Sneak Peek at Summer

The sudden hot weather this past weekend shifted my menu planning into summer mode, and even though the cooler weather came back, and chicken soup will make it onto the table one more shabbat, the dessert plans remained COLD!

The best compliment I ever received for this dessert was from a chocoholic friend. He was served a piece of this Frozen Chocolate Mousse Cake as a snack, and was shocked to find out it was pareve - and asks for it for a snack or dessert even when a dairy treat could be eaten. The pareve whipped cream has a less intense flavor than real dairy whipping cream, and lets the chocolate flavor shine through more clearly.

I've made this as a pie (using half of the recipe below), but this week, in honor of his 17th birthday, my younger son is having a group over for shabbat, so I doubled the recipe and made it in a 10" springform pan. Often I make a chocolate graham cracker crust, but this week, I noticed a package of Paskesz Cremeos (pareve "oreos") and made the crust with the Cremeos, and continued the theme with the decorations. In the past, I've decorated the top with chocolate curls.

This recipe is terrific, easy, and, assuming you can keep people away, can be made up to two weeks ahead of time.

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Cake with Oreo Crust

2 cups Fluff

1/2 cups pareve milk

9 oz Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

12 pareve chocolate sandwich cookies

3 tablespoons pareve margarine

24 oz pareve whip cream

Melt chocolate, fluff and pareve milk in microwave by microwaving for one minute, then stirring, repeating as necessary. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In food processor, grind cookies and margarine until the cookies are fine crumbs and the margarine is uniformly incorporated. Press crust mixture into bottom and up sides of a ten inch springform pan.

When chocolate mixture has come to room temperature, beat whip cream until stiff. Gently fold in chocolate mixture.

Spoon mousse into pan over crust, smooth top, and decorate with extra whipped cream, chocolate curls, cookies, candies - have fun with this part!

Freeze at least 4 hours or up to two weeks before serving. Remove springform ring to serve. Can be served directly from the freezer.