Homemade mousse differs from store-bought powdered mousse the same way that, say, store milk differs from farmers' market milk straight from a live cow. Its taste is more intense, pleasant and harmonious. And there is no chemical aftertaste. So how do you make mousse at home so that everyone is blown away?
First of all, let's sort out the names. Translated from French, the word "mousse" means "foam". And in its historical homeland it has been made for a long time and in many ways, based on different products. It can be: milk, cream, honey, fruit, berries, chocolate, cocoa, ice cream, juice, wine, puree, coffee, egg whites, gelatin, molasses, agar-agar. In modern cooking, other, sometimes very unexpected ingredients are often used too: corn or chickpea flour, semolina, broths, and so on.
The five most commonly used ingredients in homemade mousse recipes:
| Product | Calories per 100g | Protein g per 100g | Fats g per 100g | Carbohydrates g per 100g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 398 | 0 | 0 | 99.7 |
| Semolina | 340 | 10.3 | 1 | 73.3 |
| Gelatin | 355 | 87.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| Cranberries | 26 | 0.5 | 0 | 6.8 |
| Cream | 300 | 2.8 | 20 | 3.6 |
But whatever goes into a mousse recipe, it should always be airy and delicate. It must hold its shape and not collapse while being served. It is precisely the spectacular appearance that makes this dessert so popular and desirable on any table.
By the way, homemade mousses can be made not only from fresh but also from frozen berries. Before that, let the berries rest so the excess juice drains off, otherwise the mousse will start to "float". A vitamin-rich dessert made from them is prepared with the addition of gelatin or agar-agar. The berries are ground into a uniform mass without seeds — through a fine strainer if we are using raspberries, blackberries, currants or strawberries. Then they are whipped with sugar until it is completely dissolved. The dissolved gelatin is poured in and everything is whipped until the puree lightens and grows about twice in size. At this stage the mousse is ready — it can be spooned into glasses and cooled in the fridge. The nice thing is that during this process it won't collapse but will hold its shape and won't lose its fluffiness.
The popular chocolate mousse can be made on a base of cream or eggs (or both). And orange zest goes well with it.