This one’s for you Stephen Colbert. And the pistachio Bald Eagle. And for me. . Ok, this is for me and only me.
Have you ever had something at a restaurant that you just can’t stop thinking about, even years later? That’s what inspired this post. My senior year in college, my parents and I attended an academic awards banquet (that’s right people. I was on the Dean’s list. I know your minds are probably blown- if for no other reason than my plethora of run-on sentences, incoherent ramblings and improper uses and interchanges of colons, semi-colons and hyphens.) Anyway, the banquet was held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, here in Indianapolis. While I typically just rate banquet food as mediocre- the dessert we had, a pistachio mousse, BLEW my freaking mind.
Over the years I’ve looked for a recipe everywhere and couldn’t find one that I thought would measure up. Not until recently did it occurred to me I should search Pinterest, because let’s be honest. You can find ANY thing on Pinterest. This recipe I used isn’t one from Pinterest, because following directions are hard, gosh darnit. I prefer to skim through a few recipes, gleaning what I want from each one and then trying to throw something together. Playing around, if you will. If the recipe turns out ok, I’ll post it. And if it’s shit, I pretend I never made it. 🙂
The texture didn’t turn out quite as dense as I had expected it to. It really is a “mousse”- super light and fluffy, where as other traditional dessert mousses I’ve had are a bit more dense and solid in texture. I portioned these out individually, for a prettier presentation- so I had extras and I decided to bring them to a dinner meeting I was having friends.
Turns out they brought a chef friend along (Chef Joseph from Chef Joseph’s at the Connoisseur Room in Indianapolis) who would also be trying the dessert. I about crapped my pants. A professional chef was going to taste one of my creations. Now, I know I post a lot of food photos and recipes, but it’s really just me here in my kitchen playing around- I by no means am professionally trained.)
Anyway, right before the shatting commenced, Joseph gave the verdict. He said he rather enjoyed the light and fluffy texture and that the topping complimented it quite nicely (he was probably just being nice and complimentary, but I’ll still take it). Not to toot my own horn guys, but: TOOT. Damn, it made me feel good that he liked something I wasn’t so sure others would like. I felt fancy. Just goes to show you: a little compliment goes a long way (even if you are just being nice). One thing is for sure, these are pretty and ohhhh, so cutesy! And, if you like pistachio- this should be a winner!
Also, I think these pics turned out pretty great. TOOT TOOT! (It’s ok to be proud sometimes, right?)
- 1 (3.4 oz) package Pistachio Jell-O pudding
- 1 c cold milk
- 1 c coconut milk (canned, not carton. Use the creamy part, and drain off the water)
- 1/3 c egg whites (= 2 large egg whites) (room temperature)
- 2 Tbsp powder sugar
- 2 c whipped topping
- 1/4 c finely chopped pistachios
- 1 Tbsp local honey
- 1/4 c finely chopped pistachios
- 2 Tbsp sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 square dark chocolate
- Beat egg whites with mixer on high until stiff peaks start to form and add powder sugar.
- Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix coconut milk, milk and Pistachio pudding mix.
- Stir until it starts to thicken.
- Gently fold in the egg white mixture.
- Now, gently fold in the whipped topping.
- Next, fold in the chopped pistachios until thoroughly incorporated.
- Set it fridge to chill for one hour.
- Transfer to pastry bag and pipe into desire dish.
- In a skillet, warm the honey until it begins to thin.
- Add coconut shreds and pistachios.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Continue to stir on low to medium heat until mixture starts to caramelize.
- Let cool for about 15 minutes (You just don't want it to be piping hot- it will melt a hole down in the mousse so as long as it's cooled sufficiently you'll be ok!)
- Pinch a small amount of cooled topping and place on the center of the mousse.
- With a Microplane, dust the tops of the mousse with a small amount of chocolate.
Do you have any foods you’ve had over the years that just stole your heart? Or, rather your tummy?
