Remember the Pavlova Cake I made last month? That was soooo good.

So, when I came across this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Pavlova, I had to try it. It is especially fitting for this time of year.

The cinnamon meringues are out of this world. I loved the graham cracker crumbs on top of the pumpkin mousse.

Pumpkin Pie Pavlovas

Ingredients for the meringues:

3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredients for the pumpkin mousse:

1/2 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin purée
4 ounces cream cheese, very soft
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
Crushed graham cracker crumbs, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium-high speed until very foamy and just barely holding a shape, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat until firm peaks form, about 3 minutes more. Beat 1 minute longer on high speed, then add the vanilla and cinnamon.

3. To make the pavlova bases, transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large round or star tip, or use spoons to form 6 shells, each about 4 inches in diameter. Bake until the meringue is firm and crisp, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven, crack the door slightly, and let the meringues cool for 1 hour more. (My oven door doesn’t “crack” without the oven light staying on. This bugs me, so I kept the oven door shut and it still worked fine.)

4. To make the pumpkin mousse, in a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the pumpkin purée, cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla until very smooth and light and fluffy in texture, about 2 minutes.

5. In a separate chilled bowl with chilled beaters, whip the cream to firm peaks. Stir about a third of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture to lighten it, then carefully fold in the remaining whipped cream until the mousse is well-blended.

6. To serve, place the meringue shells on dessert plates. Divide the pumpkin mousse evenly among the shells. Sprinkle with crushed graham cracker crumbs or a dusting of ground cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8

Recipe from Piece Of Cake

I had some Salted Caramel Buttercream left over from this recipe. I decided to pipe it on a leftover meringue.

Sugar Coma.

A very nice coma to be in.

Today I need something utterly soothing and mindless to listen to. This fits the bill.
Les Mentettes Orchestra-Cosmic Sidewalks

Check out Les Mentettes Orchestra on their Myspace Page. Buy the music here.

Amazon lists Cosmic Sidewalks as Explicit. I’m not hearing it. Lalalalalalala. That’s what I hear. Their song Holy Shit…okay, that’s a bit explicit.

Cheers!