My favorite desserts are light, creamy and silky smooth concoctions — desserts such as creme brulee, mousse, panna cotta and puddings taste of ethereal, transcendental bliss to me. My favorite desserts are also easy to make, may be made in advance and are lovely to behold. This chocolate "mousse", therefore, fits my criteria for a perfect dessert.

Amanda Hesser, the food columnist and editor for the New York Times, often resurrects recipes from a bygone day that never should have gone away in the first place; this "mousse" is no exception.

I put quotation marks around the "mousse" because, as the article in the Time's Magazine points out, it's really more of a panna cotta; panna cotta is thickened with gelatin, and mousse has air whipped into it.

I made the "mousse" 24 hours in advance for a dinner party, then whipped the cream and garnished it several hours before serving. Everyone wanted the recipe, and my husband requested I make it again for Valentine's Day — twist my arm!

My only changes to the recipe were with the addition of fresh raspberries and a sprinkle of raspberry sugar. The original recipe says it serves eight; perhaps if using small soufflé cups this would be accurate. But the recipe filled four sorbet glasses, with not a smidgen to spare. I imagine this would be elegant served in a martini glass as well.

Recipes come and go, changing with trends and evolving tastes. This recipe, for me, is a timeless keeper.

Yield: 4-8 servings

This recipe first appeared in an article by Jean Hewitt in The New York Times (1966).

1/4 cup cold whole milk
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup milk, heated to boiling
6 tablespoons dark rum
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package (1 cup) semisweet chocolate pieces
2 cups heavy cream
2 ice cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh raspberries, optional garnish
Raspberry sugar*, optional garnish

*Purchased at Kerrytown Spice Merchants.

Directions

1.Put the cold milk and gelatin in blender. Cover and blend at low speed to soften the gelatin.
2. Add boiling milk; blend until the gelatin dissolves. If gelatin granules cling to the container, use a rubber spatula to push them down.
3. When the gelatin is dissolved, add the rum, egg, sugar and salt. Blend at high speed and add chocolate pieces until smooth.
4. Add 1 cup of the cream and the ice cubes. Continue blending until the ice is liquefied. Pour into parfait or wine glasses and chill.
5. Add vanilla to the other cup of cream and whip until stiff. Top the mousse with whipped cream and raspberries and raspberry sugar, if using.