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Orange Mousse
3/4 cup sugar 1 orange (grated rind) 1/4 cup cold water 1 tablespoon gelatine 2 tablespoons cold water 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2/3 cup orange juice 1 1/2 cups cream, whipped 1/4 cup pistachio nuts 1/4 cup candied cherries Put sugar in sauce pan, add rind of orange and water. Let boil for a minute, then add gelatine which has been softened in cold water and dissolve in hot syrup. Add fruit juices. Place in electrical refrigerator and when it begins to thicken, fold cream, nuts and cherries. Pour into mold and let stand in refrigerator for 3 hours. Serves six.
A gelatine-set orange mousse from the era when the household electric refrigerator was still new enough to be named in the instructions. The whole dish hinges on catching the gelatine at the right moment.
- The hinge: fold at the right thicknessChill the orange syrup only until it has the body of raw egg white and mounds slightly on a spoon. Fold too soon and the cream separates into a layer; too late and the set gelatine breaks into lumps that will not blend.
- Gelatine quantityOne tablespoon of granulated gelatine is a little more than a modern 1/4-oz envelope (an envelope is about 2 1/4 teaspoons, 7 g). Sprinkle it over the 2 tablespoons of cold water and let it stand five minutes before it goes into the hot syrup.
- The syrupThree-quarters cup sugar with 1/4 cup water boiled one minute is a light syrup, not a candy stage. It only needs to be hot enough to dissolve the softened gelatine completely -- stir and check that no grains cling to the spoon.
- "Electrical refrigerator"Simply the fridge, about 40F. This is a chilled mousse, not a frozen one; do not put it in the freezer, which will give you an icy set rather than a creamy one.
- Whipping the creamUse heavy or whipping cream and stop at soft peaks. Stiffly whipped cream folds in as visible lumps and makes the finished mousse grainy rather than light.
- Orange juiceTwo-thirds cup is roughly the yield of two medium oranges. Grate the rind before juicing, and avoid the white pith, which turns the syrup bitter.
- Pistachios and cherriesUnsalted pistachios only. Candied cherries should be rinsed of syrup and dried, or they will bleed pink streaks through the cream.
- UnmoldingRinse the mold with cold water before filling, or oil it lightly. To turn out, dip the mold in warm water for a few seconds and invert onto a chilled plate.
- Yield and timingSix servings, as stated. Three hours is a minimum; overnight gives a cleaner cut and a firmer edge on the mold.