Barefoot Contessa Pumpkin Mousse Ina Garten Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter in a bowl and mix well. Pour into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly into the sides and then the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool to room temperature.
• For the filling, heat the half-and-half, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir some of the hot pumpkin into the egg yolks to heat them, then pour the egg-pumpkin mixture back into the double boiler and stir well. Heat the mixture over the simmering water for another 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. You don't want the eggs to scramble. Remove from the heat.
• Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, banana, and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Set aside to cool.
• Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture and pour it into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
• For the decoration, whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream decoratively on the tart and sprinkle, if desired, with orange zest. Serve chilled.

Steps:

• Heat the half-and-half, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until hot, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir some of the hot pumpkin into the egg yolks to heat them. Pour the egg-pumpkin mixture slowly back into the double boiler and stir well.
• Heat the mixture again over the simmering water for another 4-5 minutes, until it begins to thicken (about 140 degrees), stirring CONSTANTLY. You don't want the eggs to scramble. Remove from heat.
• Dissolve the gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, bananas and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Set aside to cool.
• Whip the heavy cream (chilled very cold) in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the cooled pumpkin mixture and pout it into a 7 inch x 2-3/4 inch round souffle dish.
• Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
• For the decoration: Whip last 1 cup of cold heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream decoratively on the mousse and sprinkle, if desired, with remaining orange zest.
• Serve chilled.
• [As always with zest, be sure to just get the orange skin and not any of the white pith, which is bitter -- the orange in this enhances the flavors so that it is very refreshing - I could NOT believe how good this was - and how satisfying a small portion was!].

Steps:

• Break 3 ounces of the chocolate into pieces and place the pieces in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk in the coffee liqueur, water and espresso granules and heat the mixture until the chocolate just melts. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Place the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until the mixture is the texture of mayonnaise. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla, and slowly pour in the cooled chocolate mixture.
• Put the egg whites and salt in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the whites form soft (not dry!) peaks. Fold them carefully into the chocolate mixture. In the same bowl (no need to clean it) beat the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks and fold it carefully into the chocolate mixture. Grate the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate and fold it into the mixture.
• Pour the mixture into a 10-cup souffle dish, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours or overnight.
• For the whipped cream, place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip on medium and then high speed until it reach stiff peaks. Spoon the whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the edge of the mousse with the whipped cream, and sprinkle extra chocolate shavings over the center of the mousse for decoration. Serve frozen.

Steps:

• For the caramel, combine the sugar, maple syrup and 1/3 cup water in a small deep heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil, swirling the pan (don?t stir!) to dissolve the sugar. Cook at a low boil without stirring for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture turns a golden brown and registers 230 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Watch it carefully so it doesn?t burn! Off the heat, swirl in the fleur de sel and immediately pour into an 8-by-2-inch round cake pan (not a springform!). Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, canned pumpkin and mascarpone in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-low speed until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, maple extract, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gently pour the pumpkin mixture into the pan with the caramel so they don?t combine.
• Place the pan in a roasting pan large enough to hold the cake pan flat and fill the roasting pan with enough of the hottest tap water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 70 to 75 minutes, until the custard is just set. It will be firm but still jiggle slightly in the middle; a knife inserted into the center of the flan will come out clean. Remove the flan from the water bath, place on a cooling rack and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Don?t tilt the pan or the caramel will run out!
• Run a small knife around the edge of the flan. Turn a flat serving plate with a slight lip over the cake pan and flip them, turning the flan out onto the plate. The caramel should run out over the flan. Cut into wedges and serve with the caramel spooned over each slice.

Steps:

• In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 10 to 12 minutes until the mixture is thick like pudding. (I change to a whisk when the mixture starts to get thick.) Take off the heat and set aside for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until completely chilled.
• Place half the egg whites and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until the whites are stiff and shiny. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon mixture with a rubber spatula. Place the cream in the same bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (no need to clean the bowl) and beat on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture. Fold in the lemon curd, and pour into a 7-inch-diameter, 3-inch-deep souffle dish. Decorate with sweetened whipped cream and lemon slices that have been cut into quarters. Chill and serve cold.
• Place the cream, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium and then high speed until the cream just forms still peaks. Spoon the whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.