For the compote
Wash the tart cherries well and then remove the pits and cut in half.
Combine the water and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then add the cherries. Let the cherries simmer 3–5 minutes, remove from the heat, and let cool.
For the mousse
Remove the seeds from the chili pepper and then dice.
Heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan and sweat the diced chili pepper in the oil. Add the soy cream and heat everything to 35–37 °C (95–97 °F).
Cut the chocolate couverture into small pieces and carefully melt in a bowl over a water bath.
For the water bath, place a heat-resistant bowl in a saucepan filled with water. As the water is heated, the heat is transferred to the bowl, which in turn causes the contents of the bowl to be heated. The advantage of using a water bath is that it allows you to heat the food in the bowl evenly, without exceeding temperatures above 100 °C. This is important in the case of delicate ingredients like chocolate, and if you heat such ingredients in a different way, the results and nutritional quality may be lower. It is important that the water doesn’t come to a rolling boil as this might cause some of it to get into the bowl. A water bath also makes it possible to gently cool food that has been heated.
Pour the warm chili pepper and soy cream mixture through a sieve and then using a whisk slowly add to the melted chocolate couverture.
For the whipped cream
Whisk the agar-agar with the soy cream in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. As soon as the cream has cooled, it is ready to be whipped. Whip until it reaches the desired consistency.
Finalize
Carefully fold the chili and chocolate couverture into the soy whipped cream and then place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, or until the chocolate has hardened.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
This fiery chocolate mousse served with a tart cherry compote contains a delicious combination of chocolate, cream, and chili peppers.
Mousse: The word “mousse” comes from French and literally means frothy or foamy. It generally refers to creamy foods that have a light and fluffy consistency. Mousse is served either as a dessert, such as the well-known Mousse au Chocolate, or as a side dish, such as in the case of Avocado Mousse.
Tempering the chocolate: Tempering the couverture affects the color and texture of the chocolate and improves the flavor and bite. Couverture chocolate that is stored for longer periods of times, for example, can show traces of less than optimal tempering when it is used to make frosting, icing, or chocolate coatings. This is a result of the crystallization process. The temperature used to heat the chocolate affects the crystal structure of the cocoa butter contained in the chocolate. If tempering is done incorrectly, the couverture will take on a dull grayish color and when chocolate breaks off, the edges are jagged. This happens because the crystal structure isn’t homogenous. It is therefore necessary that the chocolate be heated to a high temperature during the pre-crystallization phase so that the chocolate will melt completely. This is followed by a short cooling phase, which causes crystallization. Before complete crystallization takes place, you should increase the temperature again, shape the chocolate into the desired shape, and then let it slowly cool. The temperatures that are optimal for the last step depend on the properties of the respective cocoa butter and its quality.
Tips
Procedure for tempering: As recommended by the author, a simple trick to avoid overly high temperatures is to remove the couverture chocolate from the water bath at an early stage. The author recommends removing the chocolate after about two-thirds of it has melted. Then stir until the rest of the chocolate pieces melt and the mixture is smooth and homogenous.
Mousse ready to serve?: You can stick a toothpick in the mousse to check if it has reached the desired consistency. If the toothpick stays in position without sinking, then the mousse is ready to serve.
Alternate preparation
Making your own soy whipped cream: You will need soy whipped cream for this recipe. Either you can buy soy whipping cream and use as described below or you can make your own. Our recipe Soy Whipped Cream with Canola Oil includes tips, notes, and alternative types of preparation.
Buying chocolate couverture and soy whipping cream: Chocolate couverture and soy whipping cream can be found in most supermarkets. You can then whip the latter at home using an electric mixer. To do this, you don’t have to add any additional thickeners such as agar agar because this type of whipping cream is designed to whip up well all on its one.
Spiciness: The chili peppers give this mousse quite a spicy flavor. Depending on how much spice you like, you can use another type of chili pepper or increase the amount.
