This coffee mousse is rich with egg yolk and light with meringue and whipped cream. With delicious coffee flavor, this is definitely the dessert to make for coffee lovers
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the brown sugar, egg yolks, salt, instant coffee, cornstarch, and half and half.
Turn the heat to medium-high, and whisk constantly as the custard heats. The mixture will get very foamy to begin with, but as it begins to thicken the foam will dissipate.
Once the custard has come to a boil, turn the heat to medium-low, and continue to whisk constantly, allowing the custard to bubble for a minute.
Scrape the very thick custard into a fine mesh strainer and press it through into a bowl. Make sure to scrape the back of the strainer to get all the custard into the bowl.
Whisk in the vanilla, and then press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Set aside while you make the Swiss meringue.
To Make the Swiss Meringue
Place a large metal bowl over a pan of water. NOTE: You can use the pan you used to make the custard. No need to wash it--just rinse it out.
Add the egg whites, brown sugar, and salt to the pan. Turn the heat to high and let the water come up to a high simmer, whisking the egg white mixture constantly.
Turn down the heat to keep it at a high simmer, and, still whisking constantly, cook the whites until they reach 165F on an instant-read thermometer.
Remove the bowl from the heat and whip the whites until they thicken and get nice and glossy and have cooled to room temperature.
To Make the Whipped Cream
Using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or in a bowl using a balloon whisk, whip the cream to medium peaks.
Bringing It All Together
Whisk 1/3 of the Swiss meringue into the custard to lighten in. Then fold the rest of the meringue in until only a few streaks remain.
Scrape the whipped cream into the mousse and fold together, gently but thoroughly, until no streaks remain.
Scrape or pipe the mousse into small serving bowls. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
To Save on Washing Up
Use the same pan for making custard and as the base of your double boiler.Use the bowl you make the Swiss meringue in to whip the cream.
Garnishing
Garnish with whipped cream. Flavor it with vanilla, more coffee, or make a coffee whipped cream by adding a bit of cocoa powder.Use a Microplane to shave some chocolate over the tops of the mousse. You could also top each one with a chocolate-covered coffee bean.
Storing
Keep the mousse, well covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.