Because I knew my husband has had enough with chocolate desserts, I decided to try something different (and simple): a raspberry mousse!
These berries grew on our farm this summer, and were delivered to me by way of a time machine – my freezer.
I figured, what I’d do is make a simple syrup (sort of like jam, but not as sweet, and not cooked for so long). Don’t ask me how I made this decision – or any other decision, really.
Sugar…
Some lemon juice…
What I did was bring everything to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes, just enough for the sugar to dissolve.
Then I whipped some cream until stiff…
Folded in the (still kinda hot) berry syrup, berries and everything…
Transferred it into a serving bowl, and stuck it in the fridge for a few hours to chill.
And here’s what it looked like when it came out. Ever the queen of food styling, ain’t I?
Note that I decided to make the following two improvements in the future:
1) Increase the sugar (but depends on how tart you like your berries.
2) Strain the syrup through a sieve to remove the seeds. The seeds kept cracking in my teeth = not cool.
But, other than that, I thought it was pretty good! And quick.
P.S.: Along these lines, see also my mother’s-in-law Finnish Cloud Pudding.
Quick Raspberry Mousse
- 1/3 C to 1/2 C + 1 T of sugar, divided
- 1 C of frozen raspberries
- a squirt of lemon juice
- 1 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
Combine berries, 1/3 (or 1/2) cup of sugar, and lemon juice, and bring to a simmer. Cook for a minute or so, just until the sugar dissolves. Strain through a sieve, reserving the syrup and discarding the solids. Whip the cream with the remaining tablespoon of sugar until fairly stiff and leave it in a mixer. Add the raspberry mixture in two additions, whipping on low after each addition to incorporate. Be careful not to over-beat it! We don’t really want us raspberry butter. Though that sounds kinda romantic, doesn’t it. Chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I love it Sofya – love everything about this; that the berries are yours grown in your garden, that you used REAL whipped cream rather than the awful stuff in a plastic tub and that you can adjust the sugar levels to your own liking. And I honestly do think the photos are beautiful!
As for styling, oh girl, I am still working on that one myself – it’s a hit & a miss for me. Look at other sites, find what you like and practice to duplicate OR flip through magazines or cookbooks you’re drawn to – same thing try practicing to duplicate the shot; hold side by side and see what works and what doesn’t.
Nice job!
Thanks Debra! I think I need a reflector board.
This sounds so good! Isn’t cream amazing? Rather than a mousse, you could call this a “raspberry fool”–a fool is just sweetened fruit folded into whipped cream, while mousses generally contain whipped egg whites in addition to whipped cream. But whatever you call it, for a different presentation, you could mix in only 3/4 of the raspberry syrup, then layer the remaining syrup with the fool in wineglasses–it looks really beautiful.
Yep, Tom, I was aware of the distinction, however, I’ve been recently seeing mousse recipes where stuff was folded into whipped cream or whipped with already whipped cream – like with that fabulous chocolate mousse (no eggs!) I got from the Fine Cooking magazine. I mean, it’s got air bubbles, right?
A more traditional fool is really nice though, too.