The only slight difference between how I made my caramel coffee mousse and the original is that I made a wet caramel (using water) for both the bowl coating and to add to the egg whites. The original recipe calls for dry caramel in the egg whites, but I think there is too much room for error and you could easily end up with burnt sugar. If you are a sugar pro, by all means make a dry caramel from the 1/2 cup of sugar. The recipe for the Anglaise calls for bringing it to a boil, but that goes against my Anglaise grain, so I am giving you the instructions for how I make Anglaise.
2Tablespoonsamaretto-flavored freeze-dried or granulated instant coffee(I used plain and added 1/4 teaspoon almond extract to the mix)
1Tablespooncoffee liqueur
½teaspoonvanilla extract(I added the almond in addition to this amount of vanilla)
1 ½cupscoffee creme anglaisechilled
For the Coffee Anglaise
1 ½cupswhole milk
½cupfirmly packed dark brown sugar
¼cupheavy cream
3egg yolks
2teaspoonsvanilla sugar(I just used regular granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla)
⅛teaspoonsalt(use this amount. It is perfect)
3Tablespoonsconcentrated coffee syrup(made by reducing 1/2 cup instant coffee, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water to 1/2 cup. Strain and cool)
Instructions
For the Caramel
Place 1 1/2 cups of the granulated sugar and 1 cup of water in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Have an oven-safe 8" or 9" bowl ready.
Bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar evenly. Once it boils, put the lid on the pot and let boil for 2 minutes to wash down any errant sugar crystals.
Remove the lid and let the sugar boil until it is a deep amber color.
Pour it into the bowl and, wearing oven mitts, carefully swirl the bowl so the caramel coats the entire inside of the bowl. The caramel will thicken as it cools, but you should be able to get a nice coat over the whole bowl. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325F.
In your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the whites and salt on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar and continue to whisk for an additional 6 minutes.
As soon as you set your timer for 6 minutes, put the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and a few tablespoons of water in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Bring it up to a boil, place a lid on it for a minute or two, and then remove the lid and let the sugar cook until a medium caramel. This whole process should take about 6 minutes. If your caramel is ready before the 6 minutes are up, proceed. Caramel waits for no one.
Once the sugar has caramelized, carefully pour it in a thin stream into the beating whites. Whip for 2 more minutes.
Mix the coffee, coffee liqueur and extract/s together, and drizzle them into the mixer bowl. Whip another minute to evenly incorporate all the ingredients.
Spoon the meringue into the caramel-lined bowl, making sure there are as few air pockets as possible, especially on the outside. Just look through the bowl and you can see where they are. I just used a small spatula to get rid of all the air pockets. Then, smooth the top of the meringue.
Place in a baking dish on the center rack of the oven. Fill the dish with an inch of water, and then bake the meringue for an hour.
Mine started to look a bit dark after 20 minutes, so I tented it with foil.
Take the bowl out of the oven and let cool until it reaches room temperature. This can take several hours, and you may have to let it sit overnight.
When it's time to serve, here's how you loosen the meringue.
Carefully pull back an edge of the meringue just enough to pour 2-3 Tablespoons of water between the mousse and the caramel. Swirl the bowl until the mousse has released. This can take a few minutes, so be patient. I was not, and I ended up with spatula marks in my mousse. That's what I get for being impatient!
Invert a rimmed platter over the bowl and then carefully flip the two, turning the meringue out.
Spoon any caramel stuck in the bowl over the mousse.
This doesn't slice, really, so serve large spoonfuls of it in pretty bowls along with a couple of spoonfuls of the Anglaise.
For the Coffee Anglaise
Whisk together the milk, brown sugar, cream, yolks, vanilla sugar (or plain) and salt until well combined and frothy.
Heat over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Once the mixture starts to steam, it will happen pretty soon thereafter, so watch it carefully. If you have an instant read thermometer, cook until it reaches between 165F-175F.
Immediately strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in the concentrated coffee syrup. Cool and then refrigerate until cold.