Wild Berry-Cream Cheese Mousse

The following recipe is featured in the newly released cookbook: Kosher Elegance: The Art of Cooking with Style by Efrat Libfroind.

“My daughter is allergic to chocolate, and I need to make a special dessert for her bas mitzvah celebration. Any suggestions?” one of my cooking students asked me doubtfully.

When I suggested this cream cheese mousse, she wanted to know whether this was the true recipe or a censored version of a recipe that originally contained chocolate. After the party she told us that the dessert was a huge hit. It was light and wonderful despite the lack of chocolate, or maybe because of it…

Ingredients:

Cream cheese mousse-
2 (8-ounce) containers heavy whipping cream
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 pounds low-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 ounce gelatin prepared according to package directions (optional)

Topping-
1 cup mixed berries or strawberries
1/2 cup boiling water
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Mousse: Whip heavy cream with sugar until stiff. Lower mixer speed, and with mixer running slowly, add remaining mousse ingredients. Pour into individual silicone molds or a round pan and freeze for 5 hours.

2. Topping: In a small saucepan, cook fruit with 1/2 cup water and sugar. Mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened. Let cool for half an hour. Pour topping over frozen mousse, freeze for an hour, and release from molds. Keep in the freezer and transfer to the refrigerator 2 hours before serving.

Tip: Serve this mousse on a pink chocolate square. To make chocolate squares, melt approximately 6 ounces white chocolate with a drop of pink food coloring. Spread chocolate on an acetate sheet and let  harden. Cut into desired square sizes, freeze for 10 minutes, and remove from sheet.

Makes 15 or 1 9-inch round pan.