Who would feel deprived when offered a Gluten-Free lovely such as this? image courtesy Nuggetmarket.com
It seems everyone is consumed with Fashion these days, right? We have the Fashion Police, the Red Carpet, which eclipses the actual events which follow, Fashion Week in many great cosmopolitan cities, and fashionable clothes, electronics, vacation destinations and residential areas… Fashion plays a huge part in the food world as well – as we see food and libation trends come and go with the times. It is an understatement to consider what restauranteurs and other food purveyors must consider in order to keep ahead of the curve and not become passé. That can be the instant kiss of death. Recently, we had a table-side preparation of Bananas Foster, at Edith’s in Cabo San Lucas. I confess, while I used to make this at home often in the 70s, I haven’t seen one prepared in a restaurant in years and years……..
Life basically occurs in a series of cycles, doesn’t it? Things go in and out of fashion all the time as the pendulum swings back and forth. I always chuckle when my kids think they have discovered something new in the market – like moccasins or bell-bottoms – or when the simple “shift” dress comes back into style, ie. Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s………..
I have always been a huge fan of Mousse. Not only does it have a million applications in dessert offerings other than being served solo, but it is one of the top of the class of Gluten-Free desserts, in my humble opinion. Of course, Mousse has many non-dessert applications as well.
Lots of people are looking around for as many Gluten-Free food options as they can find these days – trying to avoid the feeling that they are being deprived if you have to or want to give up Wheat and other gluten flours. I say that beside having a bowl of fresh berries topped with Scented Mascarpone, you can have dessert, anytime, anywhere, and it can be Gluten-Free and completely satiating and delectable.
While I’m going to focus today on Mousse, other great options for Gluten-Free desserts include the venerable Creme Brûlée and its full class of iterations, Pudding, Zabaglione, Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Granita, cooked fruit compotes such as all manner of applesauce recipes (of course my fav is Ina Garten’s Roasted Pear and Applesauce), flourless chocolate cake, and oh-so-many fruit-based desserts. So, lest you fear that if you go gluten-free, you’ll never have dessert again, read on……..
So, all you Gluten-sensitive friends out there, rejoice and return to the kitchen and get in the game. There are so many choices to enjoy – even plenty which don’t require a gluten-free flour option.
Today, I’m focusing on Mousse. According to The Nibble:, mousses began to appear, perhaps first in frozen form in France, of course, around the mid 1700s. This was probably following the arrival of Chocolate from Mexico, via the Conquistadors in 1529, in France with “the marriage of the Spanish princess Anne of Austria to Louis XIII in 1615”. The rest, we should say, is history as “chefs at the palace began to experiment with chocolate.” Sweet and Savory options began to be developed from there, following the popularity of hot chocolate beverages.
In conjunction with discussion of this genré of dessert, is there any limit to the wonder and breadth of usage of the egg in our culinary world? This major understatement, however, is a topic for another day – but needs to be anotated here. The history of culinary usage of Gelatin, however is a little more obscure. I found references to the elaborate gelatin molds being made in the Renaissance and another from 1792. I will do more research here.
The overall timeline of the emergence of mousse is basically confirmed by Michael Krondl in “Sweet Invention – A History of Dessert” where he discusses Chocolate Torte recipes from the 1700s – “contained more or less the same ingredients as today’s flourless chocolate tortes, chocolate, and eggs and often flavored with a little cinnamon and lemon rind.” He relays, “in 1806, Maria A. Neudecker – hardly a trendsetter – listed a half-strudel, a mousse, a tort, a soufflé , and even a “mock chocolate soup”. “Some, like the “mousse”, were clearly French imports, but the tortes go back at least 100 years as Hagger’s books make clear.” – here referencing Conrad Hagger’s 1719 cookbook, Neues saltzburgisches Kock-Buch, or the almost sixty Torten recipes in the Wienerisches bewåhrtes Kochbuch (The Reliable Viennese Cookbook).* As you see, mousses, tortes and soufflés are all intimately related. So, again, lest we think that the imagination and arraying-out of recipe types began in the kitchens of the 20th century, think again. It’s worth a good chuckle to think of all the inventions we imagine came into being only in the 1900s – in this case with the advent of packaged gelatin!
