This Creamy, Refreshing Dish Was A Favorite Of Princess Diana's

If you want to know how to eat like royalty, Darren McGrady is your man. The personal chef cooked for Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William for 15 years (he dished to Mashed about his career in an exclusive interview, too), so he has plenty of monarch-approved recipes up his sleeve. But select dishes were especially beloved by the royal family. Take one of Princess Diana's favorite foods, tomato mousse.

McGrady shared her go-to meal in a YouTube cooking demonstration. He starts with "vine-ripe tomatoes" because of their dreamy aromatics, juicy interior, and thin skin, which makes them easier to break down. He blends the produce with mayo, sour cream, heavy cream, onion, and tomato paste. After seasoning with salt and pepper, he blends until smooth, then pours the mixture into a large bowl. He then adds chopped dill, although you could use tarragon or chives instead. Finally, he sets the mousse with lemon juice and dissolved gelatin. Next, it's poured into ramekins and chilled.

McGrady changed the recipe per Diana's request. "I created the recipe that was 99% fat-free, and [Diana] loved the recipe so much that she had it while she was on her own for dinner, but also when she invited friends over, she'd have it for her lunch parties and dinner parties, too," McGrady adds. He revealed that the Princess would discreetly enjoy the reduced-fat version of the tomato mousse while everyone else had the full-fat version.

To create a healthier spin on Princess Diana's tomato mousse, Chef Darren McGrady changed the recipe significantly. He substituted fat-free cream cheese, sour cream, and chicken broth in for full-fat mayo, sour cream, and heavy cream. McGrady had no trouble keeping Diana's secret, since both iterations looked identical. McGrady even served tomato mousse with lobster to Oprah Winfrey once at a lunch with Princess Diana, and she couldn't tell they had different versions.

McGrady's tomato mousse recipe garnered dozens of viewer comments. "Looks so beautiful Chef Darren, and Oprah and Princess Diana appreciate your amazing work and fabulous meals," wrote one YouTube user. "I will try to make it, it looks very delicious," raved another. "For me, this is [a] pretty unique ingredient combination, tomato mouse with dill. However, after watching your video, I would like to try this," admitted a third.

If you want to make it at home, McGrady's tomato mousse recipes are in the description of the YouTube video. He recommends garnishing it with a simple herb vinaigrette, for which he also included instructions. At the start of the video, you can see he tops the mousse with tomatoes, pearl mozzarella, lobster, and fresh herbs, but you can riff on the finishing touches as you see fit.

And if you're also into baking bread, you might want to check out our easy rye bread recipe. Spreading your tomato mousse over a warm slice is the perfect afternoon snack.