Chocolate-raspberry and chocolate-orange mousse

[Guest guest]

Crescent Dragonwagon's big ol' Passionate Vegetarian cookbook is my forever

favorite, and I'm always returning to it. This isn't in it, but it's on her

website. (http://www.passionatevegetarian.com) I made it for us for

Valentine's Day this year. It's not so long ago that the idea of making

something with tofu for part of a romantic dinner would have been laughable to

me. I also love the chocolate-orange version. So so easy, so so GOOD!

 

It can be veganized if you choose your chocolate carefully!

 

Chocolate-Raspberry Dream Mousse

 

Ingredients:

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, cut up

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, cut up

2 tablespoons raw (untoasted) cashew butter*

2 10.5 ounce packages silken tofu, firm or extra-firm **

2/3 cup sugar, preferably an organic/ less-refined sugar such as Rapadura,

Sucanat or turbinado, available in natural foods supermarkets

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 to 3 tablespoons Chambord (raspberry liqueur)

1 to 2 pints fresh red raspberries

 

Directions:

1. Prepare the mousse. Melt cut-up chocolates over hot water. As chocolate

melts, place cashew butter in the processor. Add the silken tofu and sugar, and

buzz smooth, stopping to scrape sides. Add melted chocolate, unsweetened cocoa,

and Chambord. Buzz again, processing until all is very smooth. Scrape down sides

a few times as necessary.

2. Divide mousse among your prettiest individual parfait dishes (preferably

glass, and footed). Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to two days in

advance. Just before serving, top with fresh raspberries.

 

Important ingredient notes:

* Don't substitute the more full-flavored nutty roasted cashew butter for the

raw called for. Its mild buttery note is rich and non-assertive, non-cashew-y.

You won't taste it as such, you'll only experience the voluptuousness it

imparts. This richness allows the chocolate and raspberry flavors to shine

without distraction.

* * Also, use the specific variety of tofu called for. Only " silken " will give

you the dreamy, creamy texture wanted here, not conventional water-packed tofu.

The shaggy texture of the latter is suited to stir-fries and the like, not

spreads, mousses, and dishes where smoothness is required. The kind of tofu you

want here is always labeled " silken. " If it's not so labeled, don't get it for

this.

The most widely available brand of silken tofu in America is Mori-nu, and it's

sold ascetically packaged, un-refrigerated. (Sometimes supermarkets mistakenly

refrigerate it, however, it doesn't need to be, though other types of tofu do).

 

Blessed be,

Jayelle

 

 

" I made my bed and I sleep like a baby/with no regrets and I don’t

mind sayin’/It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her/daughter that she

ought to hate a perfect stranger. " --Dixie Chicks

 

http://www.livejournal.com/~princesswitch - political

http://crackerlilo.blogspot.com - personal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

I love her stuff!

 

Jayelle Wiggins <jayelle3 wrote: Crescent Dragonwagon's big ol'

Passionate Vegetarian cookbook is my forever favorite, and I'm always returning

to it. This isn't in it, but it's on her website.

(http://www.passionatevegetarian.com)

 

Beth

“The right adult at the right time can make an enormous difference. Many kids

have a history of difficult, disappointing relationships and one good

relationship--one person who is there for them--can make a huge difference.”

-Jean E. Rhodes Professor, Psychology at the University of Massachusetts in

Boston.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

> Crescent Dragonwagon's big ol' Passionate Vegetarian cookbook is my

> forever favorite, and I'm always returning to it. This isn't in it,

> but it's on her website. (http://www.passionatevegetarian.com) I

> made it for us for Valentine's Day this year. It's not so long ago

> that the idea of making something with tofu for part of a romantic

> dinner would have been laughable to me. I also love the

> chocolate-orange version. So so easy, so so GOOD!

 

 

 

Jayelle - do you have the choc-orange version,please? I went to the

website but nothing came up.

[Guest guest]

, " Amy " <sandpiperhiker

wrote:

 

> Jayelle - do you have the choc-orange version,please? I went to

the

> website but nothing came up.

