Welcome back to another delicious lactose free recipe. For this weeks recipe I will be focusing on a classic, chocolate mousse.
The recipes here have been tested with lactose free ingredients multiple times to ensure their success and deliciousness. As always, this recipe is lactose free providing you use the right ingredients. Always make sure your ingredients are safe.
Chocolate
You can choose whatever kind of chocolate you like for this recipe. As there is no additional sugar added to the mousse the choice of chocolate will reflect how sweet it is. As I used a lactose free dark chocolate the mousse itself was bitter, with the sweet element coming from the fresh strawberries.
The chocolate used in this recipe was from a brand called Sweet William. The dark chocolate buttons are dairy free, nut free, lactose free and gluten free. I have used their products in icing, cookies, ganache, panna cottas and cakes, and have found no issue with the quality.
Margarine / Butter
Normally you would use a butter for this recipe however as there are no good, reduced salt lactose free options I opted to use Nuttelex Original instead.
Nuttelex Original is a plant-based spread made with sunflower oil that is dairy free and vegan. While I have had troubles working with other Nuttelex products in the past, the Original spread still remains my go to lactose free substitute.
Eggs
Use good quality fresh eggs for this recipe. Egg yolks are used to add a richness to the chocolate base and the egg whites are whipped up to create the lightness that makes the chocolate mousse so airy.
Vanilla extract
A good quality vanilla extract works best for this recipe. Vanilla bean paste works well too.
Cream
The cream you use must be over 35% fat. If it is not, then it will be hard to whip, and the mousse will not set.
For cream I used Pauls Zymil Regular Thickened Cream. It is lactose free and a good quality cream to work with.
Tips
- Bring the eggs and cream to room temperature before starting this recipe. This will ensure a smooth consistency.
- Do not overbeat the egg whites or it will give the mousse a grainy texture.
- When you separate the yolks from the whites make sure there is not a single speck of yolk in the whites or the whites will not whip up properly.
- Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl. If there is any grease or water residue in the bowl the whites to not whip up properly.
- When you prepare the bain-marie make sure the top saucepan is not directly touching the boiling water underneath. You want to gently heat the chocolate mixture so that is melts well and doesn’t burn.
- Whip up the cream and whites at a medium speed rather than a high speed. When you whip them at a high speed it forms larger bubbles that are fragile and will deflate easily. Medium speed is the best for smaller air bubbles which results in a lovely airy mousse.
- Whip the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. This is when you lift the beater out of the bowl and the mixture bends slightly. If the mixture reaches stiff peaks the mousse will become grainy.
- Fold the cream and whipped cream into the chocolate in batches to keep the mousse light and fluffy.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Separate the eggs into two bowls, one for the whites and one for the yolks. Place to the side to be used later.
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Wash and dry the strawberries, take off the leaves and stem. Dice the strawberries and set aside to be used later. Leave a few strawberries whole for decoration.
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In a small bowl add the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Stir well and set aside to be used later.
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Fill a small saucepan a third of the way with water. Bring to a simmer. Place another saucepan on top. Make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the top saucepan.
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Place the chocolate, margarine and ¼ cup of the cream into the top saucepan.
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Use a metal spoon to gently stir the chocolate mixture. In a minute or two you will notice that the chocolate starts to melt.
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Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
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Remove the saucepan from the stove and set aside for five minutes so the mixture cools slightly. Use a metal spoon to stir the yolk mixture into the chocolate. Stir until just combined. Do not over stir as it may cause the chocolate to harden.
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Beat the cream until soft peaks form.
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Fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Fold the other half in the chocolate mixture.
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Place the egg whites into a clean bowl. Whip them until soft peaks form.
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Fold half of the whites in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites into the mixture.
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Spoon the mousse into the piping bag fitted with the round piping tip. You can just use a spoon to fill the glasses up with the mousse if you wish. I am quite messy, so I prefer to use a piping bag.
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It is time to assemble the dessert. Grab the glasses, strawberries and mousse. Fill the glass up ¼ of the way with the fresh strawberries.
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Pipe the mousse on top of the strawberries so that it reaches halfway.
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Sprinkle more of the strawberries on top.
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Fill the glasses up with the rest of the mousse.
- Cover the glasses with clingwrap and place in the fridge to set for several hours.
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Finish with a final strawberry on top.
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Congratulations you have made delicious lactose free chocolate and strawberry parfaits.
