Fromage Blanc Mousse with Market Berries

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl, chilled
• •Whisk or hand mixer
• •Rubber spatula
• •Six serving dishes or one large shallow bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose your fromage blanc

   Start with the fromage blanc. It should be fresh, tangy, and alive. Look for a local producer if you can find one, or a good dairy section that turns over product quickly. The cheese should taste clean and bright, with a pleasant acidity that makes your mouth water. This is not a canvas for old cheese. If the fromage blanc tastes flat or tired, the mousse will too.

2. 2

   Whip the cream

   Pour the cold cream into a chilled bowl. Using a whisk or hand mixer, whip until it holds soft peaks that droop gently when you lift the whisk. Stop before it becomes stiff. You want clouds, not concrete. The cream should still look glossy and alive.

   A cold bowl makes all the difference. Place a metal bowl in the freezer for ten minutes before you begin.
3. 3

   Season the fromage blanc

   In a large bowl, stir the fromage blanc until smooth. Add the honey, vanilla seeds, and salt. Taste. The mixture should be gently sweet with a pleasant tang cutting through. Adjust the honey if needed, but remember: the berries will bring their own sweetness. Restraint matters here.

4. 4

   Fold together

   Add about a third of the whipped cream to the fromage blanc and stir to lighten. Then add the remaining cream and fold gently with a spatula, turning the bowl as you go, until no white streaks remain. Work with a light hand. You are preserving air, not mixing a batter.

   Folding means lifting from the bottom and turning over, not stirring in circles. Ten to twelve strokes should do it.
5. 5

   Chill until set

   Divide the mousse among six serving dishes, or spoon into one large bowl for sharing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours, or overnight. The mousse will firm as it chills but remain light and spoonable.

6. 6

   Prepare the berries

   Just before serving, sort through your berries. Discard any that have gone soft or moldy. Leave small berries whole. Halve or quarter larger strawberries so every bite contains fruit. Let them sit at room temperature for fifteen minutes. Cold dulls flavor. Room temperature berries release their perfume.

7. 7

   Serve simply

   Spoon berries generously over each mousse. Drizzle with a thin ribbon of honey. Add a small mint leaf if you like, though the dish needs nothing more. Serve immediately. The contrast between cool, tangy mousse and sun-warm berries is the whole point.

Chef Tips

• •Fromage blanc varies by producer. Some are thick like Greek yogurt, others loose and pourable. Either works. Taste before you buy if you can.
• •If you cannot find fromage blanc, mix equal parts whole-milk ricotta and plain whole-milk yogurt, then strain through cheesecloth for an hour. It is not the same, but it is close.
• •Berry season is short. In winter, roasted pears or quince with their syrup make a beautiful substitute. Poached rhubarb in spring. Let the season guide you.
• •Local honey carries the flavor of your region. It connects this dessert to where you are. Clover honey from a thousand miles away cannot do that.

Advance Preparation

• •The mousse must chill at least four hours and keeps beautifully for up to two days, covered and refrigerated.
• •Do not add berries until serving. They will weep and lose their aliveness.
• •For a dinner party, make the mousse the morning of or the night before. The last-minute work is just spooning berries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)