I found this recipe in a last summer’s issue of Cook’s Illustrated, and completely fell in love with it. I like the fact that it uses fresh strawberries, while most recipes out there call for cooking the berries, which makes mousse taste like jam. The texture of this mousse is absolutely perfect – lush, light, soft, and not jello-like. Reducing some of the strawberry juice allows to control moisture and bring out really intense strawberry flavor. Cream cheese addition really adds nice body to the mousse.
HOW TO MAKE FRESH STRAWBERRY MOUSSE
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, May 2014
Ingredients
2 pounds (900g) fresh hulled strawberries, plus extra for topping if desired
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon (a pinch) fine salt
1 3/4 teaspoons grass fed gelatin (like Great Lakes)
1/2 cup (4 ounces, or 115g) cultured cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup cream, cold (I use raw cream)
Equipment
Food processor
Fine-mesh strainer
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Stand mixer with whisk attachment, or hand mixer (to whip cream)
Instructions
Pulse strawberries in a food processor briefly to release the juice. Stop when the pieces are 1/2 inch thick.
Transfer to a bowl, toss with sugar and salt. Cover, and let stand for 15-20 minutes (don’t clean the food processor).
Strain enough strawberries through a fine-mesh strainer to get 1 cup of juice.
From that juice, measure our 3 tablespoons of juice into a tiny bowl. Add gelatin, and let sit to soften.
Place remaining juice in small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced at least in half, 10 minutes or so.
Remove saucepan from heat, add gelatin mixture. Stir until gelatin is dissolved.
Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Transfer to large bowl.
While juice is reducing, return macerated strawberries to the food processor, and process until completely smooth.
Strain through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, and discard the seeds. Try to remove all the seeds!
Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip cream until stiff peaks form.
Whisk whipped cream into the strawberry mixture until no white streaks remain.
Portion into pretty dishes, and chill at least 4 hours, or up to 48 hours.Â
- 2 pounds (900g) fresh hulled strawberries, plus extra for topping if desired
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar 1/8 teaspoon (a pinch) fine salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons grass fed gelatin (like Great Lakes)
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces, or 115g) cultured cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup cream, cold (I use raw cream)
- Pulse strawberries in a food processor briefly to release the juice. Stop when the pieces are 1/2 inch thick.
- Transfer to a bowl, toss with sugar and salt. Cover, and let stand for 15-20 minutes (don’t clean the food processor). Strain enough strawberries through a fine-mesh strainer to get 1 cup of juice. From that juice, measure our 3 tablespoons of juice into a tiny bowl. Add gelatin, and let sit to soften. Place remaining juice in small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced at least in half, 10 minutes or so. Remove saucepan from heat, add gelatin mixture. Stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Transfer to large bowl. While juice is reducing, return macerated strawberries to the food processor, and process until completely smooth. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, and discard the seeds. Try to remove all the seeds! Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Whisk whipped cream into the strawberry mixture until no white streaks remain. Portion into pretty dishes, and chill at least 4 hours, or up to 48 hours.
FRESH STRAWBERRY MOUSSE
