Antipasto mousses

Here is at last this week’s project that couldn’t wait. It’s Low Carbohydrate friendly, vegetarian and yummy, so I guess it’s my Christmas present to you.

These are called mousses but have no gelatin or whipped cream in them. I was served one in a very large portion at a Florence restaurant called Cipolla Rossa, and thought it was a wonderful antipasto or first course. When I went shopping for possible ingredients, however, I was seduced by the idea of other flavors tamed into this wispy and delicious cloud.

It came to me that three scoops of three mousses served like theirs was served would be an interesting way to begin a special meal and yet would be something easy to prepare well ahead to wait for me. In fact, serving this makes any meal special, I think. The serving, which was about four scoops, was a bit too large and three-fourths that amount seemed plenty and also would leave some room for dinner.

Each of these has its own character. None of them is very strong, but each is definitely unlike the other two. The Mousse di Caprino is the closest to the one I ate at Florence. It was such a surprise on the tongue! Tris means three of a kind, like in poker. My tasters and I found this a winning hand.

Tris de mousse with Parmigiano crisps

makes about 24 ounces or 3 times 250 ml

Mousse di Gorgonzola

100 g/ 3.5 oz. of good strong blue cheese
75 g/2.5 oz. of mascarpone
about 1 teaspoon onion juice (I express onion juice using a garlic press)
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Mash the cheese very thoroughly, then add the rest of the ingredients and whip very hard with an electric mixer. This all works much better when the blue cheese is room temperature. There should be no lumps or grains of the blue cheese remaining. If you find any, put the mixture through a fine sieve and re-whip briefly. If this tastes still a bit strong for you, add a bit more mascarpone, but don't get carried away.

When it is very light and whipped absolutely smooth, pack it into a small crock and press plastic wrap on the top, sealing it well. Put it in the fridge for an hour or so. It will keep for several days in the fridge well covered.

For the rest of the recipes and some different presentation versions, click

Mousse di Ricotta

200 g/7 oz. of the best ricotta you can find, sheep or goat for choice
1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
½ teaspoon onion juice
about ½ teaspoon of salt

Press the ricotta through a very fine sieve. It may help to use a blender beforehand, although my ricotta was so smooth I didn't need to. Begin to whip the ricotta at high speed and when it starts to grow, add the other ingredients and continue to whip until almost as light as whipped cream. Pack into a little crock and seal with plastic wrap, pressing it onto the surface firmly.

Mousse di Caprino

About 80 g/2.75 oz. of fresh goat cheese, spreadable and not aged
About 115 g/4 oz. ricotta as above
A few grains of salt.

Whip the goat cheese until light and smooth then add the ricotta and salt. Continue to whip until as smooth as possible. If either of your cheeses remains a bit grainy, press it through a very fine strainer. Pack into a small crock and seal as above with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until wanted.

Parmigiano Crisps
You may already know how to make Parmigiano crisps, but just in case, here's how I do it. Grate Parmigiano Reggiano, or buy it grated if you're willing to pay the price. Heat a small non-stick frying pan over moderate heat and toss a small handfull of the cheese into it. It will sizzle and fry and turn golden. You may need to turn it over with tongs or if the grating is very fine, don't bother. Remove and drain on a paper towel. They will be crackling crisp.

In dishes like these the quality of the ingredients is everything. There's nowhere to hide here, you will experience exactly what you put into them and nothing more. If you don't already know which is the best of this and that, ask at a good store. I remember using Whole Foods in that way, because they knew what they sold and they would give me tastes, too. That's why there are experts, so you won't waste your time, your money and your reputation on junk. I saw something unfamiliar today and learned not only what the cheese is, but what to do with it. With 463 official cheeses, it's unlikely I'll ever run out of questions.

To serve them, I used a spoon I found with a half round bowl. It's really a coffee measure. I wished that I had a small ice cream scoop with that blade that unsticks the ball of ice cream, but too bad. I laid a crisp on the plate, added the three balls of mousse, then drizzled a little balsamico (or aceto di sambuco) on the two white mousses. Then I stuck a couple more crisps standing up among the mousses.