Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Parfait Food

STRAWBERRY MOUSSE PARFAITS

Steps:

• Place strawberries in a food processor; process until pureed. In a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and strawberries until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Transfer to a large bowl; refrigerate until chilled. , Set aside 1 cup strawberry mixture. Add condensed milk, orange juice and, if desired, food coloring to remaining mixture; stir until blended. Fold in whipped cream., Spoon 1/4 cup cream mixture into each of 12 parfait dishes or cocktail glasses. Layer each with 4 teaspoons of reserved strawberry mixture and 1/4 cup cream mixture. Refrigerate until serving.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY MOUSSE PARFAIT

Steps:

• Prepare pudding as per the directions using 1 cup of milk, set aside. Crush graham cracker cookies and put a small layer into the bottom of 6 parfait glasses followed by a layer of strawberries, pudding and then COOL WHIP. Repeat. Garnish with strawberry slices, sprig of mint and chocolate.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 6 (1-cup) servings.

CHOCOLATE-MOUSSE PARFAITS

Steps:

• Whisk together eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over (but not in) a pot of simmering water until doubled in volume and a thermometer registers 160 degrees (6 to 8 minutes). Remove from heat. Add chocolate, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt. Stir in butter until melted. Let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, whip cream to stiff peaks. Stir one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture until lightened, then fold in remaining whipped cream. Divide half of mousse between two glasses; sprinkle with crushed cookies. Top with remaining mousse and refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. To serve, top with lightly whipped cream and more cookie crumbs.

CHOCOLATE BERRY PARFAITS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set; set aside. Drain strawberries (discard the juice or save for another use); place berries in a blender. Cover and process until smooth; set aside. , In a large bowl, beat cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in strawberry puree. Divide half of the chocolate pudding among four or six parfait glasses. Top with half of the strawberry mixture. Repeat layers. Garnish with a strawberry slice if desired.

RASPBERRY-CHOCOLATE PARFAITS

Steps:

• Toss 1/2 cup raspberries with 1 tablespoon chocolate liqueur; layer with crumbled brownies and chocolate ice cream in 2 glasses. Top with whipped cream and more raspberries.

WHITE CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY PARFAITS

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Combine the raspberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, mashing with a spoon. Press through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl using the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until cold.
• Make the mousse: Put the white chocolate and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate is melted; whisk until smooth and creamy. Beat the remaining 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Whisk about 1 cup of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest until combined.
• Divide half of the mousse among 6 small glasses; top each with about 1 tablespoon raspberry sauce and a few raspberries. Top with the remaining mousse, sauce and raspberries; sprinkle with shaved white chocolate. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.

LEMON AND WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PARFAITS WITH RUBY RED STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a medium bowl and mix together well. Place over a pot of simmering water and whisk until the yolks are very thick, about 6 minutes. Cool.
• Combine 1/4 cup whipping cream and the white chocolate in a mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.
• Beat the remaining 2 2/3 cup whipping cream until firm peaks form. Divide the whipped cream between the lemon and white chocolate mousse bases, folding in 1 cup at a time.
• Layer the lemon mousse in 6 parfait glasses. Top with 2 tablespoons strawberries. Then layer the white chocolate mousse over the strawberries. Repeat the layering 2 more times.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Lightly coat the insides of 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch) cake pans with melted butter. Line each pan with parchment paper, then lightly coat the parchment with more melted butter. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat 1-inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place remaining butter and 8 ounces semisweet chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap. Allow to heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, stir until smooth, and hold at room temperature.
• Place the egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on high until slightly thickened and lemon-colored, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high for an additional 2 minutes.
• While the egg yolks are beating, whisk 4 egg whites in a large stainless steel bowl until stiff but not dry, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold the melted chocolate mixture into the beaten egg yolk mixture. Add a quarter of the beaten egg whites and stir to incorporate, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, spreading evenly, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 15 minutes. (During baking, the surface of the cakes will form a crust; this crust will normally collapse when the cakes are removed from the oven.) Invert 1 of the cakes onto the bottom of a springform pan. Invert the other 2 cakes onto cake circles. Remove the parchment paper and refrigerate cakes for 30 minutes.
• To prepare the chocolate and strawberry mousse, reserve the 12 best-looking strawberries to decorate the top of the cake. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, puree 4 ounces of strawberries (12 medium-sized berries should yield 1/2 cup of puree). Set aside until needed. Refrigerate the remaining berries until needed (that includes the 12 berries for decoration) Heat 1-inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place 16 ounces semisweet chocolate, the white chocolate and the strawberry puree in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap. Allow to heat for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Transfer to a stainless steel bowl, using a rubber spatula to remove all of the melted chocolate mixture. Keep at room temperature until needed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip, whisk the 6 egg whites on high until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Continue to whisk on high while gradually adding 2 tablespoons sugar. Whisk until stiff but not dry, about 30 seconds. Set aside at room temperature until needed.
• Using a hand-held whisk, whip the heavy cream in a well-chilled stainless steel bowl until stiff. Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the melted chocolate mixture, then fold in the whipped cream. Now fold in the remaining egg whites. Set aside at room temperature until needed.
• Assemble the springform pan. Spread 1/2 cup of chocolate strawberry mousse onto the cake layer in the assembled springform pan. Arrange 1/2 the amount of reserved strawberries (not including the 12 for decoration), stem side down, into the mousse. The berries should be arranged in 2 rings: the first ring being 3/4-inch from the outside edge of the cake, and the second, inside ring, 3/4-inch away from the first. Distribute 3 cups of mousse over the berries, being careful to keep the berries in position. Holding the pan by the top rim, gently but firmly tap the bottom of the pan 2 to 3 times on your work surface (this will eliminate air pockets). Position a cake layer on top of the mousse, then repeat the process used on the first cake layer (1/2 cup mousse, remaining strawberries, and 3 more cups mousse). Top the mousse with the remaining cake layer and gently press into position. Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours (do not freeze).
• Refrigerate 1 cup of Semisweet Chocolate Ganache for at least 1 hour. Keep the remaining ganache at room temperature until needed.
• Remove the sides from the springform pan (do not remove the bottom of the pan from the cake; this will make it easier to handle later). Use a cake spatula to smooth and fill in the sides of the cake with 2 to 3 tablespoons of room-temperature ganache. Evenly spread the remaining amount of this ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour.
• Transfer the chilled cup of ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a large-sized star tip. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Pipe a circle of 12 evenly spaced stars along the outside edge of the top of the cake. Place a strawberry, stem side down, into each ganache star. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.
• Cut the cake with a serrated slicer, heating the blade of the slicer under hot running water before making each slice. Allow the slices to come to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
• Heat the heavy cream, butter, and sugar in a 2 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Yield: 2 cups

