Seasons 52: Pumpkin Pie Mini Indulgence

Day two of Seasons 52 recipes. I made this Pumpkin Pie Mini Indulgence over the weekend and it was delicious. I did, however, cheat a little. I have this thing about not liking to separate eggs and having to store the unused parts so instead of a baked mousse as the recipe calls for, I made my own mousse. I used (almost) the same measurements for the pumpkin, maple syrup, and spices and that was my pumpkin base. Then I took 1/2 cup of heavy cream and beat it with a tablespoon of brown sugar until it held stiff peaks and that was my whipped cream base. I folded the pumpkin into the whipped cream and voila! instant pumpkin mousse. The dessert was delicious, light, and full of spicy flavor. I really think I would have been just as happy smelling the dessert as I was eating it.

Pumpkin Pie Mini Indulgence
Seasons 52 recipe
Served 6-8

For the Pumpkin Mousse
1½ cups pumpkin puree (see below)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger powder
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
3 oz egg white, pasteurized liquid
½ cup milk
¼ cup cream
1 box of 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.