As I have mentioned numerous times, I am in the process of losing a lot of weight. Most of the time I am doing this just by eating sensibly but every now and again I need a treat so that I don't feel as though I am completely depriving myself. Sometimes that means a couple of squares of dark chocolate, sometimes a couple of biscuits but sometimes I want something desserty.
In the interests of trying to have some low fat but tasty treats on hand, I started buying twin packs of low fat chocolate mousse, and for a few weeks it was all good. I would have one tub of mousse, which conveniently comes in a size that is enough for the taste of a treat but also means that I don't overeat because it is a single portion serving. Then, a few days later, I would have the other tub and be content. That all changed after my son, the not so little chef, tried one of the mousses....and liked it a lot.
It started getting to the point where I would buy two twin packs and put them in the fridge and then come home thinking tonight I am going to have a mousse only to find that they were all gone. On occasion there might be one left for me but all the others would be gone because he was hungry. Yes, I have a typical STARVING teenage boy in the house. And that's fine. I don't mind that he wants to eat them because of the cost. Usually it is about $1 for a serving, but it's the fact that I am eagerly anticipating a treat and then they aren't there!
The other week I thought I would try to buy some non low fat mousses as well as the one that I like for me, but that didn't quite work out as I had hoped because he likes mine better than he liked the other ones so he ate all of his and all of mine too!
This recipe is actually for Chocolate Mousse Pie but I am not sure that I will be making the pie part, not least of all because I am not familiar with the brand of biscuits that are mentioned.
We'll see if the boy likes this mousse shall we.
Chocolate Mousse Pie
BASE
12 low fat choc chip cookies (Paradise Lite®)
1 tablespoon (15g) Flora Light® margarine melted
¾ teaspoon skim milk
cooking spray
FILLING
24 squares (100g) dark cooking chocolate
1 x 375ml can CHILLED evaporated light milk
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons gelatine
¼ cup boiling water
2 x Jarrah Choc O Lait® sachets
Before starting make sure your evaporated milk is CHILLED. Place chilled canned milk into freezer for 1 hour before making filling.
To make base: In a food processor crumble biscuits. Add melted margarine and milk, process until combined. Coat a pie plate with cooking spray then spread biscuit mixture over base, pressing firmly. Refrigerate.
To make filling: In a small ceramic bowl melt chocolate in microwave on high temperature for one minute. Leave to sit in microwave while you prepare other ingredients. Make sure evaporated milk is very cold. In a large mixing bowl beat chilled milk and vanilla essence until really thick, using an electric beater. Add melted chocolate and blend well. Dissolve gelatine completely in boiling water then add Jarrah sachets, mix well. Pour mixture into milk, beat continuously until well combined. Pour mixture over biscuit base, refrigerate until set.
VARIATION: TO MAKE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, OMIT BASE AND REDUCE GELATINE DOWN TO 1½ TABLESPOONS SERVES 8.
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Have you made it yet? I'm intrigued to know how it turned out. I've got my own teenage boy around the house and I'm sure there's not that many chocolate mousses that he would turn down....It's the good thing having a bottomless pit/teenage boy,you can buy some treats safe in the knowledge that they will in fact eat most of it, and you can't be tempted.
ReplyDeleteI've made it today. Not sure what I did wrong but it doesn't quite look right. Maybe not dark enough chocolate, or the evaporated milk was too cold or the gelatine started to set or something. Definitely looks moussey though and we will see how it tastes a bit later.
DeleteDark chocolate mousse?? I'm betting the boy loves this even more than the store-bought kind. But maybe that's good. You get a small helping and all the rest "magically" disappears. LOL
ReplyDeleteI think taste wise it was pretty good but we had a bit of a texture disaster.
DeleteI think everyone needs a great now and then, especial when you are k. Diet. When I was i. Weight watchers years ago they said to stick to a good plan and eat sensibly but don't depri yourself every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteI hope it turned out well, a dark chocolate version would be dreamy!
The occasional treat has worked so far for me so I am going to keep doing it for a while at least.
DeleteI'm definitely intrigued by this. I'm trying to lose a little weight and have been buying prepacked treats. I've had to buy candy I can hide because otherwise my starving teenage boy would eat it all! Hope it's yummy!
ReplyDeleteI have still been buying the treats that starving teenage boy likes so he has been mostly leaving them alone, or at least he is until he tries something and likes it.
DeleteHe's a typical teen-age boy. I remember taking a cooking class in high school. We made chocolate mousse. It tastes very different than a chocolate pudding. At least, I think so.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a typical teenage boy. People are surprised when I tell them how much food he eats because he is pretty slender!
DeleteHaha! Your mousse problem sounds similar to my husband eating random treats I buy for myself. And the mousse pie sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am pretty sure you could substitute mousse for something else in a lot of houses.
DeleteGood luck! Cheers from Carole's Chatter!
ReplyDeleteThanks Carole.
DeleteNot familiar with choc-o-lait sachets but I do like chocolate mousse. Good luck with your "problem." :)
ReplyDeleteJama, turned out we can't get the sachets here anymore so had to buy the powder. It is a low fat chocolate powder that you use to make hot chocolate.
DeleteI have a good recipe for a low-fat chocolate mousse, my family loves it.
ReplyDeleteI will try this one again but if it doesn't work for the second time I might have to try another low fat recipe. I might be in touch.
DeleteLOL Marg, I had a good chuckle over this. The Spouse reckons you need a refrigerated safe!
ReplyDeleteLisa, I could keep some milk in there too so that I don't go to have breakfast and not be able to, and we might as well put some yoghurt in there too. We get through that super quickly at times too.
DeleteSometimes I hide things behind the lettuce :) That works for awhile.
ReplyDeleteClaudia, not sure that would work here. He keeps on eating half of my salad ingredients too!
DeleteI suspect home-made will be even better than store bought - your son will probably like it! (You could also try hiding a few of the store bought ones in a back corner of the fridge ...)
ReplyDeleteIt was a bit of a disaster this time Belle. Maybe the next time will be better.
Deletelol this brings back memories, my teenage boys had radar for treats in the fridge. I have almost cried haha (not kidding) ... nothing worse anticipating a particular treat only to find it's been devoured and the shops have shut :(
ReplyDeleteI need a few treat recipes for my partner who's trying hard to lose heaps of weight ... the mousse sounds yummy but I'm not particularly successful with gelatine. Keen to see what you think.
Turns out I am not particularly successful with gelatine either Teddyree!!
DeleteMaybe try this series of books. This is really the first fail I have had cooking from these books.