We imagine that biting into a cloud would be a lot like savoring a mouthful of this mousse, which dissolves gently into traces of coconut on the tongue. After the extravaganza of ingredients in the meal, this single-note dessert tastes so right.
·Mousse can be chilled up to 1 day.
·The egg whites in this recipe are not cooked. If salmonella is a problem in your area, you can use reconstituted powdered egg whites such as Just Whites.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 3/4 hour
Yield
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Pour boiling-hot water over dried coconut in a blender, then blend, scraping down sides as necessary, until combined well, about 30 seconds (use caution when blending hot liquids). Cool in blender until cool enough to handle.
Step 2
Line a large fine-mesh sieve with several layers of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Pour coconut mixture into lined sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Step 3
Whisk together sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup coconut milk in a large bowl.
Step 4
Pour remaining coconut milk into a 1-cup glass measure and add enough whole milk to bring total to 1 cup, then transfer to a small saucepan.
Step 5
Sprinkle gelatin over milk mixture in saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften, then heat over moderate heat, whisking occasionally, until gelatin is dissolved (do not let boil). Whisk into sweetened condensed milk mixture in large bowl until combined. Quick-chill by putting bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stirring occasionally until mixture is the consistency of raw egg whites, about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from ice bath.
Step 6
Beat cream with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks, then fold cream into coconut mixture gently but thoroughly.
Step 7
Using cleaned beaters, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks, then fold into coconut mixture gently but thoroughly. Chill, covered, until set, about 1 hour.
