While not exactly diet food, this mousse contains no egg yolks, making it lighter in both taste and fat than French chocolate mousse.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

• 1½ tablespoons Kirshwasser or cherry brandy
• 1½ tablespoons dark rum (such as Meyer's)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, plus a few drops
• 6 ounces dark chocolate (bittersweet)
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 2½ tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 6 egg whites, whipped to medium-soft peaks, refrigerated
• Additional whipped cream and chocolate shavings to garnish (optional)

1. Chill eight (8-ounce) wineglasses. Combine cherry brandy, dark rum, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and chocolate in a double boiler (or a steel mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water). Warm, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth.

2. Whip together the cream, confectioners' sugar, and a few drops of vanilla until it forms soft peaks when the whisk is lifted from it.

3. Gently fold ⅓ of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Fold the chocolate mixture back into the rest of the whipped cream, mixing only as much as is necessary to incorporate it most of the way (a few streaks of chocolate are okay).

4. Fold the whipped egg whites very gently into the chocolate cream mixture, just barely enough to incorporate.

5. Fill the mousse into a pastry bag with a star tip (or a plastic bag with a corner cut out), and pipe it into 8 chilled wineglasses. Cover the glasses individually with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours, until set.

6. Garnish with a spoonful of whipped cream and chocolate shavings if desired.