Recipe: Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse

From Ann Hodgman, author of "Vegan Food for the Rest of Us":

"I would never think about chocolate mousse unless I thought I could never have it again. Now I can! This is a simple version, but it gets the job done.

"Aquafaba is, incredibly, the liquid from a drained can of chickpeas. Just use an ordinary brand -- preferably one that is NOT salt-free. High-quality aquafaba may not work as well as the ordinary kind. A standard 24-ounce can should give you about a cup of aquafaba, but have another can on hand just in case!

"It sounds slightly insulting when a recipe called for "high-quality" chocolate. Not the kind you'd usually buy, you cheap slug. Here, though, you should go for the best chocolate you can find; there's not much but chocolate in this mousse, so do make it the best kind you can manage.

This recipe makes a soft mousse. If you want one that's firmer, you can use 8 ounces of chocolate instead of 6."

  
Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 ounces bittersweet or extra-bittersweet chocolate, chopped or grated
1 cup aquafaba, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon EACH table salt and cream of tartar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon rum, optional
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Melt the chocolate and let it cool while you make the aquafaba: In a large bowl, preferably the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the aquafaba, salt, and cream of tartar. Whip until the mixture forms soft peaks; how long this will take is hard to predict, but it will happen.

Whip in the sugar gradually, then the vanilla extract. Then, using a rubber spatula, fold in the cooled melted chocolate, optional rum, and vanilla until they're evenly mixed in.

Spoon the mousse into 4 to 6 dessert dishes or parfait glasses. Chill for at least 6 hours before serving.

   
From "Vegan Food for the Rest of Us" by Ann Hodgman. Copyright © 2017 by Ann Hodgman. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

        
For more info:

• "Vegan Food for the Rest of Us: Recipes Even You Will Love" by Ann Hodgman (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), in Trade Paperback and eBook formats. Available via Amazon

      
For more food suggestions check out our 2017 "Food Issue" recipe index!