Christmas

Coconut-Ricotta Mousse with Pistachio and Pomegranate

June  6, 2013
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 6 (1/2 cup servings)
Author Notes

Ricotta makes a particularly rich and luxurious style of mousse, thicker than ones lightened with egg whites. This is a beautiful dessert when you garnish with pistachios and pomegranate seeds (called arils). White, green, and red—festive, delicious, and just a little different. This recipe is from Bakeless Sweets, by Faith Durand. —Faith Durand

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups cream, divided
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons gelatin
  • 8 ounces full-fat ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup coconut cream (the thickest cream from the top of the can of milk)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup pistachio nutmeats, to serve
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils, to serve
Directions
  1. Pour 1/2 cup of the cream into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften. Warm over medium heat and whisk just until the gelatin dissolves. Do not allow to boil. Remove from the heat.
  2. Whip the ricotta and coconut cream together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a large bowl with a hand mixer). Add the rest of the cream and continue beating until the mixture forms soft peaks. Slowly add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat in the warm cream-gelatin mixture, the vanilla, ginger, and salt.
  3. Spread in a 1-quart dish and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until set. Scoop out in fluffy spoonfuls into dessert glasses Serve garnished with the pistachios and pomegranate arils.

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By day, you'll find me at The Kitchn (thekitchn.com), where I am executive editor and have a lot of fun writing about home cooking and kitchen design with our crackerjack team. I've also written several cookbooks, including the latest labor of love, Bakeless Sweets, all about pudding, panna cotta, icebox cake, no-bake cookies, and other no-bake desserts. I live in Columbus, Ohio, with my husband Mike, and a yard poised on the edge of becoming a garden!

2 Reviews

TruffleCream June 15, 2013
This looks awesome, but I am trying to lose weight. What are your thoughts on substituting fat-free half & half for the heavy cream, and part-skim ricotta for the whole ricotta. I am sure it won't taste as rich, but do you think the recipe will work?
 
TruffleCream June 15, 2013
And perhaps more gelatin and light coconut milk, for the coconut cream?