Guest Author - Deborah Markus
This dessert is wonderful if, of course, you're a vegan. Or a vegetarian trying to transition to vegan and much in need of reassurance that all fun does not have to end once you've renounced eggs and milk. If you're pregnant, you might be craving chocolate mousse but temporarily in need of a recipe that doesn't contain raw eggs. If you're busy, you might be in permanent need of a quick and simple chocolate dessert recipe.
Or you might simply be like me: always wanting to try something new that involves chocolate.
If any of the above apply, I offer you this recipe.
Vegan means without animal products of any kind. Pretty much any chocolate you buy (with the exception of the infamous bacon bar) is going to be vegetarian, but if you're a vegan, you're looking for something with no dairy products.
For this recipe, you need a bag of vegan chocolate chips. This pretty much rules out all of the better-known chocolate chips -- Nestle, Hershey, and Ghirardelli contain milkfat even in their dark chocolate chips. If you're simply avoiding raw eggs for health reasons or enjoying a quick and easy mousse recipe, and aren't really concerned about it being completely free of dairy ingredients, just use a bag of your favorite chocolate chips.
If you wish this recipe to be truly vegan, check at your health food store for choices of vegan chocolate chips. SunSpire Tropical Source semisweet chocolate chips are vegan, tasty, and have a very nice texture. These come in 10-ounce bags.
I found Guittard chocolate chips at my local grocery store. I didn't even know they were vegan -- I was just interested in trying a chocolate chip I hadn't seen before. Their package doesn't play up the fact that they contain no animal ingredients. Their taste tipped me off to the fact that something was a little different. These chips are strong and very creamy, with just a hint of sweetness reminiscent of coconut. They melt readily, and are sold in 12-ounce packages.
The amount of chocolate you use for this recipe isn't hard and fast. As long as it's somewhere between nine and twelve ounces, you'll be fine. I, of course, am a firm believer that more is better when it comes to chocolate.
Melt the chocolate chips. You can do this in a glass or other microwave-safe bowl by heating the chips on high for thirty seconds at a time and giving them a jiggle or a stir between zappings. You can use a double boiler, as long as you're careful not to let the water boil, since any escaping steam (or any other water, for that matter) will make the melting chocolate seize up and stiffen. If this happens, there's no help for it -- you've got to start over again with a new batch of chocolate. I use a heavy-bottomed pan over the smallest possible lick of flame on the stove, and have never had any trouble.
If you're using a stove method, heat and stir the chocolate until the chips are mostly melted. Turn off the heat and continue stirring until they're completely melted, and allow chocolate to cool.
Completely drain a 14-ounce package of soft (silken) tofu. Put the tofu into a blender or food processor (I used the latter). When melted chocolate is completely cooled, pour it in as well.
Blend until mixture is completely smooth and chocolate is incorporated. You'll want to give it at least a few good, long, uninterrupted blasts, scraping down the sides between mixing sessions.
Put the mixture into a glass bowl, plastic storage container, or individual glass cups. Cover and let chill at least a couple of hours. Enjoy. (Makes about four servings.)
