No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie with Spiced Cherry Compote It’s amazing what gets done when one isn’t working constantly. For instance, I did some housework today. My seven-year old’s response may give an indication as to how often this occurs. T: Mummy, I’m not going to use the bathroom; it’s too clean! I’m going to use the other toilet. Then the bathroom will stay clean, and when we have visitors, you can show them and say, “I cleaned the bathroom!” (Sadly, we did need to use the bathroom again tonight, and it may not be something worth showing off by the time we have visitors again). 🙂

No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie with Spiced Cherry Compote

Surprisingly, I also managed to squeeze in a blog post on my week off. We have been out most days since Christmas, as my brother and his family were visiting from interstate for the first time this year, and we wanted to see them as much as possible. Living in the tropics, as they do, cherries are a bit of a novelty. So, it was with much anticipation that we met them at the cherry farm to pick our own. Turns out, it doesn’t take much time to pick a bucketful. We managed to walk away with 4 kilograms of fruit in less than 30 minutes!

Aquafaba meringueNo-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie with Spiced Cherry CompoteNo-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie with Spiced Cherry CompoteSome of those cherries went straight into our bellies, some went into jam, some were given away, and the rest went into a spiced compote to serve over ice cream and other desserts. This chocolate mousse pie with spiced cherry compote is a compilation of several recipes. The base is a raw brownie mix, and the mousse a popular use for aquafaba. The compote recipe is one attributed to Curtis Stone, and provides a simple but necessary contrast to the rich chocolate mousse. The only thing missing is a dollop of cream!

Fresh cherries in a bowlNo-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie with Spiced Cherry Compote

Chocolate Mousse Pie with Spiced Cherry Compote {vegan, GF}
A simple, yet elegant dessert for a summer’s evening!

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients
For the base
1 ½ cups (150g) walnuts
pinch sea salt
13-14 large Medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the mousse
7 oz (200 g) high quality dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (120 mL) aquafaba
1/2 cup (100 g) caster sugar

For the compote
1/4 cup (60g) brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
1/4 cup (60ml) Grand Marnier or orange juice
1 cinnamon quill
400g cherries, pitted

Method
Grease and line an 8-inch springform flan or pie tin.

To make the base, place walnuts and salt in a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and process until all mixed and uniformly crumbly. With the machine running, add a few drops of water at a time, just until the mass starts to stick together in a big ball. (Better to add too little than too much!) press into prepared flan tin. Place in refrigerator to chill.

Meanwhile, for compote, combine sugar, zest, juice, Grand Marnier and cinnamon in a pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes or until syrupy. Add cherries and cook for 1 minute or until coated and cherries are beginning to release their juices. Cool to room temperature.

Finally, the mousse. In a heat-proof bowl above simmering water, melt the chocolate. Then, set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer with the double beater attachments, whip the aquafaba and sugar until the mixture forms stiff peaks. This will take at least 10 minutes.

Fold the slightly cooled melted chocolate into the whipped aquafaba until it’s uniformly incorporated and no streaks of chocolate remain.

Spoon the mousse into chilled tart base and chill for at least 1 hour.

Serve mousse tart with spiced compote and lashings of cream.

Notes
Adapted from Taste, The Loopy Whisk, and my own blog.

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