This Coconut Lime Mousse with fresh berries is probably the easiest dessert recipe I’ve shared to date. Listen, I’m not big on baking, it’s like chemistry – every ingredient must be painstakingly measured and tempered – and your ego can only suffer so many sunken soufflés.
In spite of my general aversion to baking, I’ve served up some fancy confections, from Vanilla Pavlova with Blood Orange Curd to Pecan Bourbon Carrot Cake. And while those recipes are well worth the effort, this mousse rewards on the flavour front without keeping you slaving over a hot oven all afternoon.
Many mousse recipes call for gelatin which can be a complicating factor. This version cuts it out and keeps things simple with whipped mascarpone with whipping cream.
I love this dessert for a number of reasons: it’s quick, easy, delicious, and gluten-free. My dad recently learned that he is celiac so when I promised to make something sweet to celebrate his weekend over the weekend, I needed to avoid wheat flour.
Mousse was my first instinct and my dad LOVES coconut. The flavour profile on this is key lime pie meets coconut cream pie. Topped with fresh berries and more toasted coconut, this sweet treat is a tropical dream. He was very happy with the offering and asked if there was more.
When I go out for dinner, or even lunch, I almost always order dessert. This might come as a shock to some, but I usually avoid the chocolate option on the menu. I like chocolate but I often find that chocolate desserts tend to be overwhelmingly rich. I’m more inclined to steer towards something with bananas, peaches, berries, or a classic crème brûlée.
One dessert that has me all worked up lately is the pavlova at Riviera, served with citrus curd. The plating is an absolute work of art and the textural interplay between the crisp exterior of the pavlova, chewy interior and velvety curd is ambrosia.
I was also a die-hard devotee of the banoffee pie at Allium before it sadly burnt down. Hit me up in the comments with your favourite dessert – from a restaurant or at home.
Coconut Lime Mousse
- ¾ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 2 to 3 large limes
- 1 tub (250 mascarpone cheese at room temperature
- ¾ cup icing sugar
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 cups combination fresh berries such as sliced strawberries, blueberries and raspberries
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
-
Place coconut in a large frying pan, set over medium-low heat. Watch very carefully and stir frequently, until toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn into a bowl to cool completely. Finely grate peel from 2 limes. In a separate bowl, squeeze out 1⁄4 cup juice (you may need 3 limes).
-
In a large bowl, beat mascarpone with icing sugar until very smooth and creamy. Beat in lime juice. Scrape into a large bowl. Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks hold when beaters are lifted. Stir one third of cream into mascarpone mixture. Fold in remaining cream. Fold in 1⁄2 cup coconut and lime peel. Spoon into parfait or wine glasses. Mixture will keep well refrigerated up to 1 day.
-
Place berries in a separate bowl, add a squeeze of lime juice and granulated sugar. Stir. After about 10 minutes, berry juices will start to release. Spoon over mousse. Sprinkle with remaining coconut and garnish with additional lime peel if you wish.
Recipe from: Trim, Heather. “Coconut Lime Mousse with Fresh Berries.” Food & Drink. Early Summer 2009.
This was definitely DELICOUS! Thank you for bringing dessert~! Actually, feel free to bring dessert every
time you come to dine, LOL. oxoxox
This looks yummy. I just asked David if he liked coconut and he said yes in small quantities. I will definitely give this a whirl. My all time favourite dessert was, o.k. this is going back years was a buttered almond cake at the restaurant at the base of Shantz Hill. It is now called the Pines but was called something else years ago. Trudy would know. Anyway this cake was delicious. I rarely have dessert now but my fav would be a New York style cheesecake, any topping except chocolate.
Ali
This could not be more straightforward. No waiting for things to set, and the base can be used for infinite flavour combinations! I can picture this in winter with bourbon and vanilla bean. Yum!