White Chocolate and Pear Mousse

Photo: flickr user The Gifted Photographer

Ingredients

Pear Puree:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 ripe pears, cored, peeled, and sliced

cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons Poire Williams or other pear brandy

Mousse:

10 ounces best-quality white chocolate, broken into small pieces

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

6 large eggs, separated

1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

cup Poire William or other pear brandy

2 cups heavy or whipping cream

Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Preparation

Prepare the pear puree: Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Add the pear slices and saute until somewhat mushy, about 15 minutes.

Stir in teh sugar and simmer until the pears begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes longer.

Remove the pears from the heat and place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

Add the Poire Williams and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare the mousse: Melt the white chocolate and butter together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Set aside.

Combine the egg yollks, sugar, and Poire Williams in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a hand-held mixer until teh mixture falls into ribbons when the beaters are lifted. Place the pan over simmering water and continue whisking until quite thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the egg mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the melted white chocolate, stirring until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

In a chilled bowl, beat the cream until quite stiff. In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the whipped cream.

Divide one0third of the mousse among 8 to 10 large wine goblets. Top each serving with a layer of the pear pouree. Spoon another one-third of the mousse into the goblets, and top with the remaining pear puree.

Fill the goblets with the remaining mousse.

Chill in the refrigerator until set, at least 2 to 3 hours.

Serve chilled, garnished with fresh mint sprigs.