Blackberry Mousse With or Without Gelatin

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A blackberry mousse is a great way to enjoy summer berries. This blackberry mousse without gelatin uses agar-agar and eggless pastry cream for a vegetarian blackberry mousse. And, the classic version uses gelatin and pastry cream made with eggs. Both are decadently delicious. A perfect dessert that makes a pretty presentation to serve family and friends.

Did you know that the word mousse is an old French word for "froth"? A classic mousse is made with an egg-based custard and cream whipped to create a foamy texture that is light and airy. And, the more air you incorporate into the mousse the lighter and airier the texture.

One of my favorite desserts, besides cheesecakes, is mousse. And, I will attempt to make mousse with almost any fruit just because we love it SO much!!  In addition, often, I will try to make an eggless or vegetarian instead of the classic. Therefore, I have so many different versions of the same recipe.

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Global Foodies collaboration

Theme - Valentine's recipes from breakfast to dessert

This month of Valentine's is always so exciting, isn't it? Everyone is posting things Valentine's related, and things are all so pink and hearty. Love it! So, this month, my food blogger friends and I decided to bring you some Valentine's recipes from breakfast to dessert. And look at the cool choices we have here. Whether it's French toast for breakfast, shrimp pasta for lunch or cookies for tea. I will link all these recipes below the recipe card for you.

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About this mousse

If you love blackberries, you must make this delicious blackberry mousse. The sweet slight tang of the blackberries is incredible. And, the wonderful color of the mousse really gets everyone excited. Perfect to entertain when you have guests over.

In fact, I like making this mousse or my chestnut mousse when I entertain. Why? Because everyone makes chocolate, strawberry or mango mousse. But, I like to give people a chance to try something different when they visit us. It's a great way to make dinner for your guests memorable.

There are 4 component to this mousse

• Making the blackberry puree - 5 mins
• Making the pastry cream - 10 mins
• Whip the cream and dissolve the gelatin - 5 min
• Assemble - Combine everything together - 10 mins

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Ingredients and substitutes

• Blackberries - I always use frozen during the year because that's what I get. I do get fresh berries in summer, and yet they are quite expensive. So, I use them for garnish and still use frozen for the puree.
  Please note - If you buy frozen blackberries that have been sweetened you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. The frozen I get are not sweetened.
• Agar-Agar/gelatin - I'm not a vegetarian, and yet often I prefer to use agar-agar instead of gelatin because it's plant-based, so a bit more healthy than gelatin. But, I have also made this on occasion with gelatin and both work beautifully.
• Vanilla pastry cream - You can use my decadent and delicious classic French vanilla pastry cream with eggs. But, you can also make an eggless vanilla pastry cream and no one will know the difference.
  I have given you the ingredients and method for both here as well as on their individual post with progress pictures and videos.

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Step by step instructions

Prepare blackberry puree

• Save a few blackberries for garnish.
• Blend the remaining blackberries in a blender with 60 ml (¼ cup) hot water. The hot water will ensure the seeds blend too.
• If the puree is very gritty, strain it through a sieve. Mine was just perfect.
• Set aside.

Classic pastry cream

• In a heavy-bottom saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. 
• Slowly add the milk while whisking to prevent lumps.
• Place the saucepan on medium heat until the pastry cream thickens. 
• You want the pastry cream to come to a boil so the cornstarch will thicken the mixture.
• Add the blackberry puree and stir well to combine.
• Sift through a sieve. 
• Cover with the plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream.
• Set aside to cool completely.

Eggless pastry cream

• Pour ¼ cup milk in a bowl, stir in the cornstarch - and set aside.
• Pour remaining milk and sugar in a saucepan and bring it to almost boil.
• Add cornstarch mixture and stir until thick and creamy.
• Lastly, add the vanilla.
• The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
• Stir in the blackberry puree.
• Cover with the plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream.
• Set aside to cool completely.

Whip the cream

• Whip the cream using a whisk attachment until soft peaks.

Dissolve the agar-agar or gelatin

• Place 2 tsp agar-agar or gelatin with the remaining 60 ml (¼ cup) water.
• Let sit for 3 minutes to dissolve.
• For the gelatin - gently warm the gelatin in a double boiler or microwave at 30-sec intervals until completely dissolved.
• For the agar-agar - boil the water for about 3 minutes on low heat.
• Set aside to cool slightly but still warm.

Assembly 

• First, add just a couple of tbsp of cooled blackberry pastry cream to the agar-agar or gelatin and whisk well to avoid any lumps.
  (we are tampering the agar-agar or gelatin so it won't seize)
• Then add the agar-agar/gelatin mixture to the full batch of blackberry pastry cream.
• Next, fold in the whipped cream until well combined.
• Pour or pipe equal amounts into the desired bowl, cups or ramekins.

Chill until set

• Place the fill cup in the fridge for at least 3 hours to chill completely.
• The mousse will set in an hour or two but it tastes great if chilled for a couple of hours.
• Lastly, garnish with a blackberry when ready to serve.
• I also dusted with extra powdered sugar.

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Frequently asked questions

SAVE THIS RECIPE ON PINTEREST FOR LATER. TRIED MY RECIPE? SHARE IT WITH ME, PLEASE.
Share a picture of your work with me by uploading an image here below my image on this board. You can also find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.

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Here's is the list of recipes in the collage below for Valentine's Day Collaboration

1. Strawberry Mimosa Recipe - by Arlene of Flour on my Face
2. Stuffed French Toast with Ricotta and Berries by Kirsten, of Treat Your Self Sweeter
3. Strawberry Chocolate Pancakes - by Sarah of The Fit Cookie
4. Slow Braised Red Wine Lamb Stew with Moroccan Spices by Gloria of Homemade & Yummy
5. Spicy Shrimp Pasta by Melisa and Greg by My Wife Can Cook
6. Soft Almond Cookies by Julia of Imagelicious
7. and of course Easy Blackberry Mousse Recipe by Me!!

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