My favorite memory involving chocolate mousse took place at Chez Janou in Paris. I was on my first solo trip and, of course, I couldn’t possibly leave without ordering dessert.
The chocolate mousse at Chez Janou is famous for good reason. It arrives in a huge porcelain vat that feels like it takes up half of the table. It’s filled to the brim with airy mousse and comes with a large spoon so you can scoop out as much as you please. When I started to help myself, I thought, “Is it really ok for me to eat all of this and not save any?” I felt like a kid in a candy store with no adult supervision as I dived face first into bowl after bowl. Making this week’s tofu chocolate mousse recipe feels similar — just as indulgent and dreamy but far easier.
Traditional mousse usually involves eggs, butter, heavy cream or cream of tartar to achieve a stable, sturdy body. But in this recipe, soft tofu replaces all of the typical ingredients to create the same texture. Once blended, the tofu will have a custardy finish, but the magic happens after it’s chilled. When the tofu gets cold again, it firms up and becomes mousse-like. A regular chocolate mousse can take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour to make, this tofu mousse comes together in about five minutes.