Pumpkin Mousse Parfait

I was in the mood for another pumpkin treat - something light. I decided on a mousse, and then found Ina Garten's recipe for a pumpkin mousse parfait.

This is a deceptively light dessert - the mousse is very airy, but all the heavy cream in both layers make this very rich. I could only eat a few layers at a time. I even lessened the amount of cream from the original recipe, as well as reducing the amount of orange zest. The crunchy gingersnaps countered the smooth parfait layers nicely.

The recipe also makes a ton of mousse. I recommend halving it unless you are making dessert for a crowd.


Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits
From The Barefoot Contessa at Home
By Ina Garten
As seen on foodnetwork.com

¼ c dark rum
1 packet (2 tsp) unflavored gelatin powder
1 15-oz can pumpkin
½ c granulated sugar
½ c light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 large eggs
1 tsp orange zest
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp kosher salt
1 c cold heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sweetened whipped cream
Chopped ginger cookies

Place the rum in a heat proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside for 10 minutes for the gelatin to soften.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, the sugars, egg yolks, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Set the bowl of gelatin over a pan of simmering water and cook until the gelatin is clear. Immediately whisk the hot gelatin mixture into the pumpkin mixture. In a medium bowl, whip the cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture.

To assemble, spoon some of the pumpkin mixture into parfait glasses. Add a layer of whipped cream, followed by some chopped cookies. Repeat layers, ending with a pumpkin layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours or overnight. To serve, decorate with whipped cream and cookies.