This is a quickie. It's for those of you still casting about for the ideal, luscious Valentine's Day dessert. (Not that it wouldn't be just as irresistible any other day of the year.) I made it yesterday and it was an astonishing sight to behold, considering that it's a chocolate mousse made only of chocolate and a bit of water. No eggs, no cream, no fuss. Melissa Clark of the Times got the recipe from molecular gastronomist Hervé This. (Not to be confused with his colleague Henri That.) It's intense and ridiculously simple, sort of like falling in love. But with more whipping.

I recommend watching Melissa's video before you start, so you can pick up a few tips. Then grab some top-notch bittersweet chocolate from your stash (you know you have one) and go. All you do is melt the chocolate with some water, pour it into a bowl over an ice bath and whip it into submission. In a few short minutes it miraculously becomes mousse!

Make it in the 15-minute interlude between dinner and dessert, or prepare it ahead of time, then rewhip for a minute before you serve it. Important: do not forgo the sea salt. It truly makes it sing. (A blob of whipped cream or crème fraîche would also not be wrong.) Love is all you need, but a bottle of wine, some chocolate mousse and thou are a few things I would not throw out of bed.

P.S. I've even got another vegan chocolate mousse recipe, here...