Crunchy Cinnamon Mousse by David Colcombe
Ingredients
A beautiful dessert from David Colcombe at Opus restaurant in Birmingham. One to wow your guests with and it's delicious too.
For the pecan brittle
- 1 vanilla pod, slit lengthways, seeds removed and kept
- 100g fair-trade sugar
- 100g pecans
- 20g butter
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the mousse
- 200g double cream (lightly whipped)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 vanilla pod, slit lengthways, seeds removed and kept
- 30g fair-trade sugar
- 1 RSPCA Assured labelled egg white
- 1 sheet gelatine (bronze)
To serve
- 200ml RSPCA Assured labelled double cream, whipped
Method
For the pecan brittle
- Heat the sugar gently, stirring occasionally, until it caramelises and turns golden. Mix in the pecans, vanilla seeds, butter and bicarbonate. Take off the heat, stir and empty the contents onto a baking tray to cool.
For the mousse
- Lightly whip the cream with the cinnamon and vanilla seeds. Set aside in the fridge.
- Place the sugar and egg white in a clean bowl and whisk with a balloon whisk until soft peaks are formed, ensuring the sugar is well mixed in. Set aside.
- Place the leaf of gelatine in a bowl and cover with cold water until softened. When the gelatine has softened, squeeze out the excess liquid and place in a microwaveable container or saucepan and gently melt, constantly stirring. Once dissolved, quickly mix the melted gelatine into the whisked egg whites. Make sure it is evenly stirred in.
- Add this mixture to the cinnamon cream and fold gently until it is incorporated.
- To finish, smash the pecan brittle and add about 50g to the mixture. Then set the mix into four small round dessert moulds over night.
- To serve, remove the mousse with a hot knife, and place on individual plates. Sprinkle the tops with more smashed pecan brittle or a bit of local honeycomb if you have it. Pipe a small round of double cream to the side of each mousse and 'drag' it with a spoon.
