Mushroom Mousse with Chickpea Fries

Directions

• Mushroom Mousse
• Remove and set aside the stems from the mushrooms; use for another recipe. Scrape the gills from the underside of the caps. Chop the mushroom caps.
• Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the vegan cream and reduce the heat to low, cooking for 10 mins. Add the rest of the butter and cook for 10 more minutes.
• Add the agar agar, stir gently, and let the mixture come to a simmer and cook for 2 mins. Immediately remove from the heat and pour mixture into a blender. Blend on low speed and as the mixture becomes smooth, increase to high speed.
• Add the mushrooms to the blender and blend until very smooth. Season with salt and truffle oil and blend until incorporated.
• Pour the mousse into a silicon mold. Rap the mold on the counter to release any air bubbles. Refrigerate for at least one hour for softer mousse, preferably 6hrs for firmer.
• Chickpea Fries
• Lightly grease a 9” x 13” (24 x 33 cm) pan with olive oil.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the flour, polenta, salt, garlic, and olive oil with cool water. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and gently whisk the batter as it cooks. The batter is ready when it starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the parsley, and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Add the batter to the greased pan, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula. Cover with parchment paper and place a similarly sized pan on top. Place 4-6 cans of food (or similar weight) in the pan and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
• When ready to fry, heat the oil until it registers 375°F (190°C) on a thermometer.
• Remove the cooled batter from the refrigerator and carefully upend onto a cutting board. Remove and discard the parchment and cut into desired shapes.
• Fry until they are golden and quite crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Fish out with a spider and set onto wire racks or plates lined with paper towels. Season immediately with flaky sea salt and serve right away.
• Pear and Fennel Compote
• In a small saucepan over low heat, cook all ingredients until fennel is soft, about 15mins.
• Let cool and serve room temperature.
• To Plate
• When mousse is ready, unmold onto parchment paper. Using an offset spatula, place on top of fried chickpea and serve with dollop of pear compote on the side.