Coconut Mousse With Rum Syrup Food

COCONUT MOUSSE

Steps:

• Pour the cold water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin into the cold water. Set aside, let sit for about 5 minutes.
• In a small saucepan heat the coconut milk, cream of coconut and pinch of salt. Heat until just warm, not bubbling.
• Add the gelatin to the warmed coconut milk and stir until all the gelatin is dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
• In a medium size mixing bowl pour the heavy whipping cream and add the white sugar. Mix over medium speed until whipped cream is light and fluffy and soft peaks are forming.
• Carefully add the cooled coconut mixture to the whipped cream and stir until combined.
• Pour the mixture into small containers or jars. Seal and place in refrigerator. Allow to cool and set for at least 4 hours.
• Top with additional whipped cream and any other toppings desired. Pictured is chocolate, strawberries, and sugared lime zest (lime zest coated in white sugar).

COCONUT MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preparation:
• Make the Hot Milk Cake as directed and make sure it is cool inside and out. (If frozen, let thaw in the refrigerator, 3 to 4 hours. or on the countertop for 1 to 2 hours. If time demands, you can thaw on the countertop. If time demands you can thaw on the countertop 1 to 2 hours, but be careful not let it sit too long before you begin working with it, as a cold cake is easier to cut.)
• Clear a space in the refrigerator large enough for the cake on a cake board. The mousse cake will need several hours to set up.
• If making the Coconut Simple Syrup now, let cool to room temperature. Make the Coconut Mousse as directed, allowing time for the gelatin-sugar mixture to cool before finishing.
• Set a revolving cake stand on a clean, dry work surface and place the cake, top-side up, on the stand. Using a serrated knife and holding the blade perfectly horizontal, remove any curve from the top of the cake to level it. While you saw gently with the knife, use your other hand to rotate the stand gradually and bring the cake toward you. Get eye level to the cake as needed to make sure you are holding the knife exactly level. Repeat to split the cake into three or four equal layers.
• Arrange all the cake layers on the work surface. Using your hands, tap off and brush away excess crumbs. Turn the original bottom layer flat-dark-side, or pan-side, up; reserve this to be the top layer of the assembled cake. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of each layer with an ample amount of the coconut syrup.
• Line a clean 6-by-3-inch cake pan with plastic wrap, leaving about 3 inches of overhang all around the sides to use later as a handle. Take up the original top of the cake, which you leveled, to be the bottom layer of the assembled cake. Place the first layer of cake, syrup-side up, in the lined pan. Scoop 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the mousse on top of the cake layer and use an offset spatula to level it. Top with the second layer of cake, syrup-side up, and press down lightly to seal and secure. Add another layer of mousse. Repeat with the third layer if making a four-layer cake.
• Place the reserved top piece, flat-dark-side up, on top. Cover with plastic wrap and carefully transfer the cake to the refrigerator. Let set for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
• To unmold the mousse cake, wrap a hot towel around the pan for 1 minute and gently shake to loosen the cake. Invert the pan onto a cake board on a clean work surface, then gently lift the pan off. If it resists, give a little tug on the plastic-wrap "handle." When the pan is off, peel the plastic-wrap lining from the cake. Transfer the cake on its board onto the revolving cake stand, with a nonslip pad or damp paper towel underneath.
• This cake requires only one coat of icing. Using the offset spatula, smear a generous scoop of the icing on one side of the cake. Keeping the spatula in front of you, rotate the cake stand to spread the icing in a smooth coat about 1 inch thick. (It needs to be thick enough to hide the sides of the cake, but not drooping down the sides.) Add more icing as you go, but do NOT back track! The icing will be covered with coconut, so it is not important for it to be perfect; however, you want the cake layers aligned perfectly and the coat of icing to be straight up and down on all sides, as well as crumb free and smooth. As you frost the sides, push the icing up over the top edge of the cake to make sure the coverage is complete, then use this excess to frost the top, using the spatula to pull the icing across the cake toward the center. There should be enough icing from the sides to cover the top, but if necessary, add another small scoop.
• Using a cupped hand, apply the dried coconut to the sides and top of the cake, pressing gently to help it adhere. Very carefully transfer the cake on the board to a presentation platter. Gather up any excess coconut and press it onto the cake, or reserve for another use. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
• Stir 1/2 cup coconut milk into 1/2 cup Simple Syrup. Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

COCONUT MOUSSE

Steps:

• Pour 3/4 of the puree into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface to soften. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/2 cup of puree and the sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir the puree and gelatin into the warm puree and stir to dissolve the gelatin. If lumps remain, put the pan over low heat and stir just until the lumps dissolve. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until it holds medium peaks. Fold one-third of it into the coconut mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain. Pour the mousse into a bowl (or ramekins) and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

COCONUT MOUSSE WITH RUM SYRUP

Steps:

• Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup of water and reserve.
• Using a whisk, mix coconut cream with yolks. Place in a heavy saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens.
• Add gelatin mixture and stir until gelatin dissolves. Set aside to cool.
• Beat egg whites until stiff, slowly adding 1/2 cup sugar while beating. Fold into coconut cream until well mixed.
• Boil remaining 1/2 cup sugar with the 1/2 cup water until thick and syrupy - 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. Cool and add rum and vanilla.
• Butter a charlotte mold. Soak ladyfingers thoroughly, one by one, in the sugar syrup and line the sides of the mold. Pour in a third of the coconut cream. Moisten more ladyfingers and layer over the cream. Repeat twice, ending with ladyfingers.
• Refrigerate at least 6 hours.
• Whip the cream just before serving, and unmold the mousse on a round platter. Garnish with candied violets and mint leaves, if desired. Serve with the whipped cream.

PIñA COLADA MOUSSES WITH ALMOND TUILES, COCONUT SAUCE, AND RAPBERRY COULIS

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan stir together juice and sugar and simmer until reduced to about 3/4 cup. In a bowl lightly beat yolks and in a slow stream add half of hot juice mixture, whisking. Add egg mixture to remaining juice mixture and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until custard is thickened and a thermometer registers 160°F.
• Transfer custard to a clean bowl and with an electic mixer beat until cool and very thick. In another bowl with electric mixer beat cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in coconut milk and fold cream mixture into custard gently but thoroughly. Spoon mousse into ten 1/3-cup cone-shaped paper cups or other very small paper cups. (If using cone-shaped paper cups, set in small winglass or juice glass to keep upright.) Freeze mousses, covered, at least 4 hours, or until firm, and up to 1 day.
• In a saucepan bring whole milk, coconut milk, and sugar to a boil, stirring until suagr is dissolved. In a bowl lightly beat yolks and in a slow stream add half of hot mixture, whisking. Add egg mixture to remaining milk mixture, stirring and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and a thermometer registers 160°F. Chill sauce, its surface covered with a buttered round of wax paper, at least 3 hours, or until cold, and up to 1 day. Stir rum into sauce.
• In a blender purée raspberries with syrup and pour through a fine sieve into a bowl.
• Gently tear paper cups from mousses and invert onto 10 plates. Cut each mousse horizontally into thirds. Carefully seperating sections with a spatula, slip a 3-inch tuile between bottom and middle sections and a 2 1/2-inch thick tuile between top and middle sections of each mousse.
• Spoon coconut sauce around mousse and dot sauce with rasberry coulis. Draw a knife decoratively through sauce and coulis and garnish desserts with pineapple leaves.