healthy chocolate mousse

Enter the chocolate mousse. Not something I crave on a regular basis or would order at a restaurant. Those privileges usually go to other treats I deem more worthy of my love than a bowl of whipped chocolate.

But when dippable chocolate is placed in front of me, especially accompanied by the fresh berries of summer, I am no fool. When I tried this mousse at a party earlier this summer, I wondered why had I strayed from the mousse for so long.

The second surprise of the evening came when the mousse-maker shared her secret. An ingredient so unlikely in such a dessert that I refused to believe it. Surely there had to be cream in this dip? Cream cheese? Butter? Eggs? Milk?

Guess again.

The bowl of chocolate indulgence had come to me from none other than the Goddess of the Bean. Not the black bean or the kidney bean, but the soybean. The very thing that brings me edamame, soy milk, and, you guessed it, Tofu.

So now that I’ve turned you off completely from ever making this mousse and sending you straight to a more chic, French, and big screen-worthy recipe such as this one, I’ll type out the recipe for those who have tried it and know that low-fat, protein-rich silken tofu can stand in once in a while for all those indulgences that make life worth living. It’s your dessert: you decide.

Silken Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

1 package silken tofu (I used Mori-Nu Lite Silken Tofu)*
8-10 ounces dark chocolate (60%-70% cacao). I used 2 Ghirardelli bars, but the chip version would melt faster.
2 T pure maple syrup (If you don’t have the pure stuff, use corn syrup or honey)
1 ounce Kahlua, optional
milk or soy milk, if needed

Preparation

1. Blend tofu, using either a hand blender or regular blender.
2. In a double boiler or microwave, melt chocolate.
3. Combine tofu and chocolate in blender and blend until fully mixed. Add syrup and Kahlua, if using. Milk can also be added to achieve a smoother consistency if desired. Place in a separate container and cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with fruit and berries.

*There are two main kinds of tofu: silken and regular. Silken tofu or Japanese-style tofu has a softer consistency than regular tofu and will fall apart if not handled carefully. Unlike regular tofu, it is sometimes packaged in boxes that do not require refrigeration. Because of this, silken tofu is sometimes sold in a different section of grocery stores than regular tofu, which is packed in water and requires refrigeration. Both silken and regular tofu can be found in soft, medium, firm and extra firm consistencies. They are made from the same ingredients, but they are processed slightly differently and are not interchangeable in a recipe. The different kinds of silken tofu (firm, soft, etc) are interchangeable, so don’t worry if your grocer only stocks one kind. Regular tofu or Chinese tofu is more common than silken and comes in a plastic container in the refrigerator or produce section of most grocery stores. (From about.com)