COSTA MESA, Calif. November, 2012—This delicious variation of pumpkin pie from Seasons 52 culinary director Cliff Pleau fits the bill for the season. If you substitute canned pumpkin for the baked puree, it's even easier. The ginger snaps add a lively hit of ginger along with crunchy texture to the pumpkin mousse.
Serves: 6 to 8
Pumpkin mousse
1 1/2 C Pumpkin puree (see below)
3 T Unsalted butter, melted
1/2 C Brown sugar
1/4 C Maple syrup
1 t Ground cinnamon
1/4 t Freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t Ginger powder
1/4 t Ground cloves
3 oz Egg white, pasteurized liquid
1/2 C Milk
1/2 C Cream
1 box Ginger snap cookies
Preheat oven to 325°F.
To make mousse filling, combine all the ingredients except the egg whites in a large bowl, and mix them well to incorporate.
Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into the filling mixture. Pour into a greased glass baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between the center and edge of the pie comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Put cooled pumpkin pie mousse filling into a bowl and stir until smooth. Add filling to pastry bag and set aside.
Grind ginger snaps in a food processor to a granular consistency. (Save a few whole cookies for decorations.)
Take your favorite shot glass (cordial glass or miniature glass serving vessel) and add some ginger snap crumbs to the bottom.
Grab the pastry bag and pipe some mousse filling over the ginger snap crumbs. Add more ginger snap crumbs on top of the filling to make a second layer. Garnish with whipped cream and a whole ginger snap cookie.
Pumpkin Puree
Cut a small pumpkin (3 lbs) in two pieces and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place cut side down on a greased baking tray and bake at 325°F for one hour until tender (cooking time depends on pumpkin size). Let cool. Scrape out the pulp and place in a food processor. Puree until smooth.
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