Blue Cheese Espuma Recipe (and Blue Cheese Mousse) with a Cream Whipper
Blue cheese espuma is a light, airy blue cheese foam made in a cream whipper. It takes three ingredients, no gelatine and about 15 minutes of work, and it makes a steak, a pear salad or a bowl of soup look like it came out of a restaurant kitchen. Below is our tested method for a 0.5 L whipper with MOSA 8g N2O cream chargers, plus a firmer blue cheese mousse version, a warm version and a fix for every common problem.
What is blue cheese espuma?
Espuma is Spanish for foam. In the kitchen it means a flavoured liquid that is aerated with nitrous oxide (N2O) in a cream whipper so it comes out as a light, stable foam. The fat in cream and cheese traps the gas, so a blue cheese base sets into soft peaks without gelatine, egg white or stabilisers.
A blue cheese mousse is the same idea, only denser: more fat, a second charger, and sometimes a little gelatine if you want it to hold its shape in a ramekin. We cover both below.
What you need
- A 0.5 L cream whipper. The MOSA professional stainless steel whipped cream dispenser (from £35.99 inc. VAT) is the one we use. For a half batch, the 250 ml mini whipped cream dispenser (from £23.99 inc. VAT) works well.
- 8g N2O cream chargers. One for a soft espuma, two for a firmer mousse. A 24 pack of MOSA cream chargers (£13.99 inc. VAT) covers about a dozen batches.
- A decorating or tulip nozzle. The MOSA decoration nozzle set gives you a star, tulip and straight tip.
- A stick blender, a fine sieve and a jug.
Blue cheese espuma recipe (cold)
Makes: one 0.5 L whipper, about 10 garnish portions · Hands-on: 15 minutes · Chill: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 120 g blue cheese (Stilton, Gorgonzola dolce, Roquefort or Danish blue), rind removed and crumbled
- 250 ml double cream
- 100 ml whole milk
- A pinch of white pepper
- Salt only if needed: blue cheese is already salty, so taste first
- Optional: 1 tsp runny honey, for a sweeter foam to go with pear or figs
Method
- Warm. Heat the cream and milk in a pan until steaming, about 70°C. Do not let it boil.
- Melt. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cheese until it melts. Gentle heat keeps the cheese from splitting and turning grainy.
- Blend and sieve. Blend with a stick blender for a minute, then pass through a fine sieve twice. This step matters most: any lump of cheese can block the valve of the dispenser.
- Chill. Cool the base until it is fully fridge-cold, at least two hours, or about 20 minutes in an ice bath. Cold fat holds gas far better than warm fat.
- Fill. Pour the base into the whipper up to the max fill line, never above it. Screw the head on firmly.
- Charge. Screw in one MOSA 8g N2O charger and shake hard 6 to 8 times. For a mousse texture, add a second charger and shake again.
- Rest and serve. Keep the whipper in the fridge for 30 minutes. Shake, hold it fully upside down and press the lever gently.
Blue cheese mousse recipe (firmer)
For a blue cheese mousse that you can quenelle or pipe into tart cases, change the ratio to 150 g blue cheese, 300 ml double cream and 50 ml milk, and use two chargers in a 0.5 L whipper. For a set mousse in ramekins, soak one sheet of leaf gelatine in cold water, squeeze it out and stir it into the warm base before sieving. Dispense into the ramekins and chill for 3 hours.
Warm blue cheese espuma
A warm foam is lovely on steak or over a celeriac or broccoli soup. Make the base as above but skip the chilling. Charge it while warm and stand the sealed whipper in a water bath at about 60–65°C. Only do this if your dispenser’s instructions allow warm use. Never heat a whipper over direct heat or in a microwave, and do not use plastic-headed whippers for hot foams. Warm espumas are looser than cold ones, so serve them straight away.
What to serve it with
- Steak: a spoon of foam on a rested fillet or ribeye instead of a peppercorn sauce.
- Pear and walnut salad: the honey version, with chicory and toasted walnuts.
- Figs or beetroot: roasted figs, or beetroot carpaccio with a few rocket leaves.
- Soup topper: on celery, celeriac, broccoli or leek and potato soup.
- Canapés: piped onto crostini with a drop of honey, or into choux buns. A MOSA cream injector tip fills choux buns cleanly.
- Wings and celery: a lighter take on the classic blue cheese dip.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Runny, liquid foam | Base not cold, too little fat, or under-charged | Chill longer, use double cream, add a second charger |
| Comes out in spurts | Lumps in the valve, or the whipper is almost empty | Sieve twice next time; shake and hold fully upside down |
| Grainy texture | Cheese overheated and split | Melt off the heat, then blend for longer |
| Too stiff to pipe | Too much cheese or two chargers on a lean base | Add 50 ml milk, or use one charger |
| Gas hisses from the head | Worn or missing seal | Fit a new MOSA silicone washer |
Storage and food safety
Keep the filled whipper in the fridge and use the espuma within 3 days. Before you open it, release all the remaining gas with the head pointing upwards. Then strip the head, nozzle and valve, wash them in warm soapy water and let them dry. Chargers are for food use only. MOSA sells to adults aged 18 and over. See our compliance policy.
Buying for a restaurant, café or caterer?
If espumas are on your menu every night, buying chargers in bulk is cheaper. 240 MOSA cream chargers cost £99.99 inc. VAT, and the 600 MOSA wholesale case costs £216.99 inc. VAT, which is about £0.36 per charger. Larger MOSA cases of 1,200 to 2,400 are in our MOSA cream chargers wholesale guide. For pallet quantities or a trade account, see Wholesale & B2B.
UK orders go by DPD Next Day for £3.99, free over £50. See shipping info for the Highlands, the islands, Northern Ireland and overseas.
Ready to make it? Get the MOSA whipped cream dispenser and a pack of MOSA 8g cream chargers (from £6.99 inc. VAT).
Blue cheese espuma FAQ
Can I make blue cheese espuma without gelatine?
Yes. The fat in double cream and blue cheese is enough to hold the foam. Gelatine is only needed for a set mousse in ramekins.
How many cream chargers do I need?
Use one 8g N2O charger for a 0.5 L whipper, or two for a firmer mousse. A 1 L whipper needs two to three.
Which blue cheese is best for espuma?
Creamy blues such as Gorgonzola dolce or Danish blue melt most smoothly. Stilton and Roquefort have a stronger flavour. Remove any rind before you melt the cheese.
How long does blue cheese espuma keep?
Up to 3 days in the fridge, kept in the sealed whipper.
Can I serve it warm?
Yes, if your dispenser’s instructions allow warm use. Keep the sealed whipper in a 60–65°C water bath and serve straight away.
Which cream chargers should I use?
Any food-grade 8g N2O charger that fits a standard whipper. We use MOSA 8g cream chargers, made by MOSA in Taiwan.
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