Chocolate mousse without eggs or gelatin?

[Fluffygiraffe]

Hi everyone! This is my first post, so I'm really hoping I'm in the right spot. :) I'm trying to plan a dinner for my partner and for dessert, I'd like to do a homemade chocolate mousse with homemade whipped cream on top. My problem is finding a recipe that doesn't use eggs or gelatin. She's very allergic to egg yolk and I'm creeped out by gelatin. I'd still like to have the mousse come out nice and fluffy. Egg whites can be used as a last resort, but I'd prefer no eggs. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[mark111757]

hey fluffy

this might be something to try as well

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

dont know how it compares to the WSJ recipe but worth a shot anyway !!!!

enjoy

[mark111757]

hey fluffy

try this from nigella lawson

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/i...

i dont have double cream but i used as high a fat content cream that i could get....it has not failed me yet and is DE-LISH!! good luck with it!!!!!!!!!!!

[cowboyardee]

The marshmallows used in that recipe typically contain gelatin.

[Querencia]

This is not a joke although it sounds weird. A family member who had dinner there just sent me the menu link for a restaurant in Grand Cayman ("Grand Old House") and I noticed on it a dessert called Roasted Eggplant Chocolate Mousse. The more I think about it, the more it sounds feasible to use eggplant as the ballast in a mousse-type dessert. You'd have to sieve it pretty good to get the fiber out (maybe pass it through a food mill) but if you can make mousse with tofu I bet you could do it with eggplant.

[Fluffygiraffe]

Need some help! I made the tofu chocolate mousse recipe supplied by Erika L and it is very runny. Will it thicken up as it cools or should I add something to make it thicker?

[Caitlin McGrath]

Put it in the fridge in a covered container, and it will thicken. It's like pudding - needs time to set.

[Erika L]

Agree with Caitlin--the chocolate needs time to re-solidify.

[janniecooks]

Just last weekend the Wall Street Journal included a recipe for "Bill's Food Processor Chocolate Mousse"; apparently Alice Medrich has included in it her most recent cookbook of sinful desserts. The mousse is made with chocolate, sugar, milk, vegetable oil, cream and flavorings, and the author of the article stressed the ease with which this mousse is made (in a food processor!). I haven't made it yet, but it's now on top of my stack of recipe to-do's. Here's a link to the WSJ article which includes the recipe:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001...

[mark111757]

looked very interesting but only if you subscribe, you get to see the actual recipe

[janniecooks]

Oh, man. When I posted the link one could access the entire article, now it's not available. BUT after some searching I found it on Serious Eats, one of my favorite food sites:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

[Erika L]

Trust me on this one--it makes THE smoothest, richest, creamiest, chocolatiest mousse ever. I just put it on the table and don't tell anyone what's in it, and no one's ever guessed when I asked. I don't know your definition of fluffy but nothing in this recipe gets air whipped into it.

3/4 c sugar
3/4 c water
1 pound silken tofu
8 oz chocolate--dark, dark sweet, bittersweet, semisweet, milk, whatever
flavoring: vanilla; cinnamon; rum; whatever

Bring the sugar and water to a boil and stir til the sugar dissolves; cool.

Melt the chocolate and let it cool a bit.

In a blender (don't try this with a mixer), buzz the sugar syrup, chocolate, and tofu till smooth, scraping down the sides at least once. Pour it into a serving dish, individual dishes, a pie shell, whatever, and put in the fridge til cold

[Fluffygiraffe]

I've seen a few recipes with tofu out there and those definitely caught my eye...so you can't tell at all that there's tofu in it? Such an odd concept, but tofu just tastes like what you are making with it, so I guess it would just taste like chocolate if you mixed it with chocolate. Very interesting. Thanks!

[Erika L]

Any chocolate mousse benefits from good chocolate. Honest and true, no one's ever successfully guessed the substrate and in fact it's fun to watch people's faces when I tell them! This is actually my all-time fave choc mousse recipe--I like it better than any traditional recipe based on cream, and it's sooooooooo easy.

