Procedure for Preparing Mousses

Appears in

Published 2010

If you are using gelatin, bloom it as directed.
Break up or dice the cooked, trimmed main ingredient and place it in a freshly sanitized, chilled food processor. If necessary, work in batches.
Add the dry and/or liquid seasonings and any thickening ingredients. Season highly because the purée base will be diluted with a large amount of the lightening ingredient(s).
Grind the base ingredients into a smooth purée. Add any thinning or thickening ingredients through the feed tube while grinding (A).
Force the purée through a drum sieve or fine sieve into a large bowl (B).
If using granular gelatin, gently heat it in its blooming liquid. If using sheet gelatin, heat it in a small amount of additional liquid until dissolved. Cool the gelatin to room temperature. Do not let the gelatin solidify.
Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks. If using egg whites, beat the room-temperature egg whites to soft peaks. Do not overwhip the cream or egg whites, or the finished mousse will be grainy and may separate. Note: If the mousse includes gelatin, from this point onward you must work quickly and without interruption so it does not resolidify before you have finished.
If using gelatin, stir into the purée base (C, D).
If using beaten egg whites, immediately fold them in following the tips in the sidebar (E).
Quickly but gently fold in the whipped cream.
Immediately pack the mousse into its form(s) or container.