Cardamom coffee mousse is a sophisticated version of a classic French dessert recipe. Make it up to 36 hours in advance; the extra chilling time will allow the flavors to develop.
Prep Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 cups evaporated milk
- 2/3 cup strong coffee
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, softened in 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, combine the cardamom, evaporated milk, and coffee; cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it just starts steaming. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar. Add ½ cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Add the warm egg-milk blend back into the hot milk in the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 165 degrees on a digital candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatin. Chill the cardamom coffee custard thoroughly.
Beat the 1 1/2 cups of cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Thoroughly stir ½ cup of the whipped cream into the chilled cardamom coffee custard, and then gently fold in the remaining cream. The mousse is ready when the custard is thoroughly incorporated into the whipped cream, and no marbling shows. Serve chilled.
Makes 8 servings.
