Moroccan Mousse with Agave - #recipe from To Err is Cumin by @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Chocolate mousse is always a hit at our house, though it's usually the huckleberry variety, here in NW Montana where the wild berry is highly prized.

But when I looked around for desserts using cumin, for To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop mystery, out now in audio and coming Aug 6 in paperback and ebook, I immediately wanted to try this version, with cumin and cinnamon, and sweetened with agave.

In the book, Kristen's teenage daughters are learning to cook, and they make this dessert for Flick Chicks, the weekly movie club Kristen and Pepper and friends have had for years. It's a hit all around, and I hope it is at your house, too.

(We also enjoy this Pumpkin Ginger Mousse  and this Lemon Mousse.) 

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe so you can print it easily. Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Moroccan Mousse 

The classic chocolate mousse, with a Moroccan flair. Agave nectar, or syrup, adds just the right touch of sweetness. The combination of cumin and cinnamon—use your favorite variety or a blend—illustrates Pepper's observation that cumin can balance other spices, adding a delicate flavor without heat. 

3-1/2 to 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons agave nectar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar

whipped cream or creme fraiche, for serving (optional)

berries or mint leaves, for serving (optional)

Melt the chocolate using a microwave-safe bowl, double boiler, or saucepan. Remove from heat and add the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the nectar and spices. 

Beat the egg whites and salt until they start to form peaks. Continue to beat, gradually adding the sugar, until the whites are shiny and form stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.

Spoon about a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate and stir in gently. (This lightens the chocolate and makes folding in the rest easier.) Spoon the rest of the egg whites into the chocolate and fold with a rubber spatula, being careful not to overwork or deflate the mixture. A few streaks are fine. 

Spoon into a serving bowl or six individual bowls, cups, or ramekins. Garnish and serve, or chill to serve later.

Serves 6. 

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

TO ERR IS CUMIN: A Spice Shop Mystery (Seventh St. Books, coming July 16, 2024 in audio and August 6 in paperback and ebook) 

From the cover: 

One person’s treasure is another’s trash. . .

Pepper Reece, owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, wants nothing more than to live a quiet life for a change, running her shop and working with customers eager to spice up their cooking. But when she finds an envelope stuffed with cash in a ratty old wingback left on the curb, she sets out to track down the owner.

Pepper soon concludes that the chair and its stash may belong to young Talia Cook, new in town and nowhere to be seen. Boz Bosworth, an unemployed chef Pepper’s tangled with in the past, shows up looking for the young woman, but Pepper refuses to help him search. When Boz is found floating in the Ship Canal, only a few blocks from Talia’s apartment, free furniture no longer seems like such a bargain.

On the hunt for Talia, Pepper discovers a web of connections threatening to ensnare her best customer. The more she probes, the harder it gets to tell who’s part of an unsavory scheme of corruption—and who might be the next victim.

Between her quest for an elusive herb, helping her parents remodel their new house, and setting up the Spice Shop’s first cooking class, Pepper’s got a full plate. Dogged by a sense of obligation to find the rightful owner of the hidden treasure, she keeps on showing up and asking questions.

One mistake, and she could find herself cashing out. . .

Available at Amazon  * Barnes & Noble  * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * And your local booksellers!

And coming in September:

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Coming September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing; available for preorder now wherever you buy books. 

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest book is Between a Wok and a Dead Place, the 7th Spice Shop mystery.  Watch for To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery, in July 2024 and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. 

A past president of Sisters in Crime and national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.