You will never believe how fluffy and delicious these vegan mousses are even without eggs that are usually used to give volume to the confectionery. It’s so delicious that even my mother, who is a traditional cook and particularly sceptical of my plant-based pastry, admitted that it is one of the most beautiful mousses she has eaten, and that she even prefers this recipe without sugar and eggs and will make it at home as well. The secret ingredient replacing the egg is aquafabba, an ingredient that won over vegan chefs as it gives the exact same effect eggs give in vegan recipes that require meringue. Aquafabba is water from canned chickpeas (as its name suggests). I’ve seen it in various vegan recipes and I was a bit sceptical, so I was late in trying it. This Lazy Cat Kitchen recipe for chocolate gourd butter mousses made me so happy that I said I would try it. The result really exceeded my expectations. Eventually, it was much easier than I imagined, and I felt so joyous when I saw the water from the chickpeas turning to a white fluffy meringue, as if I had added eggs! It just needs a good ten-minute blend in the mixer, do not quit! For those who like videos and want to see how chickpea meringue is made can also check the Lazy Cat Kitchen blog at https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/vegan-peanut-butter-mousse/. I don’t know whether you need the water in which chickpeas were boiled or if you need the thick canned liquid where chickpeas have been left in for many days, but I suspect you probably need the canned one. I personally chose the Biona chickpeas that I know are natural and I trust that Biona doesn’t have dangerous conservatives. Whoever tries it with boiling water let me know if it’s possible! The toughest part of the recipe is that you have to let the peanut butter mousse cool down in the refrigerator for some hours before spreading the ganache. I left it for one night, but I think 4 hours is good. You can freeze it in the freezer to speed up the result. They are maintained it in the refrigerator for several days if they have no rotting ingredients inside, but they inflate a little if you leave them for many days and their appearance is ruined.
Ingredients (for about 4 servings)
For the peanut butter mousse:
– ½ glass of water from chickpeas (it’s water from one Biona tin)
– ½ tsp sweet vinegar or lemon
– ½ cup of smooth peanut butter, without chips
– 4 spoons of maple syrup
– Ccoconut cream from 1 can of coconut milk that you have frozen the night before
For the chocolate ganache:
The quick and easy solution: a good quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
The recipe for home-made ganache without processed sugar:
– 1/4 cup coconut oil
– 2 spoons of maple syrup
-2 spoons of raw cocoa powder
– ½ tsp vanilla extract
– 3 spoons of vegetable milk
– a few salt flakes for decoration
Preparation:
For mousse peanut butter:
– Open the coconut milk can and toss the coconut water away. Keep the cream that is placed on the top of the can, removing it with a spoon.
– Whisk the peanut butter and maple syrup until they mix and dilute the mixture. Add the coconut cream and continue to beat all the ingredients for about 10 minutes until they blend well. If the mixture gets ruined, Lazy Cat kitchen suggests to continue to hit it and adding some water
To make the aquafaba meringue:
– You will need a mixer for this, unless you want to use your arm, so you can continue manually. I had used chickpeas a few days earlier, for the chickpea salad with carrots and peppers I posted here, and I kept their water in a jar in the fridge but that is not necessary. However, keep the water in the refrigerator if you want to follow that recipe for another day.
– Make sure that the bowl you use is clean and dry and free from oily grease because Lazy Cat kitchen advises that for the proper making of the meringue
– We pour the chickpeas water and the acidic ingredient (vinegar or lemon) and start blending in the mixer.
– We patiently blend for 10 minutes or more, until the juice turns into a white foam similar to a meringue. The tricky part is to flip the bowl without dropping the mixture. That’s when it’s ready.
– Using a spatula, pour the meringue into the peanut butter mixture and stir slowly (my specialty for those who know me) so that the mixture doesn’t get ruined
– Serve in small bowls or glasses
For the chocolate ganache:
– Melt the dark chocolate into a double pot, adding the milk and stirring
– All the ingredients for the ganache should be stirred in a saucepan until they blend and become a thick mixture.
– Spread the chocolate ganache onto the mousses that have been frozen for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator and decorate with a few grains of sea salt or Himalayan salt.