Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Strawberries and Cream Mousse Pie

Buying fresh fruit and vege is one of my favourite foodie experiences. I love all the different fruity aromas that float around as you drift and sift through the piles of green and red, yellow and orange for the best of the best produce (I wonder how many others have handled the same fruit?) Of course there's the occasional paw paw that you bypass (I tend to think fresh paw paw smells a bit like vomit) but on the whole it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience for someone like me. Especially when you hit upon a super I-can't-go-past-that sort of bargain. Monster strawberries, 99c for 500g. Yes please!
Now I don't know if youre familiar with monster strawberries. 4kg of them later, I stood staring at them sprawled all over my kitchen bench, wondering what fabulous recipes there going to result from this bunch. Then it hit me. Why were they all so deformed, so gigantic? They're mutants! Would they sprout arms and bare teeth and start stomping around like something out of a Pnau video clip?
So I had to go and research them before they passed anyone's lips. Not that I didn't trust that they were edible, but I had to know the ins and outs of these massive red strawberries that had looked like they were joined to at least four others.
To my joy, it turns out that monster strawberries form simply out of a weather incompatibility, nothing more. They were delicious, mind you--fat, juicy and flavoursome, and just had to fill this heavenly tart--a light biscuit base, topped with airy strawberry cream mousse, finished off with a garnishing of fruit and lime jelly glaze.



STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM MOUSSE PIE WITH LIME JELLY GLAZE (Adapted from Martha Stewart)

8-10 Nice biscuits
3 tbsp. lime juice
2 3/4 tsp unflavoured gelatin
500g fresh strawberries
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
2 cups heavy cream, chilled

Lime Jelly Finish:

1/2 cup boiling water
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp unflavoured gelatin

Grease and line a 20x20 square glass or tin dish, leaving an inch or so of baking paper overhanging at the sides for easy removal of pie.
Lay the Nice biscuits on the base of the dish, breaking biscuits if necessary to cover the bottom evenly.
In a small bowl, place the lime juice and shower the gelatin over the top of it. Leave it aside to soften for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place 400g of the strawberries in a food processor, and blend into a fine puree. Push the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepan, and discard the seeds. At a medium setting, heat the puree along with 1/2 cup sugar, stirring occasionally, until bubbles begin to form around the sides of the saucepan. Add the gelatin and cook until the gelatin dissolves, stirring continually. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whip the cream and the extra 2 tablespoons of sugar for about 4 minutes until firm peaks form. Gently fold the strawberry puree into the cream with a spatula until well combined. Smooth this mousse mixture over the top of the Nice biscuit base. Slice the remaining strawberries lengthways and arrange on the top of the mousse as desired. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until set.
To make the lime jelly finish, Place the boiling water in a small bowl with the lime juice. Shower the gelatin on the water and sit for a few minutes to soften. Stir occasionally to ensure the gelatine dissolves, then cool to room temperature. Pour onto the mousse pie and refrigerate until set. Serve.
HUGE!

9 comments:

  1. Hi, Just want to say I love your blog. So refreshing to read of your great love for your family, and your delight in cooking for them and your friends. Absolutely wonderful. I also love that it is an Australian blog. I am a Queenslander, so seasons and available produce are in synch, unlike so many blogs from the northern hemisphere.
    Anyway, I have an abundance of strawberries at the moment so was very happy to see this recipe.
    It is a Martha Stewart recipe so wondered wbout the tablespoon measures. US tablespoons are normally 3 teaspoons while we are 4. Therefore I was a little concerned about the quantity of gelatine to set such a small amount of liquid in the jelly. Also seems a small amount of sugar in the mousse.
    Could you please let me know whether it needs a bit more sugar and also about the quantity of gelatine.
    Thank you,
    Angela

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    1. Hi there Angela, I'm so glad you came across my blog and enjoy it! so nice to hear from a fellow Queenslander!
      1/2 a cup of sugar in the mousse is the correct measurement and it carries the right sweetness I found. there is an extra 2 tbsp sugar in the cream. I always measure 3 teaspoons to a tablespoon. As for the final gelatin layer, you could certainly use less gelatin in it, I actually just wanted a quick and firm set on it (this is something I added, not Martha Stewart.) Because it is a thin layer of lime jelly, you could probably use as little as 2 tsp gelatin or less but I'm not 100% sure on the firmness of the set as I have not tried that quantity. The quantity of gelatin in the recipe seemed to work well though. cheers and thanks for your questions1 I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did!

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    2. I made it today, sans glaze, and everyone loved it!!! Can't wait to try more of your recipes.
      Thanks so much for sharing these delights on your blog...a real labour gien you have a family to care for.
      Regards from Brisbane,
      Angela

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  2. This dish takes me back to my childhood when my mother made this kind of mousse with cream and gelatine. It's so pretty.

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  3. This dish is beyond fantastic. Have a great week.

    Ps I know you have probably been busy. Just a wee reminder that it would be great if you followed Carole's Chatter back. Cheers

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  4. What a great recipe. I love the gentle pink of the cream mousse - looks fabulous!

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  5. It looks really good. what kind of biscuits did you use??? I would love to try this..Happy Tuesday with love Janice...@spoonwither.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Janice, thanks for your question! I used Arnott's Nice Biscuits, theyre a relatively plain cookie with a sprinkling of sugar on the top. I chose them mainly for their shape, feel free to use any plain cookies of your choice such as Marie bisuits etc.

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