Vanilla Bean Mousse!!!!

A few weeks ago, while we were driving in the car, Mike suddenly came up with this brilliant idea for dessert. He wanted something very light and airy, some kind of whipped treat in a very light crust, made with a vanilla bean. I told him that it sounded like he was looking for a vanilla mousse. We figured that a phyllo dough crust would probably be what he was imagining. Mike started doing some research on mousse, and told me that I needed to buy unflavored gelatin. So, I bought some, since I noticed that vanilla beans were on sale (if you can call $9.99 per bean a sale...).

My dear friend Clara helped me come up with a couple of recipes, and I did some research on my own. I ended up combining several recipes in order to come up with an actual vanilla bean mousse.

My phyllo dough didn't turn out so hot...I didn't roll it out thin enough, and the cups were too small, so it was very thick and doughy at the bottom. But, the corners were good, and we really dug it. :) It came out SO light and fluffy and flavorful, and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. On top of that, it was fat-free! Can't beat that!!!


If you are going to use phyllo dough, be sure to bake it in advance so it can cool a bit before you are ready to pour the mousse into it.

FAT-FREE VANILLA BEAN MOUSSE

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 T water
2 t unflavored gelatin
1 C fat-free half & half
4 T sugar, divided
1 vanilla bean

2 large egg whites
1/8 t cream of tartar

PREPARATION

Pour 2 T water into small saucepan; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Stir over very low heat just until gelatin dissolves, about 1 minute. Stire in fat-free half & half, and 2 T sugar. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over very low heat until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes (do not boil). Transfer gelatin mixture to large bowl. Set bowl in another large bowl filled halfway with ice water; stir until mixture is cool, about 5 minutes. Discard vanilla bean.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 2 T sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into gelatin mixture. Divide mousse among 4 wineglasses or phyllo shells. Chill until mousse is softly set, at least 4 hours and up to one day. Serve mousse cold.

The verdict: Mike loved it. He was totally satisfied with the result, and thrilled that I had made his dream. :) I thought it was excellent as well. It tastes so rich and wonderful, yet it is so light and weightless to eat!