This Chocolate Mousse recipe was influenced by JL Fields and The Great British Baking Show. For the past few months, I haven’t felt like doing much of anything. I have recently been watching old episodes of GBBS and feeling inspired to start getting back into the kitchen. Following a binge watching session of GBBS, I pulled out my copy of JL’s book Vegan Baking for Beginners and made her recipe for Meringue Drops. I successfully completed that challenge (although I do need to work on my piping). Following my success, I felt energized to take it one step further. I realized I could use JL’s meringues as a base to make a vegan version of my old chocolate mousse recipe.
Before I get to the recipe, I want to add a New Year’s Day thought. We see so many people waking up on January 1st saying things like, “this is the year I will get in shape,” or “I am going to lose weight,” or “I am going to start eating better and working out.” While stated with the best of intentions, these resolutions have an air of unkindness to them. They suggest that we have somehow failed last year. We didn’t fail; and more importantly, we need to show ourselves the same kindness we show others. We prefer to start our New Year off with something sweet. One way to do that is with a serving our of rich and creamy Chocolate Mousse.
For this mousse, aquafaba (the magic water from a can of chickpeas or white beans) is used in place of egg whites. Unlike egg whites, aquafaba does not breakdown if overbeaten and it is much more forgiving. No fears about over mixing and deflating the mousse.
Ingredients
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup of aquafaba
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Put the chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Heat the soy milk until just below a simmer. Pour the soy milk over the chocolate and cover the bowl with a plate to retain the heat. Set aside for 2-3 minutes. After 3 minutes, uncover the bowl and mix the chocolate and soy milk together until completely smooth. Set aside to cool down while you prepare the aquafaba.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and granulated sugar.
3. Add the aquafaba and cream of tartar to the bowl of stand mixer. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. While the mixer is running, add the sugar mixture to the aquafaba mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. Once all the sugar is added, add the vanilla extract. Increase the mixer speed to high and mix for 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. The merignue will very glossy and sticky.
4. Transfer the meringue to the bowl with the chocolate. Fold it in until fully incorporated and there are no bits of white meringue peaking out or streaks of melted chocolate. Don’t worry if it looks runny. Cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator for at least two hours. The longer you leave it, the more time it has to firm up.
5. When ready to serve, scoop into bowls and enjoy!
We wish you all a very happy and sweet new year.
