File this recipe under “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” or “Here’s a fun thing to do with that empty egg carton.” I’ve tried the vegan avocado chocolate mousse that’s currently all over the Internet, but I had trouble getting over the mouth feel, so I wasn’t entirely convinced this recipe would wow me. But here’s the trick: add whipping cream for wonderful lightness and blood orange juice to complement the semisweet chocolate.
After I made the mousse, my daughters gathered around the kitchen counter.
Me: “Try some.”
Them: “What is it?”
Me: “I’m not telling you. Just try it. It’s good.”
Them: “Is it wasabi?”
Me: “No, I’m not putting wasabi mousse into chocolate cups. Thanks for your confidence in my culinary combinations. Try it.”
It’s rare to get a positive response to anything from 13- and 15-year-old girls, but this was a winner. Since I made a double batch of mousse, I stirred in a handful of chocolate chips into the leftovers and froze it for “ice cream” later. File that under “Brilliant Leftovers.”
Avocado Mousse in Chocolate Cups
Inspired by Aldi’s recipes Makes 12 cups
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 ripe Haas avocado, peeled and pitted
¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
½ cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp. blood orange juice (or regular orange juice)
• Clean and dry an empty foam egg carton* and cut out each cup.
• Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and melt on high 30 seconds. Remove, stir, microwave for another 30 seconds, repeating as necessary until the chocolate chips are fully melted. Pour about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate into each cup and tilt to coat the sides. Place the cups on a baking sheet and freeze 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the avocado, condensed milk and whipping cream in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the blood orange juice, and pulse again. Remove the blade, scrape down sides, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• To assemble, carefully slide a knife between the egg carton cup and the chocolate; the edible cup should come out easily. Fill each chocolate cup with a scoop of the chilled mousse. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then serve.
* You can also use foil or silicon cupcake liners.
This article appears in May 2014.