Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 20 minutes
The easiest mousse you can make and a perfect use for any soft, ripe fruit, although you can also use thawed frozen fruit year-round or even switch to chocolate for a quickly made chocolate mousse.
1. Purée about one-third of the raspberries in a blender with ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar. Force the purée through a sieve to remove the seeds. Taste; the purée should be quite sweet. If not, add a little more sugar.
2. Roughly mash the remaining berries (saving a few for garnish) just until they’re broken up and toss with the remaining ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar. Beat the cream with the granulated sugar until it holds soft peaks. Beat in the raspberry purée, then fold in the sugared berries. Taste and add more confectioner’s sugar if necessary. Garnish and serve immediately or refrigerate for 1 or 2 hours.
CHOCOLATE FOOL An impromptu chocolate mousse: Omit the berries and the confectioner’s sugar. Finely chop 6 ounces dark chocolate. Melt 4 ounces of it and let cool completely; beat it into the whipped cream, then fold in the remaining chocolate. If you prefer a completely smooth version, melt all of the chocolate.
YOGURT FOOL A lighter, tangier flavor to use with any fruit: Decrease the cream to ½ cup; whip it with the sugar, then fold in 1 cup yogurt.
MANGO-LIME FOOL Substitute 2 cups chopped mango for the raspberries and purée all of it with ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar (omit the remaining ¼ cup). Beat the cream with 1 teaspoon grated lime zest.
STRAWBERRY-BALSAMIC FOOL Substitute hulled strawberries for the raspberries. Beat the cream with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, adding a little more granulated sugar to make it sweeter if you like.