These rich chocolate mousse cups contain no sugar but offer a whole lot of satisfying sweetness from monk fruit, a natural plant-based sweetener. Not only that, but they are egg free by using aquafaba whipped up into fluffy stiffness. The result is a light, airy, and most definitely chocolatey mousse which is paired with the perfect partner—ginger and vanilla poached pears.
Working with monk fruit
Monk fruit and erythritol blends are referred to as cup-for-cup replacements for sugar, meaning they can be substituted one for one in recipes. However, they’re also significantly sweeter than sugar, so you may need to adjust the amounts for your own recipes.
AdvertisementMonk fruit with erythritol also tends to crystallize when used in syrups. You can avoid this by keeping the ratio of water to sweetener at 2:1 and by using a tiny amount of xanthan gum. It’s also important to avoid drastic heat changes. Let warm syrup cool completely to room temperature before placing in the fridge. To save you time on the day, you can poach the pears the night before and keep them in syrup in the fridge overnight. If crystallization does occur, heat the syrup gently and let it cool at room temperature before proceeding.
- 2 firm pears like Bosc, peeled, cored, and quartered
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup monk fruit and erythritol sweetener
- 2 inch piece of gingerroot peeled and sliced lengthwise into 4 or 5 slivers
- 1/2 vanilla bean cut crosswise
- Pinch of xanthan gum
- 1 cup unsweetened chocolate chips 100% cacao
- 1 tsp vanilla
- + pinch salt
- 1/2 cup aquafaba from can of chickpeas
- 1/4 cup powdered monk fruit and erythritol sweetener
- Set aside 12 small shot glasses or cups.
- In medium-sized saucepan, place pears with water, monk fruit sweetener, and gingerroot. Split section of vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out seeds, and drop seeds and pod into saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, whisk in xanthan gum, and simmer slowly for 10 to 15 minutes, or until pears are tender. Turn off heat and allow liquid to cool completely.
- Once cool, strain pears, reserving syrup. Keep one piece of ginger aside and chop it finely. Return other pieces of ginger and vanilla bean to syrup. Dice pears, and place in small bowl with chopped ginger and 1 Tbsp syrup. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to use. Remaining syrup can also be saved to flavor drinks or cocktails.
- In double boiler over medium heat, melt chocolate chips. Once melted, add vanilla and salt, and stir to incorporate. Allow to cool slightly, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
- In bowl of stand mixer, using whisk attachment, beat aquafaba for about 3 minutes, until light and foamy. Add monk fruit sweetener and continue whisking on high speed until mixture forms stiff peaks. This will take a further 7 to 10 minutes.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer and use spatula to fold chocolate mixture into whipped aquafaba. Once fully incorporated, spoon into piping bag to make it easier to fill small shot glasses with the mixture. Top with prepared pears and serve immediately.
