During the dog days of August, I love cold dishes. One my favorites is Cucumber-Dill Mousse. Perfect cucumbers are plentiful in the farmers’ markets, and this is great way to serve them as your vegetable dish, with no cooking required. Another virtue is that it’s easy to make, a blessing when you’re too hot to spend hours in the kitchen
My cucumber of choice is the Kirby. It’s firm, crisp, has fewer seeds, and has more taste than traditional cucumbers. You’ll need at least four for this recipe. Another plus is that you don’t need to peel them because they are unwaxed. The peel, which is quite firm, adds lovely color and texture to your mousse They need only to be washed. If you’re queasy about cucumber peel or feel that it’s too tough to eat, by all means go ahead and peel them. If you’re using large cucumbers, peel two of them. Chill a 6-8-cup mold. Here’s an article on various types of cucumbers.
Halve the cucumbers lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a small spoon.
Seed the cucumbers.
Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt, and place cut-side down on paper towels to drain for about 30 minutes.
Salt and drain the cucumbers.
This helps remove as much water from the cucumbers as possible. Some recipes like to blanch them, but I feel this dilutes the flavor and makes them a bit mushy. Rinse off the salt in cold water, and roughly chop. Dry the cut pieces thoroughly on paper towels.
Purée the cut cumbers in a food processor until as smooth as possible.
Purée the chopped cucumbers.
Remove the purée to a large bowl. Beat together mayonnaise and Dijon mustard with a whisk, and stir it into the puréed cucumbers. Flavor with Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, fresh grindings of pepper, and 1⁄2 cup of snipped fresh dill. Taste the mixture to be sure it’s to your liking.
Add mayonnaise, Dijon mustatrd. dill, and seasonings.
In a small bowl combine a package of gelatin with 4 teaspoons of cold water to soften. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring until the gelatin is completely dissolved. (This is only time you need to turn on your stove, and it’s just for a couple minutes.)
Dissolve the gelatin.
Thoroughly stir the dissolved gelatin into the cucumber purée, and place in the refrigerator while you proceed with the recipe. Do not let the mixture set.
In a chilled bowl and beater, whip heavy cream until medium-stiff peaks are formed. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cucumber mixture.
Fold in the whipped cream.
Remove the mold from the refrigerator and rinse out the inside with cold water, discarding as much water as is possible. Pour the cucumber-dill mousse into the wet mold, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, until completely set.
Pour the mousse into a cold mold.
Fill the sink with hot water. Remove the mousse from the refrigerator, and run a thin-bladed knife around the sides. Dip the mold in the hot water for just a few seconds to loosen. Unmold the mousse onto a chilled platter and keep refrigerated.
To serve, peel two more cucumbers, and slice very thinly. Decorate the cucumber-dill mousse with the sliced cucumbers, and snip a little more dill on the top.
