My impressive plunder from holiday gift-giving leaves me predictably overwhelmed. Inundated by all the shiny toys I’ve had my eye on for the past twelve months, I’m beyond feeling like a kid in a candy store- More like a mad baker in a pastry department! After spending the first week or so drowning in guilt over my embarrassment of riches, the shame instantly dissipated after boxes were opened and kitchen appliances exhumed from their bubble-wrapped tombs. So many ideas bubbled around in my scattered brain, the real trouble was figuring out where to start.

And really, that wasn’t too hard after all. Seriously, when the accessories look more like ammunition than culinary tools, who wouldn’t be intrigued?
The lure of my professional-looking iSi cream whipper proved to out shine the rest, which pushed it to the foreground of my brainstorming. How to use this tool designed to work almost exclusively with dairy, and develop vegan recipes, was an exciting challenge. While I can’t claim the greatest of success so far, there has been one simple yet encouraging triumph: Mousse.

Made from only two ingredients, this would be perfect for an emergency dessert if guests happen to drop by unannounced, expecting sweets [as they often do around here.] So light, fluffy, and down right fun, I can definitely see this becoming a go-to recipe for instant mousse gratification. Yes, it does require this fancy shmancy equipment, but hey, aren’t I allowed to play with my new toys a little?

Instant Mousse
1 25.5-Ounce Can Coconut Milk, Chilled
1 3-Ounce Package Kojel (I used lemon, but any flavor works just fine)
First off, do NOT shake the can of coconut milk. Remove the top and use a large spoon to skim off the cream on top. Measure out two cups from the upper layer of coconut cream- You will have some extra, but you can use that in another recipe. Whisk the kojel into the coconut cream so that the mixture is homogeneous, and transfer it into your cream whipper. Use one charge, shake a few times, and dispense the entire contents into a number of small dishes. Do not reserve any of the mousse inside the whipper, because it will set up and not come out.
Either chill for a colder, firmer mousse, or eat immediately!
January 7, 2009 at 12:12 am
Mmmm, I could definitely go for some of this! Hooray new toys!
January 7, 2009 at 1:58 am
The ideal toy for a vegan chef;)
My husband gave me a ISI whip cream for my last birthday and I must say it’s great for making whipped vegan:)
That’s what helped me make my vegan crème brulée for the challenge of DB (the bûche).
I also want to make chocolate mousse hot but because my ISI can also be used in a bain-marie :)
Your coconut mousse look great, I want to eat my computer screen :) as usual with your photos :)
August 10, 2009 at 1:10 pm
tiens mais c’est vgpower ;-)
This whipper sounds great, i find vegan whip cream (like soyatoo) quite deceiving…
January 7, 2009 at 2:14 am
What a wonderful and fun gift! It sounds like the gift-givers in your life know exactly what makes you happy. Have fun further exploring your new gadgets!
January 7, 2009 at 2:57 am
Neato gift! I’m looking forward to see what else you come up with. The lemon mousse looks fabulous.
January 7, 2009 at 3:14 am
hahaha, when I first previewed this in my rss feed, read “new toys” and saw the first photo, I was almost sure you had bought ammunition of some sort.
your mousse looks fantastic, Hannah! I love your trick of not shaking the can and separating the cream – I’ll definitely be using that one in the future :)
January 7, 2009 at 3:36 am
New gadgets are always so much fun! Enjoy playing around :)
Easy and delicious, perfect combination for mousse!
January 7, 2009 at 7:24 am
That mousse looks AMAZING! I’ve never seen anything so fluffy and light before. It’s like a little cloud =)
January 7, 2009 at 8:19 am
I have not used my ISI cream whipper much but I will now thanks for this delicious looking mousse recipe!
January 7, 2009 at 8:53 am
VEGAN MOUSSE!!! Ooooooh…
January 7, 2009 at 8:58 am
I always wanted one of those, too. That is so neat to see you use it for something other than whipped cream. It looks delicious.
January 7, 2009 at 9:30 am
I totally thought you got bullets as a gift when I first opened the page… hahaha :D
January 7, 2009 at 9:50 am
That is quite a fancy new toy!! How fun! And your mousse looks amazing.
