Some Assembly Required

I'm running this well ahead of Valentine's Day so you can get in a practice lick on it (so to speak.) The recipe calls for a "ganache" so I looked it up in my Larousse Fr.-Eng. dictionery. "Ganache" is zoological for an animal's jowl or in the familiar, "blockhead." A ganache to me has always been merely the flavorsome puddle underneath a pastry dessert. Perhaps the spread of it? Any road, the French are strange. Which epicurious.com and google confirmed: ganache translates into "fool" and is used thusly.

This is like an old-fashioned menswear suit -- three pices.

MILK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH A PORT GANACHE AND WHIPPED CREME FRAICHE

The JOWLS (just joking!)
1 1/4 cups plus 1/4 cup more Ruby Port
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 stick sweet butter
4 oz. quality milk chocolate (Lindt) chopped
1 T sugar
Boil down the 1 1/4 cups of Port to 1/4 cup - about 9 minutes.
Meanwhile, simmer the cream and butter in a saucepan, remove from heat and add the chocolate, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Stir in 2 T of the port reduction.

Then go back to the reduction and add 1/2 cup straight port and 1 T sugar to it. Boil this until the syrup coats the spoon - 6 to 7 minutes. Set this whole mess aside.

MOUSSE
2 large eggs, separated
2 T water
10 T chilled whipping cream, divided
1 T sugar
6 oz. quality milk chocolate, chopped

Whisk together the yolks, 2 T water, 2 T cream and the sugar until you've got a custard - don't boil it! Remove from the heat and stir in the milk chocolate.
Beat the whites separately into peaks and fold gently into the chocolate mixture. Beat 8 T cream in (yet) another bowl and fold them gently into the chocolate. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours and, hell, make it the day before and leave it in the refrigerator.

WHIPPED CREME FRAICHE
(Frankly, I wouldn't bother -- you've got enough calories here)
1/3 cup chilled heavy cream
1/3 cup chilled creme fraiche
Beat together and set aside.

Assembly: Sauce the dessert plate with ganache; add a careful scoop of mousse and top with the creme fraiche. Make yourself a martini and go lie down.