Chocolate-Orange Dream Mousse

	Tofu? In a mousse? With chocolate? I know, I know, you're thinking, what a perfectly good waste of chocolate... but you are wrong, and this simple and luscious recipe, fully company-worthy, will prove it to you. Creamy, smooth, rich on the tongue and utterly satisfying, it is made in a trice and never garners anything less than raves. It's a perfect finish for a romantic dinner, too.
Chocolate (used in three forms here, cocoa, unsweetened, and semi-sweet) is one of the world's great pairings when partnered with orange (which is also present in several forms: Grand Marnier, the fruit itself, its rind and its juice). In short: a truly wow dessert. PLUS: It's vegan and very low fat in comparison to standard-issue mousse. Ingredients: 3 oranges, preferably organic 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, cut up 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, cut up 2 tablespoons raw (untoasted) cashew butter 2 10.5 ounce packages silken tofu, firm or extra-firm 2/3 cup sugar, preferably an organic/ less-refined sugar such as Rapadura, Sucanat or turbinado, all available in natural foods supermarkets 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 2 to 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier	Important ingredient notes: As in any recipe where you are using the grated zest or rinds of a citrus fruit, do your level best to get organic fruit. Non-organic citruses rinds are routinely treated with fungicides and waxes, and, since these are not usually eaten, are not subject to the same safety criteria as ordinary food-grade pesticides (not that these are so hot for you, either). Also, be sure to use the specific ingredients called for. Do not use a conventional water-packed tofu here. You specifically want "silken" --- only this will give you the dreamy, creamy texture we want here. Similarly, don't substitute the more full-flavored nutty roasted cashew butter for the raw called for. It's mild buttery note is rich and non-assertive, allowing the chocolate and orange flavors to shine without distraction. Lastly, vegans should choose a natural food store variety of chocolate labeled "dairy free." There are several brands to choose from.
Directions:
1. First, prepare the oranges. Grate the rind of one, placing the grated rind in the food processor. Make Orange Threads (see below) with the rinds of the remaining two oranges. Then, carefully section the fruit of all three oranges, reserving any extra juice but discarding all pith.
2. Prepare the mousse. Melt cut-up chocolates over hot water. As chocolate melts, place cashew butter in processor with the rind. Add the silken tofu and sugar, and buzz smooth, stopping to scrape sides. Add melted chocolate, unsweetened cocoa, and Grand Marnier. Buzz again, processing until all is very smooth. Scrape down sides a few times as necessary.
3. In your prettiest glass bowl or individual parfait dishes, layer chocolate mixture alternated with the orange sections. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. (Can be done up to 48 hours in advance.) Just before serving, garnish with the Orange Threads.
Orange Threads: An optional but delicious garnish, well worth knowing about not only for this but for any orange cake and on many citrus-containing compotes. Though easy to do procedurally, they are somewhat labor intensive in the cutting, but so worth it!
Using a vegetable peeler or that esoteric tool called a "zester", remove just the very thin colored portion of the rind from 1 of the oranges called for above. Using a very sharp knife, cut the pieces of rind the long way into strips that are as thin as you can possibly make them.
Bring a cup of water, preferably spring or filtered, to a boil, and drop in the strips. Boil hard for 1 minute, then pour through a strainer, discarding liquid and keeping strips. Blot the strips with a towel, then set them out on a plate to dry before using.
1. Cool pie-crust, and let chill at least 4 hours. Serve, chilled, with the optional Tofu Cream, and fresh raspberries.