814—Préparation de la Mousse de Tomates

This mousse, like those which I shall give later, is really a bavarois without sugar. Its recipe is exactly the same as that of the “bavarois of fruit,” except with regard to the question of sugar.

Cook one-half lb. of tomato pulp (cleared of skin and seeds, and roughly chopped) in one oz. of butter. When the pulp has thoroughly mingled with the butter, add thereto two tablespoonfuls of velouté thickened by means of eight leaves of gelatine per quart of the sauce.

Rub through tammy, and add to the preparation, when almost cold, half of its volume of barely-whipped cream. Taste the mousse; season with a few drops of lemon juice, and if it still seems flat, add the necessary salt and a very little cayenne.

N.B.—It will be seen that I prescribe cream only half-whipped. This precaution, however, does not apply to “Mousse de Tomates” alone, but to all mousses. Well-whipped cream imparts a dry and woolly taste to them, whereas, when it is only half-whipped, it renders them unctuous and fresh to the palate.

From the point of view of delicacy, the respective results of the two methods do not bear comparison.