January 7, 2009 at 10:00 am
Hi Hannah! It’s so fun to see what kinds of yummy desserts you create with your shiny new toys.
January 7, 2009 at 10:05 am
That’s a cool gift! Can’t wait to see what other neat things you got! :-)
~ingrid
January 7, 2009 at 10:06 am
That looks yummy! I have never heard of this shiny new toy you have acquired, but it sounds fun, I’m glad you’re enjoying it!!
January 7, 2009 at 10:07 am
Wow…that’s fancy. Looks really delicious!
January 7, 2009 at 11:17 am
I like the idea of using a cream whipper for vegan desserts! I may just have to get one. I also like the idea of using coconut instead, as I have been quite addicted to SoyaToo whip lately. I think it’s the best on the market right now.
January 7, 2009 at 11:30 am
neat! it looks so light and fluffy. like a delicious little cloud. if only i had the tools! alas, maybe someday ;) also, re: you being awesome at knitting, do you care to let me know where you get all your adorable patterns? i’m in the mind to make creatures of some sort for my kitties (and who am i kidding, myself). if you could email me some resources, i’d be really grateful! i don’t know anyone in real life that knits, so i’m sort of on my own here. thanks!
January 7, 2009 at 11:48 am
I have a whipped cream charger at home too…waiting for the perfect thing to use it for and I think I just found it! What a great idea.
January 7, 2009 at 2:08 pm
That creamer definitely made the mousse whippy! Sounds like a fun tool to play with!
January 7, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Now that’s a cool gift!
January 7, 2009 at 3:10 pm
So fluffy and light! Looks like you are having lots of fun with your new gifts. Lucky you!
January 7, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Yummy! Kitchen toys are the best! And the mousse looks SO yummy!
January 7, 2009 at 4:05 pm
What an amazing gift and what a delicious solution! Mousse – I used to love mousse… especially the chocolate-orange kind…
January 7, 2009 at 4:36 pm
That moose looks too good! I would have never thought of lemon geletin-free jello and coconut milk! How does that icecream maker work? Do you have any vegan icecream recipes that don’t require a special tool? Of course, I could live on so dlicious! =)
January 7, 2009 at 4:55 pm
That is the lightest fluffiest mousse I’ve ever seen! Hooray for fancy shmancy equipment!
January 7, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Looks wonderful. So are those the cartridges? They do look like ammunition! LOL. I think I may have found my next kitchen gadget to lust after. Thanks, Hannah!
January 7, 2009 at 6:44 pm
i want one! it sounds so fun!
January 8, 2009 at 6:22 am
Yum yum yum! I have thought about a cream whipper as well.
January 8, 2009 at 7:20 am
It looks amazing!
I’m a bit confused, though. Why would you open a can of coconut milk if you’re only going to use the cream? I’ve read the recipe again and again and I can’t see that you’re actually using the milk. Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense to use a can of coconut cream to start with, or coconut cream powder?
January 8, 2009 at 8:14 am
I didn’t know there was such a thing as a cream whipper. Awesome!!
January 8, 2009 at 11:07 am
So very impressive that you can use a tool that like you said, is pretty much for dairy, and yet make this beautiufl vegan mousse! Well done Hannah.
January 8, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Another success! You know, those smarty pantses at Edward & Sons make organic a href=”http://www.edwardandsons.com/SellSheetFront_Coconut.html”>coconut cream in a box. It’s handy to have around!
January 8, 2009 at 10:39 pm
I’m so jealous of your new toys. This mousse sounds so refreshing,
January 9, 2009 at 10:11 pm
This is one kitchen tool that has been on my wish list for 20 years. With economy as it is and both my husband and I out of work it is unlikely that it will ever enter my kitchen, but it will stay on my list forever. Miracle have been known to happen. Enjoy!
January 12, 2009 at 7:02 am
vitamix…I haven’t heard that word for 30 years! and now they are back, huh! WOW!
it sounds like it works quite well…….
January 18, 2009 at 9:27 am
I have had my eye on a cream whipper for some time now. After reading your post, I think I may use one of my Christmas girft certificates to purchase one for my self!!