse.

The recipe is almost fool proof, you cannot spoil the ingredients. If for some reason the mixture turns grainy, reheat it. If the mixture is too runny, reheat it with more chocolate. If the mixture is too firm, reheat it with more water. If anything goes wrong, just reheat and start over again. If it does not work out, you will end up with delicious chocolate sauce. The recipe is available here.

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Did you put on a few kilos over the festive season and are now feeling guilty? This unusual research may put a smile on your face.

A study has found that overweight people had less risk of dying than people with a normal BMI. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that "overweight" people might have a longer lifespan.

Researchers looked at over 100 studies of 3 million adults and found that those at the lowest BMI classified as overweight (BMI of 25<30) had the lowest mortality risk while obese people had the greatest mortality risk. Those at the obesity level of BMI 30 to 34.9 had the same mortality risk as normal-weight people.

According to Dr. George Blackburn of Harvard Medical School, the BMI scale might not be the best indicator of health. Instead, doctors should also look at blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.

I don’t know what the implications are for this study. Be slightly overweight and live longer? Or don’t rely on statistics and research? In any case this is interesting and indicates how complex and confusing nutrition research can be. And if you did put on a few kilos this festive season, it may make you feel less guilty, at least temporarily.