Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [422]
Strain the custard into a large bowl through a fine-mesh sieve; stir in the strawberry puree as well as the cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Serve at once or store in a separate container on the floor of the freezer for up to 1 month.
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Mousses
A dessert mousse is a chilled, intense but airy combination of eggs, sugar, and cream. Since these desserts use raw eggs, seek out in-shell pasteurized eggs if you’re at all concerned. Admittedly, these recipes do involve quite a few bowls; you can’t create a dessert this good without dirtying what you’ve got!
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Chocolate Mousse
The best chocolate mousse is not too sweet; it’s also made with high-quality chocolate. We prefer bittersweet chocolate with its higher percentage of cocoa solids; look for bars with around 72% of these solids. A background flavor (here, a liqueur) helps put the chocolate in the foreground. Makes 6 servings
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup chocolate-flavored liqueur
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Place the chocolate and liqueur in the top half of a double boiler. Alternatively, set them in a medium bowl that will eventually fit over a medium saucepan.
Bring about an inch of water to a boil over high heat in the bottom half of the double boiler or in a medium saucepan that will snugly hold the bowl over the water. Set the top half of the double boiler or the bowl over the water, reduce the heat so the water simmers slowly, and stir until half the chocolate has melted.
Remove the top half of the double boiler or the bowl from the heat and continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, use an electric mixer at high speed to beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl until soft peaks form under the beaters when they’re turned off and lifted out, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Clean and dry the beaters. Beat the cream in a chilled bowl at medium speed until the mixture holds its shape in soft, smooth peaks on a rubber spatula, about 2 minutes. Set aside as well.
Clean and dry the beaters one more time. Beat the egg yolks in a second large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until airy and pale yellow. Slowly beat in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
Remove the beaters and fold in the whipped cream with a rubber spatula, using large, smooth arcs so as not to deflate the cream.
Fold in the beaten egg whites in the same way, mounding them on top, then gently pushing the spatula into the center and turning it up and over so as to fold the whites without their dissipating too much. The final mixture should have no white bits in it but can be a mélange of lighter and darker shades of brown. Scoop into individual serving bowls or wineglasses, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Variations: Substitute any sweet flavored liqueur you like: a coffee-flavored liqueur like Kahlúa, an orange-flavored liqueur like Cointreau, or a hazelnut-flavored liqueur like Frangelico.
White Chocolate Mousse
Look for white chocolate that isn’t just flavored hydrogenated shortening. Instead, use one made from cocoa butter and vanilla. Makes 8 servings
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons gold or white rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup heavy cream
Stirring all the while, melt the white chocolate in the top half of a double boiler set over about an inch of simmering water or in a medium bowl that will fit over a medium saucepan with about the same amount of simmering