I've had this recipe for Pumpkin Mousse Tart tucked away for many years; every time I'd run across it I would think... I have got to make this (but never did). My husband loves pumpkin. This time of year he will purchase all things pumpkin -- coffee, smoothies, and frozen yogurt to name a few. So with his birthday falling two weeks before Thanksgiving, I thought it the perfect time to finally make this tart and pass along the recipe. This is a dessert that actually benefits from being refrigerated for a day or two before serving which I, unfortunately, did not do. The consistency, flavor, and firmness of the wafer crust are at their peak after a long chill. Bake the tart one to two days before Thanksgiving and you are all set for a delicious holiday dessert! • Chocolate wafer crust (recipe follows) • 10 ounces cream cheese, softened • 1/2 cup sugar • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar • 2 large eggs • 1 16 ounce can pumpkin • 2 tablespoons milk or light cream • 1 tablespoon rum • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger • 1/2 teaspoon allspice • 1 teaspoon finely-shredded orange peel • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 2 heaping tablespoons confectioners' sugar • 2 teaspoons rum, optional • thin slices of candied ginger for decoration 1. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and brown sugar; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs all at once; beat on low speed just until combined. Do not over beat. Gently stir in the pumpkin, milk or cream, rum, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, allspice, orange peel, and lemon juice. 2. PREHEAT OVEN to 375˚F. Slowly pour the pumpkin filling into the chocolate wafer tart shell. Loosely cover the edge of the crust with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. The center should be slightly soft when tested. It will firm as it cools. Transfer the tart to a wire rack and cool completely. Cover and chill overnight. 3. Before serving, combine the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and rum in a chilled mixing bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Serve the tart with whipped cream and slices of candied ginger, if desired. CHOCOLATE WAFER CRUST (adapted recipe from Hungry Rabbit) • 36 chocolate wafers (about 3 cups) • 1/4 cup sugar • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1. PREHEAT OVEN to 350˚F. 2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chocolate wafers, sugar, and cinnamon. Pulse until fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. 3. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and 1 1/2-inches up the sides of either a 9 1/2-inch ring mold, pie plate, or springform pan. 4. Bake the crust on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven. TAKE a LOOK:
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Decadent breakfast, thank you! These Chocolate Waffles were all about the whipped cream. I still had a container of chocolate and amaretto whipped, heavy cream in my refrigerator left over from filled pastry horns I had made for a recent Sunday brunch (recipe HERE). Chocolate waffles have been on my radar for a while now, and the remaining Chocolate-Amaretto Cream seemed like the perfect partner... along with a sprinkling of fresh raspberries and toasted almonds. Serving these waffles as dessert with scoops of ice cream (coffee or pistachio?) and a drizzle of chocolate sauce also sounds pretty good to me. • 2 cups flour • 3 teaspoons baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 6 tablespoons sugar • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate • 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder • 2 large eggs • 1 1/2 cup milk 1. Sift the flour; measure; add baking powder, salt and sugar; sift again. 2. Melt together the butter and unsweetened chocolate, either in a microwave or on top of the stove. Stir in the espresso powder. 3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. In a medium-size bowl, beat the whites until peaks form (stiff but not dry); set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the milk; pour into the flour mixture, followed by the melted butter and chocolate. Stir mixture just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the reserved egg whites. 