Honey-Yogurt Mousse & a Vegan Version – Tuesdays with Dorie

There is a lot to like about this dessert. The recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking Chez Moi. As far as healthy dessert goes, this one comes close to be perfect. In addition, you need very few ingredients and it’s simple to put together.

Low-fat Greek yogurt is the key ingredient to make the mousse. (Kefir yogurt can be substituted.) A plus if you want to lower fat intake. However, you do need half a cup of heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks, to lighten the texture of the mousse. I guess without the whipped cream, the mousse may not be as velvety and light as we’d prefer. If you worry about sugar consumption, sugar is not required here. Honey is the sweetener. By and large, these are mostly pantry items that you have around, with the exception of gelatin. You’d need it to bind everything together to form the mousse.

The Greek yogurt takes about two hours to strain. After leaving the strained yogurt in the fridge overnight, several tablespoons of whey were collected at the bottom of the bowl. Dorie mentioned that you may skip this step if you don’t have the time. The flavor and the texture of the mousse may just be lighter.

That’s what I did the second time I made the mousse. Not straining of the yogurt and no heavy cream either. I whipped up a vegan cream (or aquafaba) using the liquid from a can of chickpea. (Add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the liquid from one can of chickpea and whip it to stiff peaks. It works like magic.) For the rest, I adhered to the same process as outlined in Dorie’s recipe. Add honey to the yogurt. Blend in the bloomed gelatin. Then fold in the whipped cream. With a single change of ingredient to Dorie’s recipe, I’ve found a way to serve an easy dessert to friends and family who are gluten and lactose intolerant.