The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking - Donna Diegel [119]
Yield:
3½ 2 cups
Prep time:
15 to 20 minutes
1¾ cups vegan semisweet chocolate
chips or 1 (10-oz.) vegan
chocolate bar, chopped
1 (12-oz.) pkg. soft silken tofu,
drained
¼ cup warm soy, rice, or almond
milk (optional for thinner
Chocolate Mousse)
3 TB. agave or brown rice syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract, or ½ 2 tsp.
almond extract
⅛ tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
1. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate on medium power for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds or so, or until melted. Alternately, you can melt chocolate in a bowl over hot water. Be sure no water comes into contact with chocolate, or it will seize up. Let cool slightly.
2. In a blender, combine soft silken tofu, warm soy milk (if using), agave syrup, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon (if using). Blend on high speed for 1 or 2 minutes or until nice and smooth. Scrape blender with a rubber spatula as needed.
3. Slowly add melted vegan chocolate to tofu mixture, and blend on high for 1 to 3 minutes or until well blended, with no lumps, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed with a rubber spatula.
4. Remove to a medium bowl, and chill for 2 or 3 hours or until firm. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Variations: This Chocolate Mousse is very thick and can easily be scooped and made into chocolate truffles. If you desire a softer, more puddinglike mousse, add the ¼ 4 cup warm soy milk to the tofu when blending. You can lighten this mousse by folding in 1 cup Whipped Topping (recipe earlier in this chapter). Or layer Chocolate Mousse with Whipped Topping in parfait glasses and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
BAKER’S BONUS
Vegan chocolate shavings and curls are a lovely way to decorate vegan desserts. All you need is a vegan chocolate bar and a vegetable peeler with a metal blade. For short, brittle chocolate shavings, hold a cool chocolate bar with one side wrapped in a paper towel in one hand. Shred the chocolate bar by pushing the vegetable peeler away from you. The lighter your touch, the shorter and smaller shavings you’ll produce. For chocolate curls, microwave a vegan chocolate bar for 5 seconds. Wrap a paper towel around one end of the bar to hold, and firmly pull the peeler toward you to create curls. The more pressure you exert, the thicker and longer the curls.
Appendix A
Glossary
agar-agar Also known as agar or kanten, agar-agar is an odorless and tasteless seaweed derivative used as a vegan alternative to animal-based gelatin.
agave nectar Also known as agave syrup, agave nectar is a liquid sweetener derived from the Mexican agave cactus. It has a light, delicate flavor sweeter than honey. Agave is often used as a vegan alternative to honey in cooking. It also has a much lower glycemic index and glycemic load than table sugar (sucrose).
all-purpose flour Flour that contains only the inner part of the wheat grain. It’s usable for all purposes, from cakes to gravies. It has equal protein and starch content, as opposed to cake flour, which has more starch for a more tender product, or bread flour, which has more protein (glutenin) for tougher elasticity.
allspice Named for its flavor echoes of several spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg), allspice is used in many desserts and in rich marinades and stews.
almonds Mild, sweet, and crunchy nuts that combine nicely with creamy and sweet foods.
arrowroot A starch that comes from the tubers of the arrowroot plant. Virtually tasteless, arrowroot is a snow-white powder used as a thickener much like cornstarch but without the pasty mouthfeel. It thickens at a lower temperature than cornstarch, and it doesn’t weaken with acidic ingredients.
bake To cook in a dry oven. Dry-heat cooking often results in a crisping of the exterior of the food being cooked. Moist-heat cooking, through methods such as steaming, poaching, etc., brings a much different,