I’m having a little dinner party with my two best friends on Friday, and I have an obstinate idea in my head that I want to make a fruit mousse for dessert. I’ve never done it before.
I know what ingredients I’ll be using; the part I’m unclear on is the order of assembly.
I will be using:
Some apricot goo of medium consistency that I got by simmering some dried apricots and sugar in nectar and then whipping;
Some heavy whipping cream; and
A couple egg whites whipped with a bit of cream tartar.
So, do I whip the egg whites until stiff first, then fold in the apricot goo? Whip egg whites and goo together?
I plan on whipping the heavy cream separately & folding whatever happens with the fruit goo into that.
I would appreciate hearing from the voice of experience.
Hmm, the closest I’ve come to making a fruit mousse is a chilled souffle. This one is lemon, but it’d probably be not too hard to use your apricot goo instead. I can attest that recipe is delicious - it’s from Cook’s Illustrated originally (which still has it, but their version is behind a pay wall) and I’ve made it many times.
I’ve got a fantastic strawberry mousse recipe that I’ve made many times. I think you could easily adapt it for your apricot goo (which sounds delicious, by the way!).
The recipe doesn’t use egg whites, and frankly I think you should jettison them. First, if they’re not pasturized, you could make your guests sick with salmonella (rare but it happens); and second, they just won’t stand up for very long. Bonus: You won’t have 2 extra egg yolks hanging around.
My recipe uses a mixture of cream cheese and whipped cream, giving a light but less fragile texture. If you want the recipe, let me know and I’ll be happy to share it.
• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries or half of 16 ounces pkg. frozen, unsweetened whole strawberries, thawed
• 1 pkg. (8 ounces) cream cheese, cut into 3-4 cubes
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (you can sift it if you want but I don’t)
• 4 oz. heavy whipping cream, whipped to medium stiffness
• toasted sliced almonds for topping
• more whipped cream, optional
Preparation:
In a blender container or food processor fitted with chopping blade, combine strawberries, cream cheese and powdered sugar. Blend or process until mixture is smooth and uniform, stopping and scraping sides as necessary.
Pour mixture into a mixing bowl. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon mousse mixture into 6 dessert dishes. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Serve sprinkled with the sliced almonds or top with a dollop of whipped cream and sliced almonds sprinkled over the top.
Makes 6 servings.
Obviously substitute apricot goo for strawberries. I’ll bet it will be a gorgeous dessert!
