Lighter than air: pumpkin mousse with toffee/nut crumbles

Pumpkin pie isn't one of our family's favorites, but we do love pumpkin bread.  While great to snack on or toast for breakfast (more on that in a future post), pumpkin bread isn't special enough to serve as a dessert for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

A few years ago, while looking for a special holiday dessert that used pumpkin, I combined a couple of different recipes and created this wonderfully light dessert. It's become a family favorite.

Pumpkin Mousse with Toffee/Nut Crumbles

Pumpkin Mousse
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Crumbles
1 cup nuts (can use pecans or walnuts - I usually use walnuts), broken into small pieces
2/3 cup toffee bits (you can find these in the same place you buy chocolate chips - I usually get Heath brand)
4 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon, unsalted butter, melted

Directions
To make the crumbles: preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line small baking sheet with foil and brush with vegetable oil. Toss the nuts, toffee bits, brown sugar and salt in a bowl.  Place the mixture in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake about 12 minutes - make sure the toffee bits are soft, but still retain their shape. Remove from oven and cool completely. Break into small pieces.

To make the mousse:  In a medium saucepan, whisk 3/4 cups of the whipping cream, sugar and the egg yolks until sugar melts. Stir over medium-low heat until thickened to the consistency of pudding - usually takes me about 10-15 minutes.  Put the mixture in a large bowl,  add the pumpkin, rum, vanilla and spices and refrigerate for about an hour.

While waiting for the pumpkin mixture to cool, beat the remaining 1 1/4 cups of whipping cream in a mixer until the cream holds soft peaks. Remove about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into a medium bowl and store until serving.  Take the remaining whipping cream and gently fold into the pumpkin mixture. Refrigerate at least 6 hours (but it'll last up to a day or so).

Assembly:  I take beautiful water goblets (as you can see from the photo) - and layer the mousse, crumbles and whipping cream. It makes a beautiful presentation - but while light, the dessert is pretty rich.  It makes about 6 servings - although you can make smaller servings and stretch it to 8 servings.