Smores Chocolate Mousse Food

S'MORES CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, arrange eight 3-by-3-inch round ring molds. In a food processor, pulse graham crackers until finely ground. Add flour, salt, butter, and sugar; pulse to combine. Transfer mixture to another rimmed baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, coarsely chop until no large clumps remain. Bake 10 minutes more. Remove and chop again; set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, melt milk chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Transfer graham cracker mixture to a large bowl. Add melted milk chocolate and stir to combine. Add 1/4 cup to each ring mold and press with a small spoon to pack tightly. Refrigerate until set.
• Mousse Filling: In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Melt semisweet chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Add gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat; add egg yolks and whisk until well combined. Let cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Whisk one-third of egg-white mixture into semisweet-chocolate mixture; gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture. Gently fold in whipped cream. Divide mousse evenly among ring molds (about 1/4 cup each). Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.
• Meringue Topping: Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a mixer set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved, and mixture is warm to the touch and feels completely smooth when rubbed between fingertips. Transfer bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Add cornstarch and vanilla. Continue whisking until meringue is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), 6 to 8 minutes.
• Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip; pipe on top of mousse to fill mold. Using a small offset spatula, smooth meringue to make it flush with top of mold.
• Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes. To unmold, place ring mold on top of a narrow glass or spice jar; gently pull mold down. If necessary, briefly torch sides of molds with a kitchen torch to loosen (be careful not to overheat). Transfer to a heatproof plate. Repeat process with remaining molds. Use kitchen torch to brown tops of meringues. Serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE S'MORES BARS

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over two sides of the pan to act as handles. Spray the parchment with non-stick spray.
• Place 18 marshmallows (about 4 ounces or 2 cups) in a medium bowl and set aside. Place the remaining 8 ounces of marshmallows (about 4 cups) in a large microwave-safe bowl along with the butter. Microwave on high until the marshmallows and butter are completely melted, about 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Stir to combine. Add the graham crackers and rice cereal and quickly stir them into the melted marshmallows. Immediately scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Spray the bottom of a measuring cup with nonstick spray and use it to press the mixture into an even layer in the pan.
• Place 1 cup heavy cream to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the cream until it is just starting to steam, about 1 minute. Add the chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Shake the bowl lightly to make sure the chips are completely submerged in the heavy cream. Let stand about 5 minutes. Whisk the heavy cream and chocolate together until smooth. If any chocolate isn't melted you can microwave for 10-second increments until completely melted. It's important to only microwave 10 seconds at a time so the mixture never gets too hot. Once melted set aside to cool slightly.
• Place the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer or a medium bowl and whip with a mixer or whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the melted chocolate until you no longer see any streaks of white. Spoon the mousse over the graham cracker base and smooth the top to make an even layer.
• Cut the reserved 18 marshmallows that were set aside in half horizontally. Press 6 marshmallow halves in a row along the bottom border of the pan. Continue adding lines of marshmallows so that you have 6 rows of 6 marshmallows each covering the mousse. Cover with plastic wrap (preferably reusable) and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve, cut the bars into 6 long strips following the lines of the marshmallows. Then cut the strips in half so that each bar has 3 marshmallow halves on it. If desired, toast the marshmallows with a kitchen torch and serve. The bars can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

S'MORES MOUSSE

Steps:

• For the mousse: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream to medium stiff peaks. Transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Microwave the chocolate in a microwave-safe dish in 30-second increments until melted; set aside.
• In the stand mixer with a clean bowl, whisk the egg yolks and salt on medium-high speed. Meanwhile, heat the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer to 240 degrees F. With the mixer running, stream the hot sugar syrup into the yolks and beat until room temperature. Fold in the slightly cooled melted chocolate, then the whipped cream. Serve immediately or chill before serving.
• For the topping: Spoon the mousse into small glasses or jars and top with the graham crackers, mini marshmallows and chocolate shavings.