This is a spin on a family favorite lemony “jello” dish we enjoy often. This VANILLA BEAN MOUSSE however, is quickly becoming another go to treat around here. It goes so well with berries, which are a huge family favorite!
Speaking of favorites, can we talk about vanilla bean seeds? The speckles are so cute! It’s fun using them in both sweet and savory dishes for not only the flavor, but the visual appeal. Who else is a smitten by those little freckles? They are one of those simple things in life that can bring instant joy and a smile.
We originally made this VANILLA BEAN MOUSSE for Memorial Day. That’s why we have pictures with it all dressed up in red, white & blue. Choose the fruit you want to pair with it and have fun decorating. Pour it into a pre baked pie crust like we did. Alternately you can easily use a pretty gelatin mold or pour it into ramekins and decorate with whatever fruit you fancy.
Having a dinner party? We got you! Prepare the mousse in ramekins (as suggested above) and have a “make your own dessert” bar with all sorts of seasonal fruits. Guests can add toppings they enjoy most, everyone gets to be involved and it’s a tasty interactive event. See what I did there? You now have pretty party food that you can involve your guests in and make them “foodies” just like us!
You can easily sub out the whipping cream with the coconut cream from a can of coconut milk. Simply put a can in the fridge, let it set overnight and in the morning, you’ll have cream on the top and the watery part on the bottom. Scoop out the cream and whip away.
vanilla bean mousse
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings30
minutes39
minutesIngredients
1 T grass-fed gelatin powder (we use this brand)
2 T cold water
1 can full fat coconut milk
½ vanilla bean, caviar scrapped out
6 T honey (you can use maple syrup, but will lend a browner color)
½ t vanilla
½ c organic whipping cream*, whipped
Directions
- Sprinkle gelatin in water and let it bloom, should probably take about 5 minutes.
- Pour the entire can of coconut milk into a saucepan and toss in vanilla bean pod as well as the caviar from the inside, whisk to combine and evenly distribute the vanilla caviar.
- Warm till just simmering and allow to low simmer for about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. This will allow the vanilla to totally flavor the coconut milk!
- Remove from heat, add bloomed gelatin and whisk until all gelatin is dissolved.
- In a glass bowl, add honey and pour vanilla/gelatin mixture through a fine mesh sieve, this will remove the bean pod, any large pieces of the vanilla pod as well as any pieces of gelatin that may not have fully dissolved. Be sure to scrape any vanilla caviar out of the bottom of the pan, they like to sink to the bottom, but you do NOT want to waste any of those freckles!!! Use a rubber spatula and get ’em all!
- Whisk until honey is completely melted and thoroughly mixed together & add vanilla
- Refrigerate until slightly set, approximately an hour, stirring occasionally…again, those vanilla freckles!!!
- When slightly set, pour whipping cream (or coconut cream if making a dairy free version) into a larger bowl and using an electric mixer, whip until stiff. Pour in vanilla mixture and mix until completely combined. Use a rubber spatula in the end to make sure all vanilla freckles (caviar) are combined and not sitting on the bottom. The mixture will be thick enough at this point that they shouldn’t be able to sink any longer.
- Pour mixture into prepared pie crust, gelatin mold or individual ramekins. Refrigerate until completely set, shouldn’t take more than a couple hours. Top with your favorite fruits & serve!
- *for a dairy-fee version, use the cream from the top of a can of coconut milk, whipping up until light and fluffy. Just keep in mind you need 1 cup total, so if you need the cream from more than 1 can of coconut milk, plan accordingly.
