Editing Mousse

{{Short description|Soft creamy prepared food using air bubbles for texture}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|moose}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Refimprove|date=December 2011}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Mousse
| image            = Chocolate coffee mousse.jpg
| image_size       = 
| caption          = Chocolate mousse garnished with ground cinnamon
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = [[France]]
| region           = 
| creator          = 
| course           = [[Dessert]]
| type             = 
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = [[Egg white#Egg white foam|Whipped egg white]]s or [[whipped cream]], [[chocolate]] or puréed fruit
| variations       = [[Chocolate]], [[vanilla]], [[strawberry]], choco vanilla, etc.
}}

A '''mousse''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|uː|s}}, {{IPA|fr|mus|lang}}; {{literally|foam}}) is a soft prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture. Depending on preparation techniques, it can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick. A mousse may be sweet or savory.<ref name=foodterms>[http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/mousse/index.html "Mousse"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229014433/http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/mousse/index.html |date=2016-12-29 }}. ''[[Food Network]] Food Encyclopedia''. Retrieved February 21, 2017.</ref>

==History==
{{Main|Whipped cream#History|l1=Whipped cream: history}}
Various desserts consisting of whipped cream in pyramidal shapes with coffee, liqueurs, chocolate, fruits, and so on either in the mixture or poured on top were called {{lang|fr|crème en mousse}} ('cream in a foam'), {{lang|fr|crème mousseuse}} ('foamy cream'), {{lang|fr|mousse}} ('foam'), and so on,<ref name="emy">M. Emy (officier), ''L'Art de bien faire les glaces d'office; ou, Les vrais principes pour congeler tous les rafraichissemens, etc'', Paris, 1768 [https://books.google.com/books?id=qDZdAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA222 p. 222]</ref><ref>Alexandre-Balthazar-Laurent [[Grimod de La Reynière]], ''Néo-Physiologie du gout par order alphabétique ou Dictionnaire générale de la cuisine française'', 1839, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ts9QAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA184 p. 184]</ref> as early as 1768.<ref name="chev">Jim Chevallier, ''A History of the Food of Paris: From Roast Mammoth to Steak Frites'', 2018, {{isbn|1442272821}}, p. 195</ref><ref>"Tante Marie", ''La Véritable cuisine de famille, comprenant 1.000 recettes et 500 menus'', 18??, [https://books.google.com/books?id=5A80_xF0vHUC&pg=PA296 p. 296] "Crème fouettée (ou Fromage à la Chantilly)"</ref><ref>Mrs. Beeton, ''The book of household management'', 1888, [https://books.google.com/books?id=otoAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA927 p. 927]</ref> Modern mousses are a continuation of this tradition.

==Types==
===Sweet===
Sweet mousses are typically made with [[Egg white#Egg white foam|whipped egg white]]s, [[whipped cream]],<ref>Prosper Montagné, ''[[Larousse Gastronomique]]'', 1961 (English translation of 1938 French edition), p. 630</ref> or both, and flavored with one or more of chocolate, coffee, caramel,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Caramel & White Chocolate Mousse Recipe|url = http://videoculinary.com/recipes/desserts/222-white-chocolate-caramel-mousse|website = VideoCulinary.com|access-date = 2016-01-04|language = en-GB|archive-date = 2015-11-01|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151101182910/http://videoculinary.com/recipes/desserts/222-white-chocolate-caramel-mousse|url-status = live}}</ref> puréed fruits, or various herbs and spices, such as mint or vanilla.<ref>{{Cite web|title = How to prepare Mousse|url = https://www.nestledessertsarabia.com/recipe-details/frozen-chocolate-mousse/332|language = en-GB}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the case of some chocolate mousses, egg yolks are often stirred into melted chocolate to give the final product a richer mouthfeel. Mousses are also typically chilled before being served, which gives them a denser texture. Additionally, mousses are often frozen into silicone molds and unmolded to give the mousse a defined shape. Sweetened mousse is served as a dessert or used as an airy cake filling.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-29|title=Silky mousses with a stable structure: a few tips and tricks -|url=https://quescrem.es/en/silky-mousses-with-a-stable-structure-a-few-tips-and-tricks/|access-date=2021-06-25|website=Quescrem|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625153009/https://quescrem.es/en/silky-mousses-with-a-stable-structure-a-few-tips-and-tricks/|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is sometimes stabilized with gelatin.<ref name="Hyman">{{cite book|last1=Hyman|first1=Gaston|editor1-last=Hyman|editor1-first=Phillip|editor2-last=Hyman|editor2-first=Mary|title=Lenôtre's Desserts and Pastries|date=1977|publisher=Barrons Educational Series Inc|location=Woodbury, New York|isbn=978-0812051377|page=[https://archive.org/details/lenotresdesserts00leno/page/78 78]|edition=1st|language=en|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/lenotresdesserts00leno/page/78}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/02/13/276044516/paris-confidential-the-mystery-mousse-behind-the-chocolate-bar|title=Paris Confidential: The Mystery Mousse Behind The Chocolate Bar|work=NPR.org|access-date=2017-10-05|language=en|archive-date=2017-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006012620/http://www.npr.org/2014/02/13/276044516/paris-confidential-the-mystery-mousse-behind-the-chocolate-bar|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Savory===
Savory mousses can be made from meat, fish, [[shellfish]], [[foie gras]], cheese, or vegetables. Hot mousses often get their light texture from the addition of beaten egg whites.<ref name=foodterms/>

Molded and shaped fish mousse with bread and butter remains a popular meal of American cuisine, if not a party dip, although it is not as common as it was in the 1950s.<ref>''Good Housekeeping, July 1907''</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bring Back Salmon Mousse |website=Taste Magazine |publisher=Penguin Random House |url=https://www.tastecooking.com/bring-back-salmon-mousse/ |access-date=2020-09-09 |archive-date=2021-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518103355/https://www.tastecooking.com/bring-back-salmon-mousse/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Lemon mousse with peach compote (4455679740).jpg|Lemon mousse with peach compote
File:Smoked salmon and dill mousse in cucumber cups.jpg|Savory salmon mousse
File:Mousse cake 7.jpg|Mousse cake
File:Debesmanna.JPG|Redcurrant semolina mousse
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Cookbook-inline|Chocolate Mousse}}
{{Portal|France|Food}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:French desserts]]
[[Category:Creamy dishes]]