 

Here 'tis. It's on the website, but the link is sort of buried in

the text for the raspberry version. The orange one came first, and

I *love* this! I've also seen what she calls orange threads

elsewhere; this is where I learned how to make 'em. Oh, and if

you're really lazy or can't find good oranges? Three or four cans

of mandarin oranges, drained, and forget the threads. Still good!

 

Turning it over to Crescent:

 

Chocolate (used in three forms here, cocoa, unsweetened, and semi-

sweet) is one of the world's great pairings when partnered with

orange (which is also present in several forms: Grand Marnier, the

fruit itself, its rind and its juice).

 

In short: a truly wow dessert. PLUS: It's vegan and very low fat in

comparison to standard-issue mousse.

 

Ingredients:

 

3 oranges, preferably organic

 

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, cut up

 

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, cut up

 

2 tablespoons raw (untoasted) cashew butter

 

2 10.5 ounce packages silken tofu, firm or extra-firm

2/3 cup sugar, preferably an organic/ less-refined sugar such as

Rapadura, Sucanat or turbinado, all available in natural foods

supermarkets

 

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

 

2 to 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Important ingredient notes:

 

As in any recipe where you are using the grated zest or rinds of a

citrus fruit, do your level best to get organic fruit. Non-organic

citruses rinds are routinely treated with fungicides and waxes, and,

since these are not usually eaten, are not subject to the same

safety criteria as ordinary food-grade pesticides (not that these

are so hot for you, either).

 

Also, be sure to use the specific ingredients called for. Do not use

a conventional water-packed tofu here. You specifically

want " silken " --- only this will give you the dreamy, creamy texture

we want here. Similarly, don't substitute the more full-flavored

nutty roasted cashew butter for the raw called for. It's mild

buttery note is rich and non-assertive, allowing the chocolate and

orange flavors to shine without distraction.

 

Lastly, vegans should choose a natural food store variety of

chocolate labeled " dairy free. " There are several brands to choose

from.

 

Directions:

 

1. First, prepare the oranges. Grate the rind of one, placing the

grated rind in the food processor. Make Orange Threads (see below)

with the rinds of the remaining two oranges. Then, carefully

section the fruit of all three oranges, reserving any extra juice

but discarding all pith.

 

2. Prepare the mousse. Melt cut-up chocolates over hot water. As

chocolate melts, place cashew butter in processor with the rind. Add

the silken tofu and sugar, and buzz smooth, stopping to scrape

sides. Add melted chocolate, unsweetened cocoa, and Grand Marnier.

Buzz again, processing until all is very smooth. Scrape down sides a

few times as necessary.

 

3. In your prettiest glass bowl or individual parfait dishes, layer

chocolate mixture alternated with the orange sections. Cover and

refrigerate for at least two hours. (Can be done up to 48 hours in

advance.) Just before serving, garnish with the Orange Threads.

 

 

Orange Threads: An optional but delicious garnish, well worth

knowing about not only for this but for any orange cake and on many

citrus-containing compotes. Though easy to do procedurally, they are

somewhat labor intensive in the cutting, but so worth it!

Using a vegetable peeler or that esoteric tool called a " zester " ,

remove just the very thin colored portion of the rind from 1 of the

oranges called for above. Using a very sharp knife, cut the pieces

of rind the long way into strips that are as thin as you can

possibly make them.

 

Bring a cup of water, preferably spring or filtered, to a boil, and

drop in the strips. Boil hard for 1 minute, then pour through a

strainer, discarding liquid and keeping strips. Blot the strips with

a towel, then set them out on a plate to dry before using.

[Guest guest]

Awesome!! Thank you! When I went to the site last night, I could

click on recipe index, but it kept coming up blank - I couldn't even

get to raspberry one.

[Guest guest]

BTW, Jayelle, if you are not vegan - I urge you to try the chocolate

marquise I have in the recipe folder (under desserts) - it too can be

made with raspberry, orange, mint, espresso... but anyway - it'slike

the inside of a truffle, but in a loaf. Best served in small

quantities, but so worth it!