LEMON AND WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PARFAITS WITH STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in medium metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture is very thick and thermometer inserted into center registers 160°F to 170°F, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Cool lemon mousse base to room temperature.
• Combine 1/4 cup cream and white chocolate in another medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until chocolate is soft and almost melted. Remove bowl from over water and stir until white chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool white chocolate mousse base to room temperature.
• Beat remaining 2 2/3 cups cream in large bowl until firm peaks form. Divide whipped cream between both mousse bases, folding in 1 cup at a time (about 3 cups for each).
• Layer scant 1/4 cup lemon mousse in each of 8 parfait glasses or wineglasses; top with 2 tablespoons strawberries. Layer scant 1/4 cup white chocolate mousse over strawberries. Repeat layering 1 more time. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. Cover and chill remaining strawberries.
• Spoon strawberries over top of each parfait, if desired, and serve.

CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL MOUSSE PARFAITS

Steps:

• For chocolate mousse, heat 2 cups cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer, about 180°. Remove from the heat; whisk in chocolate until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate until chilled. Beat until soft peaks form., For caramel mousse, beat remaining cream in a large bowl until it begins to thicken. Add caramel topping; beat until soft peaks form., Spoon 3 tablespoons chocolate mousse into six parfait glasses; top with 3 tablespoons caramel mousse. Repeat layers. Refrigerate until serving.

STRAWBERRY MOUSSE PARFAIT

Steps:

• Dice 1C Strawberries and mix with sugar and lemon. Cut remaining 1/3C into a large dice and set aside.
• Sprinkle gelatin evenly over water in a very small saucepan and let stand for 1 minute to soften. Then warm over low heat stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Stir gelatin into mashed strawberries.
• Set bowl in a a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir frequently until a spoonful of gelatin mixture holds its shape briefly before dissolving back into mixture. About 5 minutes.
• Beat cream in another bowl with a whisk until it just holds stiff peaks. Fold about a 1/2C of cream into gelatin mixture.
• In a decorative glass or dish, begin layering whipped cream, mousse, cookie crumbs and whipped cream until glass is full.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PARFAIT

Steps:

• Note: You need 5 - 1 cup decorative dishes for this recipe. Champagne glasses work very well.
• White Chocolate Layer: Combine chocolate and cream in a double boiler over hot water. Leave until partially melted, stirring ocassionally. Remove from pan. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in butter. Add egg yolks, one at a time, whisking vigoroughly after each addition.
• In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat until whites are stiff but not dry. Quickly fold about one quarter of the whites into the chocolate mixture; spoon in remaining whites and fold until blended. Place in decorative dishes and refrigerate about 1 - 1-1/2 hours or until partially set.
• Milk Chocolate Layer: Same as above. Pour carefully over the first layer.
• Dark Chocolate: Same as above.
• Cover with plastic wrap when set. If desired, garnish with white chocolate or dark chocolate curls or with seasonal fruit.