By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus at least 2 hours' refrigeration
- Rating
- 4(113)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This is essentially a great pumpkin pie, with no crust, piped into glasses and topped with hazelnuts. There is whipped cream folded into the mousse, but you could make extra so that you could have some on top, too. It makes for a shockingly impressive dessert.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- ½cup (125 grams) heavy cream
- 2tablespoons (25 grams) brown sugar
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3tablespoons (45 grams) water
- 1½teaspoons (5 grams) gelatin
- Scant ½ cup (100 grams) sugar for the caramel, plus an additional 3 tablespoons (45 grams) sugar for the meringue
- ½teaspoon lemon juice
- 1cup (290 grams) plain canned pumpkin (no spices) or puréed roasted winter squash or pumpkin
- 3egg whites
- ⅛teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼cup (30 grams) toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped or crushed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
163 calories; 9 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 55 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Step
2
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a small bowl.
Step
3
Place 2 tablespoons of the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Stir, then let it sit while you make the caramel.
Step
4
Find a bowl that is large enough for you to dip the bottom of your saucepan into it; fill it with an inch of ice water and place it on your stove. Place the scant ½ cup (125 grams) sugar in a medium saucepan, preferably stainless steel. Add the remaining tablespoon of water and the lemon juice and carefully stir together with a heatproof rubber spatula. Using a wet pastry brush, brush down the sides of the saucepan so that there are no stray sugar crystals that could cause the caramel to seize. Turn the heat on medium-high and heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns a light caramel color, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not stir, but from time to time carefully brush down the sides of the pan with the wet brush. Do not let the caramel get hotter than 325 degrees. As soon as it reaches this temperature and is golden brown, remove from the heat and dip the bottom of the saucepan into the bowl of cold water to stop the caramel from heating further. Let sit until the bubbles subside.
Step
5
Using a heatproof spatula, carefully stir the brown sugar mixture into the hot caramel. It may bubble up, so be careful. Add the softened gelatin and stir to dissolve. Whisk in the canned pumpkin and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Step
6
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a mixing bowl and electric beaters). Beat until they begin to foam, and add the cream of tartar and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Beat at medium speed and add the remaining sugar in a slow, steady stream. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and shiny, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat.
Step
7
Lighten the warm pumpkin mixture by folding in one-third of the beaten egg whites, using a balloon whisk or a large spatula. Pour the remaining egg whites over the top, and carefully fold them into the pumpkin mixture using a rubber spatula. Fold in the whipped cream.
Step
8
It’s easiest to do a neat job of filling the glasses if you use a pastry bag fitted with a wide round tip. Pipe or spoon the mousse into 8 glasses; use small tumblers, wine glasses or whiskey glasses. Sprinkle the ground hazelnuts over the top. If desired, make 2 layers of the hazelnuts: Pipe half the amount of the pumpkin mousse you need for each serving into the glasses, then sprinkle on a layer of hazelnuts; then pipe the rest and top with another layer. Cover the glasses and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.
Tip
- Advance preparation: This will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator and I think it tastes best the day after it's made.
Ratings
4
out of 5
113
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Cooking Notes
Jane
Nice to know it is better made ahead. I made something similar years ago when the kids were small, serving it with Pirolines (those rolled cookies with a Nutella-like filling). I never did it again. I was stunned when over 20 years later my niece said she remembered it!
Jean
I made this for Thanksgiving. It was good, but too sweet, and I like sweets. I served with unsweetened whipped cream to provide some balance. The toasted hazelnuts were a good contrast in flavor and texture.
Les in Austin
I cooked this as directed, and my caramel seized. I salvaged it by remelting it over very low heat and thinning it to a thickish syrup with a few tablespoons of boiling water. The final mousse was fine, rich but no one complained it was too sweet.
ack
Kind of fussy to make but then end product is rich and delicious, made for a large brunch and it turned out wonderfully
Judy Baltimore
Must husband ate some , it was very sweet and kind of gross
Henryzeke
I too had a lot of problems with the caramel and ended up fishing chunks of caramel out of the mouse once it was all folding it together. I haven’t tasted it yet. I hope it comes out. July.
Rick B
Tried to make it twice, and it seized both times. The directions don't seem to indicate how quickly some of the steps need to go. Even on the second attempt, by the time I tried to put in the pumpkin, it was sticky and suddenly hard as rock. We've made many dozens of NYT recipes over the years with great success. This is the first one we've done that we have thrown up our hands and completely failed.
Sheila Q
My caramel also seized though I did not let it rise to 325 degrees...but, no big deal, just tried again and worked out great. The flavor was great! Perfect for make-ahead and to take to a dinner with friends.
Joan
I'm not a big sweets person, so I topped the mouse with Fleur de Sel which added a nice dimension. I'm really happy with this dessert. It's a keeper. Maybe next time I'll experiment with a boozy whipped cream to top. Like whiskey.
eric
Awful. Flavor and consistency were unappealing and it was dispatched with prejudice. Stick to pumpkin pie.
Jennifer toews shimizu
A perfect dessert. The caramel seized up in the ice water so I put it back on the fire for a bit and it was fine. I think you could just use maple syrup or caramel to cut out a step. The roasted nuts are essential. I think I might try throwing this in a pie shell sometime.
kerry
Made this with a Swiss meringue method to avoid raw egg. Didn’t turn out very well, texture was off. Wont do that again.
Lily
Really, really good. My caramel seized after putting the pot in ice water, but I just threw it back on low heat and stirred it back to life. My egg whites never really became stiff, just shiny. Despite these things…it was delicious! Definitely not a quick process but well worth it. I tried it after 3 hours of refrigeration and it was good, but after chilling overnight (and then some) it was phenomenal.
Helen
Could I make this with maple syrup rather than caramel, to simplify the recipe? I've made lovely maple pumpkin custard and now I'm looking for something lighter, like this.
ack
Kind of fussy to make but then end product is rich and delicious, made for a large brunch and it turned out wonderfully
Mary
Although I removed the caramel right when it hit 235 and plunged it into the ice water, a lot of it ended up hardening on the bottom of the pan. I just went ahead with the recipe anyway and it was fine. I think it might’ve been too sweet had I used all of the caramel. Next time I will cook it to a lower temperature to make sure it stays liquid, and perhaps make a little less to reduce the sweetness. I also used a little less gelatin. All in all, it was delicious. I would make it again.
Les in Austin
I cooked this as directed, and my caramel seized. I salvaged it by remelting it over very low heat and thinning it to a thickish syrup with a few tablespoons of boiling water. The final mousse was fine, rich but no one complained it was too sweet.
Nancy
I've made this and found it fussy and far too sweet. Additionally, hazelnuts are an expense easily passed over for roasted walnuts.
Jean
I made this for Thanksgiving. It was good, but too sweet, and I like sweets. I served with unsweetened whipped cream to provide some balance. The toasted hazelnuts were a good contrast in flavor and texture.
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