4. Ladle the batter into a greased waffle iron. Bake for approximately 3 1/2 minutes. Serve with whipped cream, berries, and toasted, sliced almonds. TAKE a LOOK: I was very fortunate to have my favorite aunt live right next door when I was growing up. Aunt Lillie was the person who taught me how to knit and crochet, and was also the one who instilled in me my love of baking. My aunt was always creating something beautiful in her kitchen. Our home phone would often ring, with Aunt Lillie on the other end telling me I needed to come over ("right now!"). She would be waiting for me in the breezeway, an enclosed porch that joined the main house with a "wash house". There, placed on a shelf under the window, would be a cake, a pie, or maybe sweet rolls on a beautiful china plate or pressed-glass cake stand. It was mutually understood that I was only there, at that time, to view the baked goods. Actual eating would happen later. Aunt Lillie also insisted I come along when she ran errands in the Studebaker. That either meant driving in the country to buy farm-fresh eggs, going to the High Amana Store to visit relatives, or possibly going "to town" to purchase necessities... like crochet cotton (who knew when you'd need to make another doily?). If we were indeed going to town, Aunt Lillie always made sure we stopped by the bakery. There, she ordered me a cream-filled horn, a favorite of mine. < A recent Sunday brunch for family ended with Chocolate and Amaretto Cream-filled Horns. So with thoughts of Aunt Lillie, I made "horns" this past weekend, adding grated, semi-sweet chocolate and a little amaretto to the mix. I think she would approve. INGREDIENTS: • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (preferably all-butter Dufour), thawed • Canola oil for greasing molds • 1 egg • 1 tablespoon water • 1 cup cold, heavy cream • 2 tablespoons amaretto • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar • 1/8 cup grated semi-sweet chocolate • additional confectioners' sugar in a shaker SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: • 10 Cream Horn Molds (or Cannoli Molds) • Baking sheet lined with parchment paper • Pastry bag with star tip 1. Rub canola oil over the horn molds. 2. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry. Using a pizza wheel, cut the pastry into 10 equal strips. Take a strip of pastry and starting at the pointed end of the mold, wind the strip around to cover the mold in pastry, overlapping slightly while wrapping. Place mold on parchment-lined baking sheet. When all of the molds have been wrapped in pastry, transfer to refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes. 3. Preheat oven to 400˚F. 4. When ready to bake, whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush pastry lightly with the egg wash. Place baking sheet on the middle rack of preheated oven and bake horns for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven; when cooled, gently slip pastry from the molds. 5. In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until slightly thickened. Add the amaretto and confectioners' sugar and whip until stiff. Fold in the grated chocoate; chill. 6. Once the pastry horns have cooled, fill pastry bag with the whipped cream and pipe cream into the horns. Dust horns with confectioners' sugar before serving. Filled horns are best eaten the day they are made. TAKE a LOOK: I have spent the summer making and eating berry and stone fruit desserts. These Bouchon au Chocolat (chocolate "corks") were a welcomed change. I have a busy September ahead of me. My husband and I are taking our first vacation this year; heading to Glacier National on the train! When I return I'll be in my hometown of Amana, Iowa, where I'm having a photo exhibit at the Amana Arts Guild. After that, we'll be in upstate New York for a wedding. I may have some posts in September -- I may not. Whatever happens, I'll be back in October! recipe from Paris Boulangerie Pâtisserie by Linda Dannenberg • 4 large eggs • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1. Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Butter twelve 2-inch timbale molds or a muffin tin with twelve 2 3/4-inch cups. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until blended. Add the butter and cocoa and whisk until well blended and smooth. Add the flour and whisk until nearly blended. Stir in the chocolate chips just until the mixture is blended. 2. Spoon the batter into the molds or cups, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake 15 to 18 minutes. Cool briefly and unmold. 3. Eat unadorned, or serve with a lightly whipped cloud of heavy cream -- coarse, orange sugar optional. TAKE a LOOK: I often lament (or maybe it's more like complain) that because I host a food blog I am so busy testing new recipes, I rarely take time anymore to prepare many foods that I love and are truly wonderful. Last night I made this Roasted Potato, Arugula, and Goat Cheese Salad that I haven't made for a very long time and was reminded why it was one of the earliest recipes I posted on Passions to Pastry many years ago. It's delicious! We ate this salad on its own, along with a loaf of rosemary bread for dinner. But it would be a great accompaniment to a grilled steak -- or grilled chicken, or grilled pork for that matter! For dessert I also returned to a previously-posted favorite -- Mini Chocolate Beet Cakes (recipe HERE) and again asked myself why I don't make these little cakes more often. ( I had two last night [!] and one for breakfast this morning. Hey... they're small! ). The cakes are also a great way to use up some of the many beets growing in my vegetable garden. Roasted Potato Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese |
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