Garbanzo Beans? Chocolate Mousse? You've Got to Be Kidding!

We've all seen ridiculous claims made about products or techniques that are just "too good to be true."  I read one last month as I was house hunting.  The extremely talented real estate agent must have been a Madison Avenue advertising executive in a previous life.  S/he made the converted shipping container sound like a Park Avenue apartment.

Anyway, today's post is about making a truly divine chocolate mousse--which is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing--using aquafaba, the liquid from garbanzo beans.

I kid you not.

As posted previously, aquafaba is a perfect egg white substitute.    The drained liquid from a can of garbanzo beans whips up to form perfectly stiff peaks in about the same amount of time as it takes for regular egg whites.  There's really not much more to it than that.  From the two cans I opened yesterday, I got 1/2 cup each of aquafaba, the equivalent of two egg whites.  If you open a can of garbanzo beans and do not need the liquid, just pour it off and freeze it for later use.  It's that easy.

Making chocolate mousse is really easy as well.

Chocolate Mousse
7 ounces dark chocolate
1/2 cup aquafaba
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until it is perfectly smooth.

Meanwhile, on high speed, whip aquafaba and sugar until the mixture forms stiff peaks, about 10 minutes.  Fold in the melted chocolate.  Gently spoon into serving glasses.  Chill for 2 hours or more.  Garnish with raspberries or chocolate pieces and mint leaves.

Note:  For the smoothest chocolate mousse, be sure the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, and be sure to combine the chocolate and aquafaba/sugar mixture completely.  Failure to do either of these will result in bits of solid chocolate and a less than smooth texture.

I make this often for the family.  The kids just scarf it down.  I've got to figure out a way to hide it from them or make it look less appetizing.

Links to related posts:
Hummus
Canning Beans
Egg Substitutes
Sugar
Aquafaba
Chocolate

 1 august 2020