Raspberry and Earl Grey Mousse

As a fan of the traditional Raspberry mousse, I thought it would be interesting to give this classic recipe a twist. More often, the idea of infusing desserts with tea is becoming increasingly popular. Delicious examples include green tea pannacotta or tea infused ice cream.

Earl grey is a black tea that has an oil added from the rind of the Bergamot orange, which is why it has such an interestingly distinct flavour. Earl Grey also has a female friend called Lady Grey sold by Twinings, which tastes more citrus-sy and light. But Earl Grey is definitely a better flavour choice for this operation because it is less fragile.

Bit of history behind Earl Grey and Raspberries

Black tea typically comes from India, Sri Lanka and China and the Bergamot orange that is used to infuse Earl Grey comes from Southeast Asia. Raspberries on the other hand were thought to have originated in Asia Minor (now known as Turkey) however they grow mostly in the West; the States and Europe. What I mean to say is, raspberries and earl grey tea come from completely different parts of the world, with completely different climates.

The only way of this combination existing is down to travel and voyage. In a small way, this combination represents the discoveries our ancestors made of the world. Now we can get all these things from all around the globe in our supermarket so very easily. Aren't we lucky!

This is a no-egg recipe

This recipe is for those who are a bit weary of using raw eggs, like me, and for those who have egg allergies. It will serve two.

Ingredients

200ml double cream

Earl Grey teabag

200g raspberries

45 grams Caster Sugar

Method

I brought the double cream to the boil and then infused an Earl Grey teabag in the cream whilst it simmered for five minutes, then removed the teabag.

I put the raspberries in another saucepan (I used frozen raspberries), let them warm, then used a masher to mash them up to a pulp.

Off the heat, I added the caster sugar and stirred until it dissolved. I passed the mixture through a sieve into the cream and stirred.

I transferred the pink mixture into two serving glasses and chilled for three hours. Then garnished with whole raspberries.