strawberry matcha mousse

May 11, 2018 1 Comment

For the past few weeks, we’ve been chatting a lot about meringues, and hopefully you’re feeling a little more ready to tackle them in your own kitchen. If you’re still a little shaky or you’re new around here, take a look back at all of the meringue resources we’ve covered so far:

Meringues: A Short History

Meringue Techniques

Marshmallows

But if you’re ready to dive right in (you can do it!), we think this recipe for Matcha Mousse with Strawberries is just about perfect. Inspired by the classic Eton Mess, a traditional dessert from the UK made from strawberries and crushed meringues folded into whipped cream, here we’re using whipped matcha-infused aquafaba in place of the cream, and of course, our very own aquafaba meringues for garnishing.

So go ahead, whip this eton mess up for Mother’s Day weekend and wow your friends and family with its elegance and flavor!

Matcha Mousse with Strawberries

Yield 6 half cup servings

Chef Notes:

Keep it classic with organic raw cane sugar or swap it out for pure maple sugar for a more caramelized flavor. You can even use monk fruit sugar in this recipe for a low calorie, reduced sugar dessert. This mousse is delicious cold or even frozen like a frozen souffle or semifreddo.

1 pint fresh strawberries, stems discarded, berries cut into quarters

2 Tablespoons organic raw cane sugar

1/2 cup (110g) fresh aquafaba broth, or reduce 1 cup canned chickpea liquid to ½ cup

2/3 cup (150g) organic raw cane sugar

1 Tablespoon meringueshop’s meringue powder* (optional)

1 teaspoon powdered matcha tea

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

meringues, lightly crushed

Macerate the strawberries: in a medium bowl, rub 2 tablespoons granulated sugar into the quartered strawberries and allow to sit for at least an hour, or overnight. It will create its own sauce and ‘cook’ the strawberries. Flavor with vanilla, or scrape fresh vanilla beans from ½ a pod.
In a small-medium saucepan set over low heat, combine the aquafaba with remaining ⅔ cup sugar. Heat gently until dissolved and all sugar granules have disappeared. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Chef Tip: This step can be done at the same time as the strawberries and whipped up the next day.

Pour the cooled sugar-aquafaba mixture into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Stir in the meringue powder and let sit 8 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
Beat the aquafaba mixture on on medium-high speed for 8 minutes, until glossy and thick.
Sift the matcha powder over the mousse and gently fold until blended.Divide the meringue evenly amongst 6 serving glasses, and garnish with crushed meringues and macerated berries.

*The meringue powder gives the mousse a creamier texture and prevents it from deflating.

Guest contributor, Jessica Serdikoff

Jessica has been driven all her life by a passion for food. Getting her informal start in her grandmother’s kitchen many years ago, she took a brief culinary hiatus to become a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer. Her curiosity and enthusiasm for food, recipe development, and kitchen creativity never left her, though, leading her most recently to graduate from the chef’s training program at the Natural Gourmet Institute of NYC. Now she has the know-how to geek out about food and the science behind it!

Chef, Diane Forley

Meringueshop founder and meringue-obsessed chef, always in search of new ways to use aquafaba.