It's a good sign that at least some calm has returned that I have been back in the kitchen daily cooking up delicious dinners and desserts. The desserts, in particular, have been on the rise lately--and my taste buds have definitely been loving it.
Here's a new one that I came up with that is light, yet tasteful and superb. (And when I say "light" here, I'm talking about texture, not calories.... though, I suppose you could do some substituting to get it down to a more low-calorie delight.)
Chocolate Andes Mint Mousse
*This mousse would work wonderfully as a layer to a trifle or as a filling to a pie*
1 cup Andes mints candies, chopped + more to garnish
6 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1) Using a double boiler on the stove, melt the Andes mints and 6 egg yolks. (Make sure the yolks get frothy to be considered "cooked".) When finished, place bowl in cold water to cool while you prepare other ingredients.
2) Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks have formed. Put into another bowl.
3) Using electric mixer, beat heavy cream, sugar and peppermint extract until thick.
4) Fold the egg whites and then heavy cream into the chocolate mixture in small batches, working carefully.
5) Once mixed, pour the batter into desired dish. If you are making a pie, pour 3/4 of the batter into the pie (tastes especially delicious on a chocolate cookie crust) and freeze for at least 2 hours--use left over batter to decorate the pie. If you are making a trifle, simple place batter in fridge and use when needed in your trifle layers. Garnish with more chopped Andes mints.
When I made this mousse, I put it in a pie crust but only put it in the fridge. It did not hold its shape well, so decorating it was something of a disaster. I think the freezer method should (should!) work out a whole lot better. That being said, it was amazingly DELICIOUS and so I had to pass it on for all of you to try. :) Happy eating!
