During the quarantine, it can be nice to make some comfort food to pass the time. If you’re ready to experiment with new recipes and love tomatoes, why not try Princess Diana‘s favorite comfort food? Her favorite comfort food was reportedly tomato mousse, made by Chef Darren McGrady. Now he is sharing the recipe.
Darren said, “One day she said to me, ‘Darren I want you to take care of all the fats, and I’ll take care of the carbs at the gym.’ We changed everything [and] I threw out my Buckingham Palace recipe book.” He also said that when guests were over, she had Darren make her a fat-free version of whatever they were eating.
Learn to make Chef Darren McGrady’s tomato mousse
He recently talked about a time when Oprah Winfrey stopped by and they had tomato mousse. Darren admitted that he overheard their conversation, “After a few mouthfuls, Oprah put down her spoon and said, ‘Diana, how do you stay so slim eating rich food like this?’ The princess replied, ‘I just eat small portions and work out.'”
RELATED: Learn More About The Last Few Months Of Princess Diana’s Life
To make a tomato mousse that serves six people, you will need:
“1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons finely minced onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
6 (7-ounce) lobster tails, steamed and split down the center
1 1/2 packets unflavored gelatin
1 lemon, halved
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch fresh chives, chopped
3 bunches watercress, washed and stems removed”
Here is the recipe by Darren, according to The Royal Chef:
“1. Lightly brush six small ramekins with the vegetable oil and set aside.
2. In a food processor, puree the tomatoes with the chopped onion. Strain the pulp into a bowl, pressing on the tomatoes to push as much as possible through the sieve into the bowl. Then, in a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, heavy cream, and tomato paste. Fold into the tomato/onion puree. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the finely chopped dill. Stir to combine.
3. Place the gelatin into a small saucepan, and moisten it with the juice of 1/2 of the lemon. If the lemon doesn’t have a lot of juice, you may need to add up to a tablespoon of water. Reserve the remaining 1/2 lemon for the lobster vinaigrette. Melt the gelatin over a very low heat until it dissolves. Let it cool a moment, and then pour the gelatin over a very low heat until it dissolves. Let it cool a moment, and then pour the gelatin into the tomato mousse, mixing as you pour. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour the finished mixture into the ramekins and refrigerate for at least one hour. Just before serving, run a small knife around the edge of the mold, dip the ramekin into a bowl of hot water to soften the gelatin, and turn out the mousse onto a plate.
5. Toss the split lobster tails with the olive oil, remaining lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chopped chives. Nestle the lobster on a bed of watercress right next to the tomato mousse.”
Will you try this recipe? In conclusion, here’s another recipe in video form if you prefer: