You'd think it would be easy to find great pralines at every turn when you live in New Orleans, but my own pickyness has hindered this ability time and again. I just hate pralines made with evaporated milk!

I originally got this recipe from The New Orleans School of Cooking, but I've seen it plenty other places too. It's a classic New Orleans style recipe and by far my favorite--I love the texture. Texas style recipes are of the chewier variety and to me they just seem like they should accompany something else, like a topping on a cheesecake or ice cream, rather than standing alone.

Also, if you've never made pralines before, don't get discouraged if they aren't picture perfect the first time around. Even a great praline recipe can yield less than ideal results; it takes practice to perfect your timing and technique. As many times as I've made them, every once in a while I still make a batch that has to be thrown out.

There was a time in my life when I didn't really like chocolate mousse very much. Then we went to Paris for our honeymoon and I realized what I had been missing. Our first night there, we went exploring and after seeing the Eiffel Tower, we stopped at a restaurant nearby to enjoy dinner on the sidewalk. Dusk in the city of lights is picturesque and coupled with delicious food, it's a moment I will always remember. Le crumby husband ordered mousse au chocolat for dessert while I ordered....er...who knows what? I honestly don't remember because whatever I ordered just did not compare to this chocolate mousse.

After we got back home, I kept thinking about that silky chocolatey perfection. I couldn't get it out of my head so here I was thinking I'd have to go on some ridiculous quest in search of said perfection--I would have to try countless recipes because of course in reality nothing would match up with the awesomeness that I've been reminiscing about. As things often pan out differently in reality than they do in my head, the first recipe I tried was all it took. Seriously best chocolate mousse ever, thanks to David Lebovitz's adaptation of the classic Julia Child recipe.