A mousse (; ; "foam") is a soft prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture. Depending on preparation techniques, it can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick. A mousse may be
sweet or savory.
["Mousse"]
'' Food Network Food Encyclopedia''. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
Sweet mousses are typically made with
whipped egg white
Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms arou ...
s,
whipped cream, or both, and flavored with one or more of
chocolate,
coffee,
caramel
Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard.
The process of caramelizatio ...
,
puréed
fruits, or various
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
s and
spices, such as
mint or
vanilla. In the case of some chocolate mousses,
egg yolks are often stirred into melted chocolate to give the final product a richer mouthfeel. Mousses are also typically chilled before being served, which gives them a denser texture. Additionally, mousses are often frozen into
silicone
A silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer made up of siloxane (−R2Si−O−SiR2−, where R = organic group). They are typically colorless oils or rubber-like substances. Silicones are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medicine, cooking ...
molds and unmolded to give the mousse a defined shape. Sweetened mousse is served as a
dessert
Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...
or used as an airy cake filling. It is sometimes stabilized with
gelatin
Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...
.
Savory mousses can be made from
meat
Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
,
fish,
shellfish
Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...
,
foie gras,
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
, or
vegetables. Hot mousses often get their light texture from the addition of beaten egg whites.
[
]
History
Various desserts consisting of whipped cream in pyramidal shapes with coffee, liqueur
A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...
s, chocolate, fruits, and so on either in the mixture or poured on top were called ''crème en mousse'' 'cream in a foam', ''crème mousseuse'' 'foamy cream', ''mousse'' 'foam', and so on,[M. Emy (officier), '' L'Art de bien faire les glaces d'office... avec un traité sur les mousses'', Paris, 176]
p. 222
/ref> as early as 1768
Events
January–March
* January 9 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus, with acrobats on galloping horses, in London.
* February 11 – Samuel Adams's circular letter is issued by the Massachusetts House of Rep ...
.[Jim Chevallier, ''A History of the Food of Paris: From Roast Mammoth to Steak Frites'', 2018, , p. 195] Modern mousses are a continuation of this tradition.
Savoury mousse
Fish mousse with brown bread and butter was a popular meal of American cuisine and is still sometimes made as a party dip, although it is not as common as it was in the 1950s.
Gallery
File:Lemon mousse with peach compote (4455679740).jpg, Lemon mousse with peach compote
File:Smoked salmon and dill mousse in cucumber cups.jpg, Savory salmon mousse
File:Mousse cake 7.jpg, Mousse cake
File:Debesmanna.JPG, Redcurrant semolina mousse
See also
*Foam (culinary)
In cuisine, foam is a gelling or stabilizing agent in which air is suspended. Foams have been present in many forms over the history of cooking, such as whipped cream, meringue and mousse. In these cases, the incorporation of air or another gas ...
* Bavarian cream
* Fruit whip
Fruit whips are desserts made from puréed fruit and whipped egg whites. They are usually uncooked, but some variants are cooked; they may be served plain, or with a sauce of fruit juice, custard, or cream, and possibly over a sponge cake or l ...
*Flourless chocolate cake
Flourless chocolate cake is a dense cake made from an aerated chocolate custard. The first documented form of the cake was seen in Ferrara, Italy, though some forms of the cake have myths surrounding their origins. The dessert contains no glute ...
*Mousseline sauce
Hollandaise sauce ( or ; ), also called Dutch sauce, is a mixture of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice (or a white wine or vinegar reduction). It is usually seasoned with salt, and either white pepper or cayenne pepper.
It is well known a ...
*Parfait (food)
Parfait (, also , ; meaning "perfect") is either of two types of dessert. In France, where the dish originated, parfait is made by boiling cream, egg, sugar and syrup to create a custard-like puree. The American version consists of layer ...
References
{{Cookbook, Chocolate Mousse
French desserts