Mocha Mousse With Kumquat Cranberry Sauce And Phyllo Pecan Crisps Recipes

Steps:

• Stir 1 tablespoon chilled brewed espresso or strong coffee into 2 cups prepared chocolate pudding. Beat 3/4 cup heavy cream with 1 tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form. Fold into the mocha pudding. Top with chocolate shavings.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the pudding mix with the milk and coffee until very thick. In another large bowl, beat the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla using an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Reserve 1/4 cup for garnish. Stir one-third of the whipped cream into the pudding to lighten it. Fold the remaining whipped cream gently into the pudding. Spoon into dessert glasses and refrigerate until ready to serve. Mousse can be made ahead up to 4 hours in advance. When ready to serve, top each with a small dollop of the reserved whipped cream and sprinkle with the chocolate chips.

Steps:

• Pour milk into a steaming pitcher and heat to 145 degrees F to 165 degrees F (65 to 70 degrees C) using the steaming wand. Measure the chocolate syrup into a large coffee mug. Brew espresso, then add to mug. Pour the steamed milk into the mug, using a spoon to hold back the foam. Top with whipped cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a food processor grind pecans with sugar until finely chopped. In a piece of parchment paper on a work surface arrange 1 phyllo sheet and brush with some butter. Sprinkle phyllo sheet evenly with half of pecan sugar and top with a second phyllo sheet, some butter, remaining pecan sugar, and remaining phyllo sheet, pressing down gently with your fingers and brushing with some butter. Slide a baking sheet under parchment and chill phyllo 10 minutes.
• Transfer phyllo with parchment to a cutting board and with sharp knife cut stack lengthwise into 2-inch-wide strips, cutting through parchment and discarding excess. Cut each rectangle diagonally in half and transfer triangles on parchment to baking sheet, separating triangles slightly. Cover triangles directly with another parchment sheet and bake in lower third of oven 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool crisps on baking sheet on a rack. Crisps keep in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

Steps:

• Cut phyllo sheets lengthwise into 2-in. strips; cut each strip in half widthwise. Using five strips at a time, brush each strip with butter and stack on top of one another. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with waxed paper to avoid drying out.) Place 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce and one to two cheese cubes at the end of each stack. Fold into a triangle as you would fold a flag., Place in an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; brush with butter. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan simmer sugar, water, and kumquats until reduced to about 2/3 cup and stir in Grand Marnier. Cool sauce to room temperature and stir in cranberries. Sauce may be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
• Have ready an instant-read thermometer in a cup of very hot water. In a small bowl stir together 1/4 cup water, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and yolks until smooth. In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water melt bittersweet chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Stir cocoa mixture into chocolate mixture and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove bowl from pan and check temperature, tilting bowl to cover thermometer tip by a least 2 inches. If temperature is less than 160°F., rinse thermometer and return to cup. Check temperature every 30 seconds until thermometer registers 160°F. Remove bowl from pan, reserving simmering water over heat, and cool chocolate mixture to room temperature.
• Clean thermometer and put in a clean cup of very hot water. In another metal bowl stir together whites, cream of tartar, and sugar with a rubber spatula and put bowl over pan of reserved simmering water. Cook mixture, stirring constantly with rubber spatula (to keep mixture as froth-free as possible), checking temperature in same manner, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until thermometer registers 160°F. and remove from heat. Beat mixture with am electric mixer until cool and meringue holds stiff peaks.
• Gently fold chocolate mixture into meringue until combined well and chill 15 minutes, or until just firm enough to hold its shape when piped. Spoon mousse into a pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch star tip and pipe about 1/2 cup mousse onto each of 2 dessert plates in a mound 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 2 inches high. Mousse may be piped onto plates 1 day ahead and chilled, covered loosely with plastic wrap.
• In a bowl with a whisk or cleaned beaters beat together espresso cream ingredients until cream just holds stiff peaks. Espresso cream may be made 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered.
• Dollop half of espresso cream on top of each serving of mousse and lean 2 or 3 crisps against mousse. Spoon sauce around desserts.