Seasonal Fruit Mousse Recipe

Prepare and Purée Fruit

Wash, hull/peel and roughly chop the seasonal fruit. Place the chopped fruit, 2 tbs granulated sugar, and 1 tbs fresh lemon juice into a blender or food processor. Purée until completely smooth, about 30–45 seconds.

Taste the purée and adjust sweetness or acidity if needed. If the fruit is very seedy (raspberries or blackberries), press the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove seeds, using the back of a spoon. You should have roughly 1 to 1¼ cups of smooth purée.

Place the purée in a small saucepan and warm gently over low heat for 1–2 minutes — just enough to loosen the purée for incorporating gelatin. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Bloom Gelatin

Sprinkle 1.25 tsp powdered gelatin evenly over 2 tbs cold water in a small heatproof bowl. Let sit (bloom) for 5 minutes until the gelatin softens and swells.

After the purée is warmed and the gelatin has bloomed, microwave the gelatin briefly (8–10 seconds) or place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until the gelatin fully dissolves and is clear. Do not boil. Stir the dissolved gelatin into the warm fruit purée until completely combined and smooth. Allow to cool for 5–7 minutes but not set.

Whip Cream

Pour 1.5 cups cold heavy cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Whip with a whisk or electric mixer to soft peaks (about 2–3 minutes medium-high). When the cream holds soft peaks, fold in 0.25 cup crème fraîche gently to add tang and silkiness. Reserve about 2–3 spoonfuls of the whipped mixture if you want to pipe a small decorative border.

Whip Egg Whites

In a clean, dry bowl, use a whisk or electric mixer to whip 2 room-temperature egg whites until they become foamy. Gradually add 2 tbs caster sugar while continuing to whip to glossy stiff peaks. The meringue should be glossy and hold a firm peak without collapsing.

Gently fold a quarter of the whipped egg whites into the cooled fruit purée + gelatin mixture to lighten it. Use a rubber spatula and fold in with sweeping motions to keep as much air as possible.

Fold the remaining egg whites into the fruit purée in two additions, folding gently until no white streaks remain.

Fold one-third of the whipped cream/crème fraîche mixture into the fruit and egg-white mixture to further lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream in two additions. Work gently and stop folding as soon as the mixture is homogeneous and airy.

Spoon or pipe the mousse into individual serving glasses or ramekins (makes about 6 portions of 1/2 cup each). Smooth the tops with a spatula. If reserved whipped cream was kept for decoration, pipe a small rosette on each mousse now.

Cover each serving with plastic wrap or place them in a covered container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably 4 hours, until set and velvety.

Just before serving, zest 1 tsp fine lemon zest over the mousses to brighten the flavor. Add ½ cup extra seasonal fruit (sliced or diced) on top or to the side of each serving.

Place a small dollop (about 2 tsp) of crème fraîche on each mousse, garnish with a fresh mint leaf, and serve chilled.