Well, anyway, you get the picture. I’m here today to do a little exposé on Mousse. The mind runs amuck…….
Of course, the most common and popular Mousse dessert is Chocolate Mousse. There are multitudes of recipes for Chocolate Mousse – enhanced and complimented with all manner of accoutrements – perhaps that’s not a proper use of the word… But, I tend to look toward the really fresh and light and more exotic flavors – like mango, various citrus, pineapple, passionfruit…. Anyway, Mousse flavor options and applications in the dessert genré is unlimited. Fruit Mousses are fresh and light. Every fruit I can think of – stone fruits, berries, apples, pears, citrus, …….. and all manner of exotic fruits can be made into a mousse. After fruit, let’s talk about other dessert mousse options: use your imagination —- Coconut, Nuts, Herbs, Flowers,(remember that Rose Petal Syrup I made? -…………..pumpkins and other gourds, sweet potato…..
image courtesy Amazon Books
Here’s a little compendium of what I consider to be inspiring recipes to start with:
First, let’s talk about Chocolate Mousse. How perfect! When David Lebovitz recommends Julia Child’s recipe as perfect, well, I’m on board: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/05/perfect-chocola/ Of course the classic chocolate mousse can be complimented with white chocolate, the now ubiquitous Nutella, ganaches, caramels and on and on…….
Here is a particularly lovely recipe from Martha Stewart. Again, who could possibly feel deprived when presented with this:
photo courtesy Martha Stewart
In conjunction with my chocolate/raspberry obsession, I think I would line these with some seedless Raspberry Jam in between the layers:http://www.marthastewart.com/317890/triple-chocolate-mousse-cake?czone=food%2Fchocolate-center%2Fchocolate-recipes&gallery=874542&slide=317890¢er=874882
Lemon Mousse with Lavender Spice Chocolate Shortbread http://nourish-nyc.com/blog/index.php/blog/view/meyer_lemon_mousse_with_lavender_spice_chocolate_shortbread
Mango Mousse http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/10/16/mango_mousse_recipe_the_next_best_thing_to_a_perfectly_ripe_mango.html
Mango-Passion Fruit Moussehttp://www.swapnascuisine.com/2012/10/mango-passion-fruit-mousse.html
Pomegranate Coconut Moussehttp://www.pineappleandcoconut.com/recipes/pomegranate-coconut-mousse/
Chocolate Bowls with Raspberries and Chocolate Mousse http://www.nuggetmarket.com/recipes/219/chocolate-bowls-with-raspberries-and-chocolate-mousse/
Peppermint Mousse – from Jill St. John – will supply asap
After fruit, let’s talk about other dessert mousse options:
all manner of Coffee, Cappuccino, Coconut, Nuts, Herbs, Flowers,(remember that Rose Petal Syrup I made? -…………..pumpkins and other gourds, sweet potato………. options are only limited by your imagination
Here’s one more:
POMEGRANATE MOUSSE – courtesy Metro
1 1/2 cups peeled and deseeded pomegranate
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 oz plain gelatin
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp mint leaves, chiffonade
Strawberries and additional mint leaves for garnish
Make the coulis:
In a small saucepan, mix sugar, water and pomegranate. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce to a puree and strain. Add dissolved gelatin(follow pkg directions) and set aside. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, beat the egg whites stiffly with the sugar. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the heavy cream stiffly. Add the pomegranate coulis, lemon zest and mint. Beat again to make the mixture stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the whipped cream mixture. Pour into dessert goblets. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, strawberries and additional mint leaves.
On the practical side, aside from being Gluten-free, mousse is relatively simple and quick to make. So, if you are having impromptu dinner guests or just want to experiment on the spur of the moment, you can whip up a mousse! And, if you are so inclined, you can use them for cake and pie fillings and lots of other dessert gems! They pair well with other “gel” applications and parfaits of all kinds as well……. You can also use them in trifles!
So, if you’re bored with this dreary January day, get your hands on just about any fruit coulis – or make one and go to town! The parfait concept is a great one and you can begin now, thinking of all sorts of fun Valentine’s Day desserts!!!!
Off to NYC today – to enjoy the sun and pretend it isn’t really January…………
*Sweet Invention – A History of Dessert by Michael Krondl – pgs 282-284