Jan 03, 2016 It was wonderful and magical, our first Christmas as a family of four, but I set out to do all the things (parties! skating! lights! gondola rides! mountain snow! santa! music! road trips!) and now I’m fully exhausted, have no idea what day it is, and can’t remember which way is up. Now we are left with but one more precious day of holidays and I want to spend it doing quiet things with mindfulness, reflecting on the last year and thinking about what I want from 2016. I made this ginger mousse to share with you before the holidays, but I got too caught up in the fun that I didn’t get around to it. The good news is that it is a lovely, easy dessert that complements any winter meal. It’s an especially nice way to finish an Indian-themed menu. Fresh ginger is covered with water and brought to a simmer, and then left to infuse. Yolks are whisked in and the mixture is cooked into a ginger curd, which is then lightened to a mousse with whipped cream. You can finish it with another dollop of whipped cream, as I have, with a dusting of cinnamon. Or you can stick a gingersnap in there. Or sprinkle with minced candied ginger. Hope you all got to enjoy some happy holiday fun, and are able to have a quiet, peaceful Sunday before getting back to the grind.
Ingredients
3 oz/90 grams peeled ginger, coarsely chopped ginger (in rough 1/2″ dice that yields 3/4 cup) 1/2 cup + 4 teaspoons water, divided use 1 tsp unflavoured powdered gelatin 1/2 cup granulated sugar 6 large egg yolks 1/2 cup whipping cream
Preparation
Cover ginger with water in a small saucepan; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, covered, then let stand for about an hour to infuse and cool. Strain ginger water through a fine sieve, pressing hard on the solids with a spoon to extract as much as possible. Sprinkle the gelatin over remaining 4 teaspoons of water in a microwave-safe dish. Allow to soften while you do the next step. Whisk sugar and egg yolks together in a heat-proof bowl. Gradually whisk in ginger “juice”. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 175ºF – 180ºF on a thermometer (about 10 minutes). Microwave gelatin on high power for 30-40 seconds until dissolved. Transfer to bowl of a stand mixer. Add ginger curd to the standing mixer (strain it through a fine sieve if it has lumps) and beat mixture with whisk attachment until thick and cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes, pausing to scrape down bottom of sides of bowl once or twice. Scrape mixture into a large bowl. Add cream to stand mixer and whip to stiff peaks (no need to clean the bowl first). Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the curd to first lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Spoon mousse equally into 4 or 6 serving dishes (if serving 6, the portion will be quite small – use small dishes or glasses) and refrigerate 1 hour, until chilled and set, or up to 24 hours in advance.
