Rare Treat: Smoked Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Banana and Passionfruit

A good chef realises that what diners choose to eat and support is important. With this recipe, I tweaked it to accommodate our vegan patrons while still pleasing the chocolate lovers who come to Africola. Most people love chocolate and this recipe offers something different, thanks to the smoke, which gives it a great flavour explosion.

Smoked Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Banana and Passionfruit recipe

Ingredients
– 250g dark chocolate
– 100g caster sugar
– 100g coconut oil
– 2g (good pinch) salt
– 800g silken tofu
– 100g hickory smoking chips
– 1 banana
– 2 passionfruit

Method

1. First task: smoke the chocolate. The easiest method for home is to place chocolate pieces into a cake tin along with smoking chips and seal with foil. Place the sealed tin on a grill and allow the chocolate to absorb the smoke for an hour. Here at Africola, we pop our tins of chocolate straight into the big smoker we have out the back. So if you have a smoker at home, use it.

2. After an hour – when you can taste the chocolate’s beautiful smoked flavour – place coconut oil, chocolate, sugar and salt in a bowl on a double boiler. On low heat, melt gently until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Place melted mix into a blender with silken tofu and blitz until silky smooth. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or until set.

Banana and passionfruit sauce

4. Gently heat chopped banana, passionfruit pulp and a tablespoon of sugar in a saucepan and then puree.

To serve

5. For the garnish you can dehydrate banana slices to give the dessert a crunchy element. Or let your creative juices flow and use coconut or some other tasty fruity delights.

MATCHES: NIKKI FRIEDLI

BOOZE MATCH: SOUTHWARK STOUT
I know it’s summer, but when it comes to chocolate you can’t go past stout; and when it comes to stout you can’t go past Southwark. Friends making fun of your soft vegan ways? Throw down a Southwark stout mid-summer while maintaining ferocious eye contact and then see who’s laughing. If you haven’t got anything to prove, I’d recommend chucking it on ice and drinking it slow on a porch somewhere. Don’t mind the purists snickering, the ice is an excellent addition. To top it all off, you can also jump on the high horse of buying a local product. Who doesn’t like a drunken gloat?

MUSIC MATCH: BECK’S MIDNITE VULTURES
Ever wanted to be smooth like chocolate but ultimately had to recognise that you’re distinctly white and awkward? If you’re the human equivalent of a vegan choc mousse, I highly recommend Beck’s Midnite Vultures and dancing with your elbows and zero rhythm like Elaine from Seinfeld. Mousse pairs especially well with a mouthful of stout and singing along to Debra. One-hundred per cent success rate for attracting a prospective mate. Promise.

africola.com.au