Fruit-Filled Dessert: Strawberry Mousse

Strawberry mousse is a light & fresh dessert that has a wonderful, smooth texture and is filled with plenty of sweet, succulent strawberries.

Making a mousse out of a juicy fruit like strawberries can be tough. The sweet juice can interfere with the smooth texture all while providing a flavor that is far too subtle. to fix this, we processed the berries with a little sugar and salt before cooking them into a syrup. This intensified the flavor while limiting the moisture that got into the mousse. Keep reading below for this great recipe…

Strawberry Mousse

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients

• 2lbs strawberries, hulled
• 1/2 cup sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 4oz cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces and softened
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Cut some of the strawberries into 1/4″ pieces until they can fill up 1 cup. Refrigerate until ready to be used for garnish. Pulse the remaining strawberries in a food processor or blender in 2 batches until most pieces are 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick. Transfer the strawberries to a bowl and toss with 1/4 cup sugar and the salt. Cover the bowl and let stand for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Strain the processed strawberries through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Measure about 3 tablespoons of juice into a small cup. Sprinkle the gelatin over the juice and let sit until the gelatin softens (about 5 minutes). Place the remaining juice in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 10 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat, add the softened gelatin mixture, and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Add the cream cheese and whisk until smooth.
3. While the juice is reducing, return the strawberries to the food processor and process until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids to remove the seeds and pulp. Discard any solids in the strainer. Add the strawberry puree to the juice-gelatin mixture and whisk until incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, whip together the heavy cream and vanilla extract and whisk until foamy (about 1 minute). Whip harder until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Whisk the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture until no white streaks remain. Portion into dessert dishes and chill for at least 4 hours. Serve, garnished with diced strawberries.
5. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted fromCooking Light