Blueberry mousse with hazelnut crumble
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Blueberry mousse with hazelnut crumble
Bursting with blueberry flavour, these individual mousses make an ideal get-ahead dessert for entertaining. Blanched almonds or pistachios work just as well in the crumble topping, if you prefer
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Head of Food. She loves the precision and creativity of baking, turning fridge odds-and-ends into a weeknight pasta, and is always bookmarking new restaurants to try. She's happiest hosting friends around a table overflowing with food (and insisting everyone has seconds) or planning holidays around what to eat.
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Head of Food. She loves the precision and creativity of baking, turning fridge odds-and-ends into a weeknight pasta, and is always bookmarking new restaurants to try. She's happiest hosting friends around a table overflowing with food (and insisting everyone has seconds) or planning holidays around what to eat.
Ingredients
- 1 x 360g bag frozen blueberries
- 100g caster sugar
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 platinum-grade gelatine leaves
- 500ml double cream
For the hazelnut crumble
- 75g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 75g plain flour (or gluten-free plain flour)
- 40g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 30g light brown soft sugar
- 1 heaped tsp chopped thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs to serve
Step by step
Store the leftover hazelnut crumble in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Sprinkle over yogurt, ice cream or stewed fruit.
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Put the frozen blueberries, sugar and lemon juice (reserve the zest) in a large saucepan. Set over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the blueberries have started to break down (about 15-20 minutes). Remove from the heat and whizz to a purée using a stick blender (or transfer to an upright blender). Transfer 150g to a small airtight container. Leave to cool, then cover and set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
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Put the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, return the larger quantity of purée to a gentle simmer. Squeeze the water from the gelatine leaves and stir them into the purée, off the heat, until dissolved. Strain into a large bowl, discarding any pulp left in the sieve, and leave to cool completely (1-2 hours at room temperature).
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In a large bowl, whip 300ml of the double cream and lemon zest to almost soft peaks. Using a balloon whisk, carefully fold the cream through the cooled berry purée until combined. Pour in the remaining cream and fold through with the balloon whisk to a soft dolloping consistency. Divide evenly among 6 small glasses or ramekins (about 220-250ml each), then set in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
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For the crumble, preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Put the chopped hazelnuts, flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter using your fingertips to a crumb-like consistency and until there is no loose flour at the bottom of the bowl. Rub in the brown sugar and chopped thyme. Spread out on a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until dark golden-brown. Leave to cool on the tray, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
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To serve, remove the mousses from the fridge, spoon over the reserved chilled blueberry purée and scatter over some of the hazelnut crumble and extra thyme.
