Congratulations! You’ve done it. Each course of your meal was perfectly paired with wines that accented and highlighted one another. It’s time for dessert. Don’t give up now. Fortified, late harvest, botrytized, and sélection de grains nobles wines with elegant, silky sweetness are here to match all aspects of everyone’s favorite course. And one of my, and many people’s, desserts of choice is Chocolate Mousse. I’m not talking the lighter-than-air, frothy, foamy stuff, I’m talking the dense, unctuous, sinful mousse you find in Paris’s classic bistros. This recipe below is exactly that and it’s nearly foolproof to make.

For the perfect pairing to this delicious delicacy, look no further than the wines of Fausse Piste. Winemaker Jesse Skiles, himself, is no stranger to the kitchen, a trained cook-turned-winemaker, he’s creating cuvees in the Pacific Northwest that pair perfectly with all foods from starter to dessert. The 2010 Fausse Piste Post Feast is the tongue twister of a wine you need to match and balance all of the intense dark chocolate notes. It’s made mostly of Grenache that is fermented and watched carefully. When only 4 brix of sugar in the fermenting must remain, a distilled Muscat spirit is added, stopping the fermentation and leaving the natural sweetness. The resulting fortified wine is aged for 58 months before its release and has a beautiful LBV port-like quality. Paired with this chocolate mousse accented with ripe raspberries, you’ve found the perfect crescendo to your dinner party or romantic date night in these cool autumn nights.

Mousse au Chocolat: (4 servings)

4 Egg yolks

50g Sugar

125g Dark Chocolate (66%-70%), chopped

56g Butter, unsalted

15ml Grand Marnier

1t Vanilla extract

2 Pinches of salt

75g Egg whites

Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the color lightens and the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

(Whipped yolks with sugar)

As the yolks are whisking, melt the chocolate with the butter, Grand Marnier, vanilla, and salt over a double boiler, stirring with a silicone spatula until the chocolate is completely melted, then remove it from the heat. Mix the yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture. If it looks oily at all, do not worry, it will come together.

Next, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl using an electric mixture until they form stiff peaks. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate-egg yolk mixture, careful not to deflate the whipped whites. Once incorporated, fold in the second third of the whites, and finally, the last third. Make sure there are no pockets of egg whites in the mixture. Once fully incorporated, spoon the mousse into one large ramekin for sharing, or individual bowls or glasses for single servings. Garnish with powdered sugar, chocolate shavings, and raspberries if desired.