Shelly's Recipe

PUMPKIN MOUSSE WITH GINGERBREAD TUILES AND BOURBON CARAMEL SAUCE

Category: Mousse

For the Pumpkin Mousse
15-ounce can pumpkin
3 cups heavy cream, preferably organic
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine pumpkin, 1 cup cream, sugar and spice in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cool.

Whip remaining 2 cups heavy cream and vanilla to soft peaks and fold into cooled pumpkin mixture. Pour into a serving dish and crumble the ginger tuiles over top before serving.

For the Ginger Tuiles
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger
Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Cream together the butter, the brown sugar and the ground ginger in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour and the salt, beat until just combined and fold in the candied ginger.

Halve the dough, roll out each half 1/4 inch thick between sheets of wax paper, and freeze it on baking sheets for 10 to 15 minutes, or until very firm. Working with half the dough at a time, remove the top sheets of wax paper and cut out cookies with a maple leaf cookie cutter. (The dough should be cold so that the cookies retain their shape.)

Place cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheets, bake them in batches in the middle of a preheated 300-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are pale golden, and transfer them to a rack to cool. Extra scraps of dough can be rerolled, pressed and baked.

Once cooled, cookies can be stored, or if you're serving dessert immediately, stick them in the dollop of mousse.

For the Bourbon Caramel Sauce
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup bourbon

Bring the sugar, water and corn syrup to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, washing down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Continue cooking, without stirring, until an amber caramel forms, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in cream, let cool for 1 minute, then stir in bourbon. Bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Let the caramel sauce cool and then drizzle around the dessert.