I'm probably going to be fat. Our holiday season has ushered in a cornucopia of desserts and the calories that accompany them but folks this is a simple and elegant dessert that you should try and a perfect dessert to make ahead of time and take with you when you need to "bring a dessert". Here again, we are going to attempt to make something we have never made before and document the process. Fingers crossed.
Research:
We found this in Food & Wine's November 2014 issue.
Plan:
Gather the following ingredients:
1 - 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
0.5 cup of light brown sugar
0.25 teaspoon of ground ginger
0.75 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
0.25 teaspoon of kosher salt
0.75 cup of granulated sugar
1.25 cups of mascarpone cheese
2.5 cups of heavy cream
2 cups of brewed coffee
2 - 7 oz packages of dry ladyfingers
Dark chocolate shavings
45 minutes to prep and overnight chilled. Serves about 12.
Execution:
In a large bowl whisk the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger. salt, nutmeg, and half a cup of the granulated sugar
Add mascarpone and 1.5 cups of cream beat with a hand mixer until soft peaks form
Soft peaks! Great name for a strip club.
Separately, mix the brewed coffee and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar until dissolved.
Now assemble.
Dip both sides of the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture and place in a single layer at the bottom of the bowl. Work fast, the ladyfingers disintegrate quickly once dipped.
Use a 4 quart trifle dish
Then add 1 cup of the pumpkin mousse.
Repeat 5 times
Place in the fridge and chill overnight.
Just before serving...
Use an electric mixer to beat the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar until soft peaks form.
Dollop on top and shave some chocolate for garnish.
Verdict:
It is excellent. We used a great rich coffee so it had a strong coffee flavor that mixed well with the sweetness of the pumpkin and sugar. Try this one out because it was a big hit at our Thanksgiving dinner.
Notice that we didn't take a photo of it once served because we couldn't figure out how to get it out of the serving dish in a pretty way.