Tofu Chocolate Mousse

When my friend +Meenoo Joshi  suggested that I try out tofu chocolate mousse for a vegetarian version of chocolate mousse, I was really surprised. I had heard about tofu as a replacement for eggs, but I never believed that it would blend in so well and can be used for a dessert. I am not a vegetarian and neither am I a big fan of tofu, but this easy "made in minutes" dessert  recipe is a keeper. This is so simple dessert, just mix 2-3 ingredients and you are done. Even your kids can make it ....!!! The texture of the mousse is not as light and airy as the one with eggs, it's more like a pudding, however it tastes awesome. A chocoholic heaven!! and best of all it has only 1/4 cup of sugar.(or lesser if u prefer it that way) I googled for the recipe, I liked this one and finally came up with this recipe made with the ingredients I had in my kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack (about 300 gms) silken tofu
• 100 gms dark chocolate (I used Lindt 90 percent cacao)
• 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (or u can use another 50 gms of dark chocolate)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup of dark cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar

Recipe:

• Take out tofu from it's pack and put in on a strainer to remove all the water.

• Break the chocolate into pieces, put it in a microwave safe bowl and melt it in the microwave along with the chocolate chips. You can melt it on stove top, using the double boiler method too.

• Puree the tofu in a food processor.

• Heat 1/4 cup of hot water. Add a tsp of instant coffee. Once it is blended add cocoa powder and mix it well. 

• Add the coffee-cocoa mix to the melted chocolate.

• Whisk it with a hand blender, it will start thickening.

• Add the tofu puree and the vanilla essence and whisk it well.

• Add about 1/4 cup(or less or more -- according to your taste) of sugar and blend well with a hand whisk. Tadaa !!! Done !!

• Pour about 2-3 tbsp of the mix to nice bowls and glasses and allow it to chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight.

• Serve it garnished with grated chocolate, whipped cream or fruits /berries of your choice.

Quantity:

• Makes about 5 (3 tbsp) servings.

Notes:

• I used exactly 3 tbsps of sugar. With this combination you get a bittersweet dark chocolate kind of taste. Do increase the sugar content if you like the mousse on the sweeter side.
• Use good quality dark chocolate with more than 70 percent cacao. 
• There is a lingering tofu flavor. It will lessen with a better quality chocolate and once it is chilled for about 12 hours.
• Also, use pure vanilla extract and increase quantity to 2 tsps.
• You can also add 2 tsp of coffee powder or additional 50 gms chocolate(making it 200 gms in all )
• Instead of coffee, you can use 1/4 cup of orange juice and 1 tbsp of orange zest.
• You can add about 1/2-1 cup of whipped cream to make it richer.
• Chilling it overnight, will give a better taste and better texture. I photographed it within an hour and half of chilling so it's kind of melting, but after 7 hours or so it was of firmer texture.

Mango mousse

One more quick-fix dessert, which I made ahead for my kiddo's birthday party. This was super easy and tastes so good, and takes maybe just 30-45 minutes from start to finish. (A bit more, if you are using fresh mangoes. Also, you have to set it for 2-3 hours, but if you make it a day ahead, it's just 30-45 minute work and will feed many people). 

Receita de Mousse de maracujá (Passion fruit mousse -- eggless recipe)

Another exotic sounding recipe, yet a very simple one. This dessert recipe was suggested by a facebook friend Madhusmita. She is the last person whom I would expect to get a dessert recipe from ........ :) A very talented, beautiful lady who is my fitness role model  - I have got information about the right kind of food and the right exercises to get that coveted dress size, flawless skin or correct muscle tone over the years that I know her...since the old "orkut" days, I have never heard her advocating any dessert except for that one occasion where she praised this recipe and the one she herself learnt from her Brazilian friend.

It is a very tasty, not so sweet with hint of citrus flavors and crunch of the passion fruit seeds, and the best part is you just mix it up and chill in the refrigerator and you have a large batch ready in minutes for a large party. You can make it in a glass bowl/bundt pan and slice it up in individual portions or serve it in decorative glasses and stemware.

Ingredients:

• 6-9 passion fruits
• 1 can (375 gm) condensed milk
• 1 cup of cream
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1 sachet unflavored gelatin
• 2 tsp sugar

Recipe:

• Cut about 6 passion fruits in half and remove the pulp with a spoon in a cup. You need about 1 cup(200 ml) of the juice. 

• Chill the bowl and the blades of the cake whisk for about 15 minutes before you start. Take cream in the chilled bowl. Add 2 tsp sugar in the cream and whisk the cream at medium speed till you get stiff peaks. Keep that aside.(in a refrigerator)

• Heat water in microwave till it is warm(not hot). Dissolve a pack of gelatin in the warm water. Keep it aside.

• Add condensed milk to the whipped cream and mix it well. 

• Add the passion fruit pulp and the water with dissolved gelatin in it.
• Mix it really well.

• Pour into serving bowl, or individual bowls/stemware.
• Garnish with more passion fruit pulp and mint leaves.
• Chill for about 2 hours before serving. 

Quantity:

•  Makes about 10 servings. I put about 3 tbsp in 5 of the glasses and about 3.5-4 tbsp in 5 of the glasses.
• I think 2 tbsp serving is quite filling after a party meal. So I guess this quantity can also be made to about 15 serving portions (of 2 tbsps each) 

Notes:

• You can strain out the passion fruit seeds thru' a sieve.
• You can garnish with any other fruit too.
• If you make it in a cake tin, you can invert it in a serving dish and serve in sliced squares /slices.
• I think you can make the same dessert with strawberry, raspberry, mango, maybe lemon too..( I will update this space when I try out with some other fruits )

I made this dessert for our anniversary. I have a tradition of making something new just before or on the day of our anniversary for my family ...:) Earlier my husband has eaten something like a stack of pancakes masquerading as cake.. or cake as hard as a cookie or uncooked/sticky in the middle ... but, experience of years of trials, now I get good results even if I try a new recipe. This years trial is a very amazing recipe which is a keeper ...:) Hope you like it too....!!