🥝 FLUFFY VEGAN KIWI MOUSSE + AN INTRODUCTION TO VEGAN EGG WHITES 🥝

amy-goodrich (70)in #vegan • 3 years ago

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Greetings steemit food lovers! Before I show you how to make this overly delicious kiwi mousse. allow me to enlighten you about vegan “egg whites.” Something I have learned to make many years ago when I wanted to make a vegan version of one of my hubby’s sweet little favorite treats French Macarons.

This reminds me of adding them back to my to-make list. It has been years since we had them.

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Vegan egg whites are made by mixing the following ingredients:

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AQUAFABA is the cooking water of chickpeas or other legumes. Though chickpea juice or cooking water is the one usually used if you want to make egg whites.

Aquafaba can mimic the functional properties of egg white in cooking. It can be used as a direct replacement in most recipes that call for egg whites such as meringue, mousses, macarons, and marshmallows.

Slowly cooking dried chickpeas in water for a few hours until the water turns to aquafaba will give you similar results without the added preservatives you get from canned juice. If, however, you are new to using aquafaba I recommend using the liquid from a can first as this is a fool-proof consistency that always works.

If you have been following my posts for a while then you know I am not a huge fan of using canned or processed ingredients. When I am making something with aquafaba I must admit I usually use the canned version too. Just make sure you buy organic and BPA-free cans.

CREAM OF TARTAR - AKA potassium bitartrate - is the powdered form of tartaric acid. It helps “egg whites” achieve their full volume potential and stabilizes them by holding in water and air to create extra fluff.

FYI: Though you can use lemon or lime juice to add some acidity, I have had the best and fluffiest results when using cream of tartar.

VEGAN KIWI MOUSSE - THE RECIPE

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Ingredients (serves 4)

200 g fresh blended kiwi fruit
2 tbsp maple syrup, coconut nectar, or agave syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
⅔ cup coconut cream (about 150 grams)
1 tbsp lukewarm water
¾ to 1 tsp agar-agar
⅓ cup aquafaba (about 85 grams)
⅛ tsp creme of tartar (you can use lemon or lime juice instead if you don’t have cream de tartar)

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Toppings

Though you can top the kiwi mousse with whatever you like, here's what I used for ours...

Fresh strawberries
Fresh kiwifruit
Coconut flakes
Cacao nibs
Mulberries

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Directions

Blend about 200g of kiwifruit until smooth. Then add maple syrup and vanilla and blend again. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

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In a small bowl combine lukewarm water and agar-agar. Whisk until well combined.

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Add dissolved agar-agar and coconut cream to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it starts to boil. Stir regularly.

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Remove from heat and pour in the kiwi juice. Stir to combine and let cool until lukewarm.

Meanwhile, drain the chickpeas, keeping the liquid (aquafaba). Chickpeas can be used for a salad, falafel, hummus, etc. Place in a mixing bowl and add the cream of tartar or lime/lemon juice.

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Using an electric whisk, mix at high speed until firm peaks. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down. This takes longer than whisking egg whites so keep whisking until firm. This can take up to 5-6 minutes.

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Pour half of the kiwi mix into the bowl and carefully fold with a spatula into the aquafaba “egg whites”. Once combined fold in the remaining kiwi juice. Do not overmix as you want to keep the mousse nice and fluffy.