Mad for mandarins: Mandarin Mousse

Do not judge a book by its cover. Or in this case, a mousse by its photo.

Rather than look at my boring, dull photo, clear your mind and imagine feathers - light and fluffy. Now imagine the feeling of smooth silk - soft and cool to touch. Bring those two things together and weave through it the lightest zest of freshness. 

That would describe the Mandarin Mousse I made with my cousins yesterday.

The deliciously light, fresh and zesty mousse - image does not do it justice.

 

Nonno's mandarin tree is still madly growing orange balls of deliciousness and with the rain outside and kids inside on school holidays I thought I'd help my grandparents keep my little cousins busy in the kitchen.

First we made the never fail Mandarin Muffins mentioned in an earlier post. Too easy!

My little cousins taking over the kitchen. Getting them to stay still for the photo was ridiculous!

With mandarins and energy to spare we made this simple four ingredient mouse, for that night's dessert. Who said school holidays had to be hard work?

Mandarin Mousse

Makes 4

2 - 3 mandarins

280mL cream

60g castor sugar

2 egg whites

1. Zest one mandarin, then peel and juice the rest. You should get about one cup of juice.
2. Beat the cream, zest and sugar until thickened.
3. Add the mandarin juice and continue beating until it is thick enough to stay on a spoon. Be careful not to over beat until it is too stiff.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.
5. Fold the egg whites into the cream mixture.
6. Spoon the mixture into four serving dishes (we used ramekins, but I have used stemless wine glasses, jars or tea cups before).
7. Garnish with mandarin rinds and put into the fridge to set for a least two hours.

NOTE: To 'fancy up' the mousse create a mandarin purée or crumble your favourite biscuits (like Butternut Snaps) into the base of the containers.