A Mousse Bouche

This year I am thankful that Thursday's big dinner is somebody else's responsibility. What with all the gluten-free taste testing, macaron marathons, culinary experimentation, and general pandemonium chez Fractured Amy, it was music to my ears when DMR offered to host the feast this year. She has undertaken to manufacture as cereal-free a meal as she can muster, even going so far as to examine the labels on her cartons of chicken stock (yes, campers, some evil brands have gluten in them).

What a pal!

I offered to bring dessert. Originally, I had planned to do extensive pie-crust research for the occasion, but the exigencies of work and responsibilities on the home front (see above) have left me with too little time for the mandatory rigorous testing such innovation would require. My second thought was pumpkin macarons, but as I have written elsewhere, I am currently sick of the sight of them and I'm pretty sure everybody I know is equally sick of hearing about them. What to do, what to do? As always, I turned to Craig Claiborne, my go-to guy in times of culinary crisis. His popularization of Ed Giobbi's Pasta with Ricotta saved me many a time that crowds needed to be fed - in my dim and distant gluten-filled past, of course - and for that he long ago earned my undying confidence and admiration.

A quick trawl of the New York Times' recipe archives did not disappoint. Pumpkin mousse! Gluten-free, festive, simple and delicious. It will be served with brandied whipped cream, candied pecans, and foil-wrapped chocolate turkeys.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Craig Claiborne's Pumpkin Mousse

3 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired (I do desire it, thank you very much ~FA)

1/2 cup milk

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup heavy cream

Whip up the egg yolks and half the sugar: use a bowl that will later serve in a double boiler. Add the pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and milk and beat together until it's all nicely blended. Set the bowl in a basin of barely simmering water and beat constantly with a whisk (this could be done with a portable electric mixer, but it tends to splatter) until the mixture thickens and becomes custardlike. I don't know why Craig can't use a wooden spoon like everybody else.

Blend the gelatin with water and when it is softened, pour it into the pumpkin mixture. Pour and scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl. I waited until the custard was cool before doing this.

Beat the egg whites until they are partly stiff and add the remaining sugar, beating until the whites are stiff and glossy. Beat half of the whites into the pumpkin mousse. Add the remaining whites, folding them in gently. I know, I know. Raw egg whites. I used organic and hoped for the best. We'll see!

Beat the cream until it is stiff and fold it into the mousse. Chill until set. You'll get about six cups' worth. Yum!

Next up: heartened by exciting news from my FRiV (Field Researcher in Virginia) and having found a new model for cake conceptualization, I and my leftover pumpkin puree embark upon a thrilling baking experiment.