- 3 happy eggs
- 2½ tablespoons honey (or more, if you want it sweeter)
- 1¼ cup delicious plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest
- 1 vanilla bean, halved, seeds removed
Yogurt Mousse
Makes 2 ample servings (or 4 smaller servings)
We’d love to take credit for the light-as-a-cloud amazingness that is yogurt mousse. But direct all applause, snaps and kisses toward the folks at Honey & Co. (read more about it in our London guide). Our version riffs on theirs but the general sentiment is the same: At its core it’s yogurt, so you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or standing in front of your fridge at 2 a.m. It’s an entertainer’s dream (it whips up immediately and sets in less than an hour), and will earn you boundless affection and praise (even if it’s you giving yourself praise — which we fully support).
A few notes: In order to do this mousse justice, you’ve gotta start with good, thick yogurt. Our go-to is Aris, a thick sheep’s milk variety available around California. As long as you get your hands on a yogurt that has some heft (and tang!), you’re golden. (If you can’t find thick, Greek-style yogurt, strain your yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer for a few hours to thicken things up.) Also important? Good eggs. Keep in mind you’re eating the whites raw — you want them to come from a happy place!
Feel free to use this mousse as a foundation for zests, spices and compotes. If you don’t play around (and sometimes mess up), you’ll never know what delicious concoction you might create.
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Instructions
First, separate your eggs. Add the whites to the bowl of a stand mixer or a big mixing bowl (if you have a handheld mixer). Save the yolks for another use (aioli, namely). Beat the whites until light, fluffy and semi-firm.
Pour the honey into a small saucepan set over medium heat. When it bubbles, turn your mixer back on and stream the honey very slowly into the egg whites, beating all the while, until a stiff meringue forms. It should be glossy and form stiff peaks.
In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, orange or lemon zest and seeds from the vanilla pod. Stir through a spoonful of meringue to loosen the yogurt a bit. Then gently fold the rest of the meringue into the yogurt in a few batches (we use a silicone spatula), making sure everything is incorporated, being very careful not to deflate it. The mousse should be light, fluffy and hold together well. Spoon it into your serving vessel of choice (ramekins and teacups are nice), then chill in the fridge for at least an hour (preferably more if you want it nice and cold — but it will separate a bit, the longer it sits, so you may need to give it a gentle stir before serving).
We serve it with whatever fruit is in season — roasted berries or stone fruit in summer, fresh citrus segments in winter — and any toasted nuts and seeds we have lying around. It’s lovely with hibiscus-infused honey drizzled on top, and a sprinkle of mint. You seriously can’t go wrong with this one.