[Fluffygiraffe]

I forgot to ask, do you know how much mousse your recipe makes?

[Erika L]

It serves four to six, give or take.

[Fluffygiraffe]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Some great ideas here.

[sandylc]

I have seen a recipe that is only chocolate melted in heavy cream, then chilled and whipped. Basically a whipped ganache.

[Kajikit]

Melt chocolate. Fold into whipped cream. Refrigerate. It's VERY rich and decadant and doesn't need any eggs or gelatin.

[escondido123]

Just so there will be no confusion, I assume it is understood that you do have to cool the melted chocolate some before folding into whipped cream...I think?

[gembellina]

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/i...

this nigella recipe uses marshmallows instead of egg whites. my housemate made it once and it was pretty dense but he's not known for his ability to follow a recipe! the reviews on the website seem pretty positive.

[Sooeygun]

Marshmallows contain gelatin. Or at least the ones I have do.

[Azizeh]

There's vegan gelatin, if you want to experiment a little. I've seen it at Whole Foods and there are recipes online for it.

[greygarious]

It's long ago so I can't recall which TV show it was on, but I saw (and later made) a chocolate mousse that was merely melted chocolate cooled, mixed with sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream, then returned to the fridge till re-chilled, after which it was beaten until the desired degree of fluffiness was reached.

[cowboyardee]

Chocolate mousse using no ingredients but chocolate and water;
http://food52.com/blog/2932_herv_this...

Very interesting intensity of chocolate flavor.

[TrishUntrapped]

Thanks for this post. I watched the video. Looks amazing and easily flavored (I might add a little Cointreau or maybe not)!

[Fluffygiraffe]

Wow, that looks amazing! I might just try this one. Thanks!

[JaneEYB]

It is amazing - you can't quite believe it is going to come together then it does. It is really important you don't over-whip it as it firms up quite a bit, especially if you are going to chill it. If you are eating it straight away it is quite soft. I think a little bit of sugar helps round out the flavor.

[LauraGrace]

Wow, thanks, cowboyardee. I watched the video and was gobsmacked. Who would have thought!

[TrishUntrapped]

So I went ahead and made Herve This' Chocolate + Water = Mousse (thank you Cowboyardee).

1. It works. You do get chocolate mousse. I used Newman's Own 70% chocolate.

2. It is quick, very easy and forgiving. As the mixture got nice and creamy, the sides of the bowl got too cold and the chocolate on the side of the bowl solidified. After spooning out the soft part, I tossed the bowl into the microwave for a few seconds, it liquified slightly, and I gave it a few whisks (not over the ice bath) and it was mousse-like again.

3. It's very rich and tastes like - chocolate. As you can see from the pix below I used the mousse for little bite-size tarts for a barbecue I'm going to today. They will be topped with fresh whipped cream just before serving.

4. When chilled the mousse turns hard so leave out at room temperature for awhile before serving. However, the more I think about it, I don't think it even needs to be refrigerated. It's only chocolate and water. There's no dairy or eggs in it.

5. Will I make it again? Yes, if I need chocolate mousse in a pinch (surprisingly that doesn't happen as often as one might think...). Overall, I prefer the texture and taste of Julia Child's mousse which I have been making for years. But this one is a handy little number to have in one's arsenal, and for these mini tarts where you want to pack a lot of flavor in a small bite, it's perfect and very quick!

[cowboyardee]

Nice report, Trish. I find that recipe is not ideal for situations where the mousse makes up the bulk of the dessert, but it's extremely useful for desserts where it's used more as a component since it stands up to other flavors so well.

[TrishUntrapped]

Here is a pic of the finished tarts (for a birthday/barbecue). When all is said and done, I found the texture to be more like ganache rather than a light airy mousse. As you said Cowboy, this makes for a nice component for a dessert, rather than being served in a bowl all by its lonesome. It might also make good truffles.

[mark111757]

hi trish

looks great......if i could source it out locally, i would get some chinese ginger in syrup and finely chop it and garnish the top of the tart with it.....

[escondido123]

Haven't tried this one, but it fits your criteria and the reviews are decent.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...